These diaries form part of what was once
a much longer sequence. As well as the
diaries surviving among the Swalcliffe
parish records, Annie Norris herself
refers to earlier diaries going back to
1852 (P403/J/2, fol. 27r). Both diaries
are small (17.5cms X 11.5cms), hard
bound volumes of 144 leaves each. There
is an entry for almost every day and the
length of each entry varies from one or
two lines to three or four pages. Annie
Norris is not an introspective writer
and rarely mentions her feelings, even
during times of stress, such as her
father's final illness in 1889. However,
she describes people, places and events
in detail, and the diaries present a
full picture of the outward
circumstances of her life and her
interests.
Annie Norris was unmarried, and her
closest relationships seem to have been
with members of her immediate family,
particularly her father. Many entries
relate to visits by or to her relatives,
or outings that she made with them. Her
brother George's activities, notably
hunting, shooting and attending musters
of the Oxfordshire Hussars are also
mentioned frequently. Outside her
family, her closest relationship appears
to have been with Revd Edward Payne
(Vicar of Swalcliffe 1837-1886) and his
wife, who seem to have regarded her as a
daughter. She often comments on her own
health and that of her family and
friends.
Annie Norris was interested in the
weather, which she comments on almost
every day (perhaps partly a scientific
interest - she owned a microscope
(P403/J/2, fol. 96r), and was interested
in the weather station built by Dr
Wilkinson (ibid. fols 86v-87r)). She
also makes notes on flowers, plants and
birds. The diary sometimes comments on
national and international political
events, but there is little about local
politics. She sometimes refers to books
books she read: often these were sermons
or theological works, but they also
included novels, such as "King Solomon's
Mines". Her greatest interest was in the
church and village life of Swalcliffe.
She frequently mentions Revd Payne and
his successor, Dr John Turner Wilkinson
(Vicar 1886-1894, "Dr W" in the diaries)
and often went to the Vicarage to speak
to them. She also records the services
she attended, sermons she heard and
numbers of communicants. She often
refers to decorating Swalcliffe church
or preparing it for services and
discusses alterations to the church
fabric. She also describes churches and
services she attended while on holidays.
Annie Norris often visited the
Swalcliffe Sunday School and the
National School, even attending when the
School Inspector visited. She seems to
have run a clothing club ("Cl. Club")
and helped to organise social events for
children and old people in the village.
She took an interest in the welfare of
the villagers, visiting the sick and
elderly and helping a young unmarried
mother, Eliza Simmonds (P403/J/1,
various references).