The Revd. James Woodforde was an English clergyman, best known for his vivid account of parish life in the 18th century. His diary, edited by John Beresford, remained unpublished until the 20th century. The diary provides a wonderfully full account of the small community in which the diarist lived — of the births and deaths, comings and goings, illnesses, and annual celebrations, along with many other details of daily life.
As a churchman, Woodforde himself was conscientious by the standards of his time, charitable and pious without being sanctimonious and again typical of his day, deeply suspicious of enthusiasm.
The value of the diary to the historian lies in the wealth of primary source material it provides, while the general reader can bring from it the authentic flavor of 18th-century English country life. - Summary by Wikipedia and John Greenman