![]() Two principal factors influenced the growth of diary writing in this period: firstly a gradual increase in literacy amongst the population during the course of the seventeenth century. The examples of this networking, or interconnection, are offered here because it may interest some historians to see that many of these primary sources were linked in various ways. One diarist may have shared the idea of his or her personal hobby with acquaintances who in turn inspired their friends to take up pen and record their own lives on a daily basis. ![]() It will be argued that in some cases the habit of keeping a diary tended to beget other diaries. The appearance and spread of diaries in the early modern period was the product of certain cultural factors and, as shall be suggested below, the influence of one individual upon another giving encouragement to keep a personal account of one’s life. Approximately twenty diaries have survived from the sixteenth century which would appear to highlight a noticeable upturn in diary keeping during the period 1600-1700. During the course of the period we can estimate the number of surviving diary manuscripts at around three hundred and sixty-three, most of which were catalogued by William Matthews in his work on British Diaries. The early modern period saw the beginning and increasing popularity of the diary as a personal document in England. School of Philosophical, Historical, and International StudiesĮras Journal – McKay, E: “The Diary Network in Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century England” The Diary Network in Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century England Elaine McKay (Queens University, Belfast)
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