The watchful clothier : the life of an eighteenth-century Protestant capitalist

"A clothier and a deeply religious man, Joseph Ryder faithfully kept a diary from 1733 until his death, two and a half million words later, in 1768. Recently rediscovered and brilliantly interpreted by historian Matthew Kadane, Ryder's diary provides an illuminating, real-life perspective on the relationship between capitalism and Protestantism at a time when Britain was rapidly changing from a traditional to a modern society. It also provides fascinating insights on the early modern family, the birth of industrialization, the history of Puritanism, the origins of Unitarianism, melancholy, and the making of the British middle class."--Publisher's description

A clothier and a deeply religious man, Joseph Ryder faithfully kept a diary from 1733 until his death, two and a half million words later, in 1768. Recently rediscovered and brilliantly interpreted by historian Matthew Kadane, Ryder’s diary provides an illuminating, real-life perspective on the relationship between capitalism and Protestantism at a time when Britain was rapidly changing from a traditional to a modern society. It also provides fascinating insights on the early modern family, the birth of industrialization, the history of Puritanism, the origins of Unitarianism, melancholy, and the making of the British middle class.

A clothier and a deeply religious man, Joseph Ryder faithfully kept a diary from 1733 until his death, 2.5 million words later, in 1768. Recently rediscovered and interpreted by the author of this book, Ryder's diary provides a real-life perspective on the relationship between capitalism and Protestantism at a time when Britain was rapidly changing from a traditional to a modern society. It also provides insights into the early modern family, the birth of industrialisation, the history of Puritanism, the origins of Unitarianism, melancholy, and the making of the British middle class Contents 5 Note on Style 7 1. Double-Minded Men 11 2. “My Character & Conduct” 25 3. “That Single Word Watch” 53 4. “An Active Frame in Courts Below” 94 5. “The Sparks That Fly Upward” 119 6. Mourning, Melancholy, and Money 143 7. The Changing Meaning of God and Man 166 8. The Making of a Middle-Class Mind 193 Acknowledgments 207 Appendix 1. Ryder’s Diary Volumes 211 Appendix 2. Deaths and Burials 214 Notes 231 Manuscript Sources 295 Index 297