The Autobiography of Samuel Bamford, Volume 1: Early Days by Samuel BamfordMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was an extremely interesting autobiographical account of Samuel Bamford’s life from being a small boy up until he became a weaver. His description of the way he and others of a similar class lived is both fascinating and sometimes surprising; he covers the regular but simple mealtimes and the various jobs he had to take on. Bamford’s literary ability and his total captivation by the well-known authors and poets of the time are covered in detail in parts, explaining his later life to some extent when he became more acknowledged by publishers and readers. He mentions Gibbons and Robert Burns for example and his struggles when presenting his own efforts at ‘versifying’ to others. There is a time when Bamford becomes a sailor and his encounter with the press gangs of the times is quite revealing. By the end of the book the Middleton weaver is married and the events during the wedding ceremony, when there is a difficulty passing the ring over the finger joint of his wife, shows a spirit in him that suggests what is to come later, as a ‘radical reformer’. He is not easily intimidated by men of a higher position and class to himself, such as the pompous clergyman who is marrying them. On the other hand Samuel Bamford’s strong sense of right and wrong encourages him to support and defend an alderman who is being beaten by indignant riotous workers. He places his own body between the men and their victim, suffering blows and bruises to his own arms and back. Such riots were being put down regularly by the militia at those times. I can recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history ‘from the mouth of the witness’, particularly during Georgian and early Victorian times.
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