Month: May 2016

Fred’s money worries, and some tangential pigs

Fred’s accounts give me the impression that he’s a young man in a protected situation that gives him enough disposable income to fund his pursuits. He’s giving roughly half to his elderly mother – Ann Shepherd – for living at home. He has to look presentable for job as a Trade’s Clerk in the Rail… Continue reading Fred’s money worries, and some tangential pigs

The Diary of Fred Shepherd, aged 19 and a half…

Fred’s entries for the first three days of January 1879 are by far the longest entries he writes, taking up several pages and include lists of resolutions, a passage on personal “stocktaking”, and several tables reviewing his work attendance, study, and a breakdown of his expenditure. (I’ll split this into two posts, or it will get… Continue reading The Diary of Fred Shepherd, aged 19 and a half…

Let’s call the whole thing off (but I’ll see you once a week)

Trying to work out just how much (and why) the early days of Janie and Fred’s relationship were blighted by the disapproval of Janie’s family, the Warburtons, is tricky when the only lens I’ve got for this time are the sporadic entries from Fred’s diary. Fred is feeling that his shortcomings in the eyes of… Continue reading Let’s call the whole thing off (but I’ll see you once a week)

Burning with the power of 8000 candles…

Following the somber events of early October, Fred + Janie resume seeing each other and I have one short letter from Fred who pleads to see Janie again from the time around the death of his father. There is an initial discussion about the different trains he tried to ‘accidentally’ meet her from and this… Continue reading Burning with the power of 8000 candles…