Skip to content
  • home
  • map
  • search
Capturing Cambridge
  • search
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Instagram
  • Home
  • /
  • Projects
  • /
  • Museum of Cambridge
  • /
  • Museum Exhibit Stories
  • Back Forward

The Farrington Diary

The Documents of the Farrington Diaries

William Farrington’s diary covers the years 1858 to 1862. He writes about everyday life in the Whittlesford/Duxford area of southern Cambridgeshire but his circle of acquaintances covers a large area from his own family in Buckden, to colleagues and friends in Cambridge and beyond. Travel is made easier because of the railways. We hear about romances, illness, crime, insanity and death. By the end of 1860 William is about to get married and move to Duxford to set up his own business. He obviously finds it hard to keep up his diary and this comes to an end in 1862.

A black leather-bound book cover featuring an ornate gold border with a handwritten paper label pasted on the front.

The cover of William Farrington’s diary

The diary has been transcribed into five documents. This work was carried out by Fiona Fitzgibbon about twenty years ago to whom the Museum of Cambridge owes a huge debt of gratitude for the work involved. To her transcriptions have been added footnotes by Roger Lilley. Also listed here are the addenda provided by the transcriber. As a digital project, any amendments, corrections or additions can be made as required. Suggestions and comments can be sent via CapturingCambridge.org.

Handwritten diary page from 1858 featuring neat, flowing cursive ink script on aged paper with several brown water stains.

Page one of William Farrington’s 1858 diary entries

The diary is part of the Museum of Cambridge archive.

Wm Farrington 58 PDF

Wm Farrington 59 pt 1 PDF

Wm Farrington 59 pt 2 PDF

Wm Farrington 60 pdf

Wm Farrington 61 PDF

Wm Farrington 62 PDF

Appendices:

Farrington family tree PDF

Farringtons Family PDF

i The Binding PDF

ii List of items in Diary PDF

iii Transcription of Letters etc PDF

Local places PDF

MAYNARD FAMILY PDF

Maynard family tree 2 PDF

PEOPLE – NATIONAL PDF

PEOPLE PDF

Places 2 PDF

REFERENCES PDF

TRADESPEOPLE PDF

William’s sisters PDF

Tags

  • Farrington Diary

Projects

  • Museum Exhibit Stories

Share this article

Share onFacebook Share onBluesky

Contribute

Do you have any information about the people or places in this article? If so, then please let us know using the Contact page or by emailing capturingcambridge@museumofcambridge.org.uk.

Licence

This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 not including content on external links as indicated byexternal link.

Museum Exhibit Stories

St John’s Vicarage, Duxford

Duxford data

2 Market Street

audio

Cambridge Castle (Castle Hill), Cambridge

video

First Eastern General Hospital, Cambridge

5 Little St Mary’s Lane, Half Moon

53 Maids’ Causeway, Failand (14 Brunswick Place)

Abbey Farm, Histon

34, 35, 36 Burleigh Street, Cambridge

Meldreth data

The Man Loaded with Mischief, 34 Madingley Road

10 Lensfield Road / (46) Regent Street, Hyde Park Corner

Christ’s College, Cambridge