Six north country diaries - The MAN & Other Families

'
'•'
SELECTIONS FROM THE DIARY OF CHRISTOPHER
SANDERSON OF BARNARD CASTLE.'
INTRODUCTION.
As may be seen by referring to the accompanying jDedigree,
Christopher Sanderson, the diarist, was bom at Barnard Castle in
the year 1617, being the third son of Philip Sanderson, a substantial
haberdasher in that town. Whether he followed his father's occupation
is unknown, but he married young and became wealthy, was
made a justice of the peace for the county of Durham, purchased an
estate at Eggleston in the year 1659. and entered his pedigree at
Dugdale's Visitation in 1666. By his three marriages he had a
numerous family and was able to give three of his sons a university
education.
As a justice, he was one of those who vmsuccessfully withstood
Bishop Cosin's resolution to withdraw the privilege granted to the
Parlia-
county of Durham during the Commonwealth of returning to
ment knights of the shire and bur^esses.-
The manuscript diarj' entrusted to the Editor by the owner, Sir Jonathan
Backhouse, bart. , had been transcribed and made ready for the printer, when it
wais pointed out that in 1906 Mr. F. C. Beazley, F.S.A., had contributed to the
twenty-second volume of the Genealogist a paper entitled The ' Diary and Pedigree
of Christopher Sanderson of Eggleston,' carefully prepared from an original
MS. in the possession of Mrs. G. R. Clover.
On comparing the versions the Editor found himself convinced that the
last mentioned copy was the older of the two.
After consulting Mr. Beazley it was resolved to print those entries only
which relate to events of public interest, to refer the readers to the aforesaid
volume of the Genealogist for the Sanderson family register and to omit the
register of the weather which occupies a full half of the diary.
The Editor desires to record his obligation to Mr. Beazley who, with great
kindness, has collated the proofs with Mrs. Clover's NIS., which has been
followed when the readings of the two versions digress.
Cf. Hutchinson, Durham, vol. i. p. 540.