William Cobbett 
Rural Rides 

First published in 1830, ‘Rural Rides’ is a collection of sketches and diary entries written by William Cobbett. They concern various rural journeys around England, and offer the reader an authentic glimpse of the beauties the English countryside has to offer. William Cobbett (1763 – 1835) was an English farmer, pamphleteer, and journalist. He was a staunch believer in parliamentary reform and championed the idea of abolishing ‘rotten’ boroughs to help end the poverty of farm labourers. He was also a keen polemicist, although he is most famous for this book, ‘Rural Rides’. Other notable works by this author include: ‘Cottage Economy’ ( 1822), ‘The Housekeeper’s Magazine and Family Economist’ (1826), and ‘The Poor Man’s Friend; or, Essays on the Rights and Duties of the Poor’ (1829). Contents include: ‘Journal: From London, Through Newbury, To Berghclere, Hurstbourn Tarrant, Marlborough, And Cirencester, To Gloucester’, ‘Journal: From Gloucester, To Bollitree In Herefordshire, Ross, Hereford, Abingdon, Oxford, Cheltenham, Berghclere, Whitchurch, Uphurstbourn, And Thence To Kensington’, etc.