Photo: the memoir is a unique snapshot of 19th century life told from the rare perspective of an ordinary working man. Courtesy Wiltshire County Council.

A unique and moving memoir, detailing life in Salisbury during the 19th century and written by a local tradesman, has been discovered and acquired by Wiltshire & Swindon Record Office.

Written in 1881, the 736-page memoir recalls the life and times of painter, glazier and Salisbury resident William Small.

Just like the diaries of Samuel Pepys centuries before him, Small's account offers historians a fascinating first hand snapshot of an era, which in this case means life as it was in Wiltshire during the Victorian period.

However, unlike Pepys, Small was an ordinary, working man and his memoir offers a different perspective to that of the wealthy, educated classes who were more typical keepers of diaries.

Principle Archivist at Wiltshire & Swindon Record Office, John d'Arcy told the 24 Hour Museum how the most exciting thing about the memoir is its immediacy.

Photo: the memoir offers lively accounts of local characters. Courtesy Wiltshire County Council.

"You're really reading something that perhaps few people have read since the man died and you're reading it straight from the heart," explained John.

"You're seeing things through his eyes, but like all diaries you've got this sense of almost being there by one remove."

Born in Salisbury in 1820 William Small followed in his father's footsteps, working in the local area as a painter and glazier.

His memoir offers a colourful account of local life, taking the reader through the many houses he worked on and introducing the various characters he met.

He notes the local vicar, Rev. Hugh Stevens, remarking: "kept a school in the house adjoining the New Inn. I knew him well and he was very eccentric. His lady I also knew, her dress caught on fire and she died from the effects."

Small also records significant national news and events, such as the funeral of the Prime Minister Benjamin Disreali, often borrowing extracts from the newspapers of the day.

Photo: archivist Steve Hobbs examines the unique documents. Courtesy Wiltshire County Council.

He also provides historical detail, including information about Salisbury Cathedral and Stonehenge and even news items from the Salisbury and Winchester Journal from 1737 and 1738.

It seems that by the time he wrote his account, Small had outlived both his wife and child and he expresses a great sense of loneliness and emptiness over several pages.

The subject of earning a living also crops up, providing a taster of the social conditions of Salisbury at the time.

Complaining of problems paying his rent, Small writes: "I am willing to work my fingers to the bone almost, if I could get work and pay my way, for I cannot live in debt, it is unbearable to me. Most of my father's and mother's old friends and supporters, and mine, are gone...it seems very hard and vexing to see all the houses we used to work at painted by others and that by strangers too..."

Discovered by an antique bookseller in Hampshire, the memoir was acquired thanks to a grant from the Friends of the National Libraries. The two volumes are now on public display, although it is essential to phone ahead and make an appointment.