Originally published in 1939, The Diary of Dudley Ryder 1715–1716, comprises an early diary and a few related notes by Sir Dudley Ryder when he was a student at the Middle Temple. The diary is a fascinating record of the character and life of a moderately well-to-do student of Nonconformist leanings. Its chief interest lies in the wealth of intimate detail concerning the writer, his family and friends, but it has too, considerable importance as a social and historical document. The reading and tastes of a serious young man of the early eighteenth century, his opinions on the chief social, religious and political topics of the time. It gives an interesting, at times exciting, account of the daily life of London during the rebellion; it contains eye-witness accounts of trials, executions, riots, battles; it gives fresh details and stories about many public men; it throws new light on the attitude of Nonconformity and the Church towards each other.

Sir Dudley Ryder (1691–1756) was an English lawyer, writer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1733, was appointed Attorney General in 1937 followed by Chief Justice of the King’s Bench in 1754, a post he held until his death.

William Matthews (1906–1975) was an authority on British and American diaries, medieval literature and the history of the English language. He was born in London and educated at the University of London, where he received his doctorate in 1934. He went to the USA in 1938 and taught for a year at the University of Wisconsin before joining the UCLA faculty.