Wallington's World: A Puritan Artisan in Seventeenth-Century London

by Paul S. Seaver

Seventeenth-century England has been richly documented by th lives of kings and their great ministers, the nobility and gentry, and bishops and preachers, but we have very little firsthand information on ordinary citizens. This unique portrait of the life, thought, and attitudes of a London Puritan turner (lathe worker) is based on the extraordinary personal papers of Nehemiah Wallington―2,600 surviving pages of memoirs, religious reflections, political reportage, and letters. Coming to maturity during the reign of James I, Wallington witnessed the persecution of Puritans during Archbishop Laud’s ascendancy under Charles I, welcomed what he thought would be the godly revolution brought by the Long Parliament, and watched with increasing disillusionment the falure of that dream under the Rump republic and the Cromwellian Protectorate. The author reconstructs Wallington’s inner world, allowing us to see what an ordinary man made of a lifetime of reading Puritan doctrine and listening to the sermons of Puritan preachers. For the first time we can penetrate the mind of one of those who made up the London mob calling for the end of episcopacy and the death of the Earl of Strafford in 1641, who welcomed the revolution, if not the war that followed, and who finally came to approve the death of his king.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, British Literature, School, Religion

272 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1985

Reviews

[Geertje · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm currently writing my MA thesis on one of Nehemiah Wallington's notebooks, and in such a case, this book is indispensable. It is informative, placing Wallington's writings in their proper context. The writing style is very accessible, too.

[Caleb Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Do but consider...what a deal of trouble and sorrow she is gone out of, and what abundance of joy she is gone into. And do but consider, it is your daughter's wedding day and will you grieve to see your daughter go home to her husband Christ Jesus, where she shall never want, but have the fullness of joy forevermore?" - Grace Wallington (to her husband Nehemiah on the passing of their two year old daughter Elizabeth)

A fascinating look at what "popular" level Puritanism looked like in 17th century London. Nehemiah Wallington was a lathe-working turner who produced various types of wooden chairs, shovels, trays, and other instruments. He was also a devout Christian sympathetic to the Presbyterian cause in the early 1600's. In 1645, he was even elected to be a ruling (lay) elder in his church, St. Leonard's. By these accounts, Nehemiah's life is an amazing portrait into ordinary life as an English Puritan. And yet, the picture one draws from Nehemiah's life is only a glimmer into ordinary Puritan life due to the fact that Nehemiah was incredibly unique in his prodigious work of personal papers.

Seaver's work seeks to recreate the life and times of Nehemiah Wallington based on his more than 2,600 surviving pages of memoirs, religious reflections, political accounts, letters, and diaries. This collection of works is an incredibly insightful look into lay-Puritanism not written from the clergy's point of view. Personally, I found Seaver's work quite enjoyable and illuminating. Reading of Wallington's family, work life, and conditions in London were sometimes moving and oftentimes helpful in recreating the cultural context. Seaver's writing style can be a little dull and he repeats himself verbatim in a couple of places, but it didn't really bother me due to the content of the book itself.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. It was a random purchase at the Argosy Bookstore in NYC. I am not an expert in Puritan theology or English history during the reign of the Stuarts, but like A Midwife's Tale or Random Family, this book gives you a look into the thoughts and the daily life of someone from a different time, a different place and a different culture, with the benefit of a knowledgable and thoughtful commentator/author. Now I'm interested in learning more about the history of the Glorious Revolution etc. In school, they never related these events in England to the events in New England, but amazing to me, Mr. Wallington corresponded with his buddies who had settled in Hartford and Boston. He was so envious of his friends in Boston because they lived in a godly society where no one got drunk, swore or didn't respect the Sabbath. Can you believe that Puritans in England in the 1630's and 1640's wrote to their friends in New England? Always good to find out what you didn't know.

[Diwali L · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible find for an historian. Gives a very real look into the lives of a regular person in 17th century person (who is also quite depressed) and how they were impacted by their religion and the political happenings around them. Reading this made me make a silent plan to either keep my journals in water-proof storage or destroy them completely. A very good read to understand how being literate impacted people's ability to internalize, criticize and question their religious teachings.

[John Bly · Rating 2 out of 5]

for the first 15 years of my life as a reader, i could not, under any circumstance, fall asleep reading. Wally’s World changed everything. 0 stars for plot/excitement, 5 for sleeping help.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

For my dissertation - interesting and has helped to generate ideas for a particular focus.

[June · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too Puritan for me. Not what I was expecting. I was hoping to learn more about life in London in the early 1600s, not so much what a Puritan was going through.

[♑︎♑︎♑︎ ♑︎♑︎♑︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wallington's World is a poor man's Pepys, and is based on diary entries written by an "obscure London artisan" who lived from 1598 to 1658 and who had only a primary school education. Paul Seaver is a heavy presence in these pages--it's not a transcription of Wallington so much as it is Seaver's paraphrase of Wallington, along with a mix of long quoted passages from the diary, and Seaver's own scholarship to provide historical context.

Even with all the mediation involved and the pieces missing, can I say how much more delighted I was with this book than with Pilgrim's Progress? How much more connected I feel to a Puritan sensibility? I do feel that way.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seaver's writing style is dull and unsympathetic to the struggles of Puritanical society in this era. It is less about Wallington's own opinions and religious thought and more Seaver trying to create a biography on Wallington's life. Wallington clearly is battling with manic depression, as he attempts suicide on ten occasions and talks about how he feels disconnected from his work and family.

Although Seaver was sincere in his attempts at understanding puritanism, he offers a dry read.