The Life of William Wilberforce
Robert Isaac Wilberforce and Samuel Wilberforce1838
The biography of William Wilberforce published by two of his sons five years after his death. It prints long extracts from his journals, diaries and letters, which are its value as a source.
Robert and Samuel Wilberforce, both clergymen, wrote the Life from their father’s papers. They quote his private journal and his letters at length and give the dates of the entries in footnotes.
The extracts are primary evidence for what William Wilberforce wrote. The narrative around them is the work of sons writing to honour their father, and should be read as such.
Cited in
- 25 March 1807, firm date