Domesticity and Self-justification in the Writings of Samuel Kevan,Journeyman,Later Master Slater (1764–1829)

Abstract

Samuel Kevan’s mixture of spiritual journal, autobiography, and diary offers an intimate view of late Georgian laboring-class domesticity from the perspective of a Scot who migrated to London. While Kevan attempted to pattern his life after radical Presbyterian divines of the Restoration era in daily self-examination, the lack of a congenial religious community left him untethered. This essay attempts to make sense of his hints of an improper relationship with his granddaughter by examining the role that women played in his life. Kevan’s writings raise interpretive questions regarding the value of self-writings in determining typical experience and constructing historical models.