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William Byrd was a well to do man in the early eighteenth century. His secret diary gives us some insight on what it was like in his time to be a gentleman. Being a gentleman in those times was not easy; it consisted of being wealthy, owning land, owning slaves, being in good health, being religious, and reading books in different languages. Byrd makes it known through his diary that he has achieved each one of these, including reading books in Hebrew, Latin, Greek, and Italian. By reading his diary we can answer some questions about life in the 1700’s including: What was daily life like, how were slaves and other people treated, and what it meant to Byrd to keep a diary? Daily life in the late seventeenth century and early eighteenth century was different for every standard of life. From Byrd’s perspective, daily life for a “gentleman” consisted of many routine events. The day started early, mostly before sunrise, with some reading in Hebrew and Greek, a prayer, and a small breakfast (usually just milk).
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