''Reisen eines Deutschen in England im Jahre 1782'' (English: ''Journeys of a German in England in 1782'') is a travel memoir by German author

Karl Philipp Moritz Karl Philipp Moritz (Hameln, 15 September 1756 – Berlin, 26 June 1793) was a German author, editor and essayist of the ''Sturm und Drang'', late Enlightenment, and classicist periods, influencing early German Romanticism as well. He led a li ...

. Moritz was a young scholar and

Anglophile An Anglophile is a person who admires or loves England, its people, its culture, its language, and/or its various accents. Etymology The word is derived from the Latin word ''Anglii'' and Ancient Greek word φίλος ''philos'', meaning "frien ...

traveling to England for the first time. His journey was approximately two months during June and July 1782 and began in London where he saw famous sights, attended the theater and watched sessions of the

Parliament of Great Britain The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in May 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. The Acts ratified the treaty of Union which created a new unified Kingdo ...

. He then set out on foot for

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, stopping at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

Peak Cavern The Peak Cavern, also known as the Devil's Arse, is one of the four show caves in Castleton, Derbyshire, England. Peakshole Water flows through and out of the cave, which has the largest cave entrance in Britain. Overview Unlike the other ...

and

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, before returning to London. The book was written as a series of letters to Moritz's friend at home and is in two equal parts, the first in London, the second walking about. The first edition was published in Germany in 1783 with a second improved edition in 1785. In 1795 an English translation of the second edition was published as ''Travels, chiefly on Foot, through several parts of England in 1782, described in Letters to a Friend.'' It contained many errors and was attributed to the daughter of Charles Godfrey Woide (1725–1790), who himself is described in Chapter 5 "Information and entertainment". Despite its flaws, it became the standard translation of the 19th and early 20th centuries. A new translation was published in 1965 by Reginald Nettel and is now the standard English edition. It was republished by

Eland Eland may refer to: Animals *''Taurotragus'', a genus of antelope ** Common eland of East and Southern Africa ** Giant eland of Central and Western Africa Places * Eland, Wisconsin, United States * An old spelling of Elland, West Yorkshire * Ela ...

As ''Journeys of a German in England: A Walking Tour of England in 1782'' (1983, new edition 2009). In deciding to complete his journey on foot, Moritz was met with a rude reception. The

Inclosure Acts The Inclosure Acts, which use an archaic spelling of the word now usually spelt "enclosure", cover enclosure of open fields and common land in England and Wales, creating legal property rights to land previously held in common. Between 1604 and 1 ...

had forced England's

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...

s to become employees of land-owners, and those who could not find employment became the "wandering poor" – thus anyone seen walking along the road was identified as a

beggar Begging (also panhandling) is the practice of imploring others to grant a favor, often a gift of money, with little or no expectation of reciprocation. A person doing such is called a beggar or panhandler. Beggars may operate in public place ...

or a

thief Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...

. For this reason, Moritz experienced considerable problems finding room and board, and was even run out of some villages, simply for arriving into town on foot.

Sources

*Reginald Nettel, trans. (1965). ''Journeys of a German in England in 1782''. A new translation. . Based on the problematic 1795 translation.

References

{{Authority control 1783 non-fiction books German non-fiction books 18th-century German literature European travel books Books about England Eland Books books