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Livia Labate, Steph Gallaway, Marlene OliveiraPublished on 1 January, 2020 · Last updated 25 March, 2025
Journal or diary?
Journal or diary?
Either word conveys the meaning of a written log used to capture personal impressions of events and experiences, however Anne Lister herself uses the term journal in her own journals, so we employ the same throughout this website for cohesion.
Transcriptions of Anne Lister's Journals
Transcriptions of Anne Lister's Journals
Anne Lister wrote over five million words over her lifetime (1791-1840) in the form of personal journals, gifting us with an insight into a rich and adventurous life. An estimated sixth of the content of these journals was written in a coded language, described by Anne as her crypthand, to keep secret the details of her intimate life and other reflections or observations about people and events in her life. Anne Lister’s journals are kept by the West Yorkshire Archive Service.
There are 24 journals plus two small notebooks, and one volume collecting 3 sets of loose sheet diary pages from Anne's early years. The latter notebooks and loose sheet diary pages are grouped into what is catalogued by the archive service as volume 26 (SH:7/ML/E/26) and cover journal entries from 1806-1817. Altogether, the journals span 7,722 pages (excluding covers and occasional blank pages). As well, there are 14 travel journals spanning 1,163 pages (excluding covers and blank pages). Between journals and travel journals, the total number of pages across all volumes is 8,885. Per WYAS Calderdale, the word count of the transcripts of the main 24 journals totals 5,632,524 words (including additions²). A current rough estimate of the word count of Anne Lister's travel journals totals 370,000 words³.
Transcriptions of all of Anne’s primary journals are now available. The next and final transcriptions to be completed and made available will be Anne’s fourteen travel journals.
Transcriptions of all of Anne’s primary journals are now available. The next and final transcriptions to be completed and made available will be Anne’s fourteen travel journals.
Volunteers from 19 countries around the world—known as Anne Lister Code Breakers—completed the main transcription work in 2021 and generously donated their transcriptions back to the archives so that these will eventually be available to everyone. The project received the Archive Volunteer Award from the Archives and Records Association in 2020, honoring its exceptional efforts in engaging volunteers within an archive and records service.
While work continues on the travel journals, transcriptions for each page and cumulative transcripts for each volume are being gradually added to the Description field on the item level in the archive catalogue. The facsimile image for each journal page can be accessed fully and freely online via the WYAS online catalogue.
Fully transcribed volumes are made available for download in PDF format in two versions marked or unmarked. You can find links to all the available volumes below.
A note on the journal numbering system used on this page
A note on the journal numbering system used on this page
For consistency and to ensure that all references used on the website remain accurate, we use the WYAS catalogue finding numbers to identify specific volumes, pages, or loose sheets of Anne Lister’s journal.
However, we are aware that this is not the system of numbering that Anne Lister herself used, as the notebooks from volume 26, catalogued as SH:7/ML/E/26/2 and SH:7/ML/E/26/3, are marked by Anne as volume 2 and 3 of her system, respectively. Furthermore, throughout her journals, Anne herself continues to refer to specific volumes using the numbers she attributed to them in her own system, which may be confusing. We do not use Anne’s system on the website for the reason stated above but, if you wish to do so, please keep in mind that volume 1 (SH:7/ML/E/1) corresponds to volume 4 in Anne’s system¹ (SH:7/ML/E/2/0006).
Footnotes
On the 28th of January 1818, Anne writes: “Filled up the index to the last volume (volume 4) of my journal” (SH:7/ML/E/2/0006). The volume she is referring to is volume 1 per WYAS cataloguing (SH:7/ML/E/1). As she is writing in volume 2 (SH:7/ML/E/2 - WYAS cataloguing), this indicates that Anne’s volume 4 corresponds to WYAS volume 1.
Per WYAS Calderdale, the 5,632,524 word count for Anne Lister's main journals includes additions, such as translations, corrections of name spellings, additions of abbreviated names, among others. Source: authors' correspondence with WYAS Calderdale.
Rough estimate given by WYAS Calderdale in June 2024, but likely to be adjusted at the end of the same year. Source: authors' correspondence with WYAS Calderdale.
Journal volumes
Journal volumes
Note:
Volume 26 collects 3 sets of diary entries spanning 1806-1817, which precedes Anne Lister starting to keep a more regular uniform diary.
All journal cover images courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale (SH:7/ML/E/26/1/0003, SH:7/ML/E/26/2/0001, SH:7/ML/E/26/3/0001, SH:7/ML/E/1/0001, SH:7/ML/E/2/0001, SH:7/ML/E/3/0001, SH:7/ML/E/4/0001, SH:7/ML/E/5/0001, SH:7/ML/E/6/0001, SH:7/ML/E/7/0001, SH:7/ML/E/8/0001, SH:7/ML/E/9/0001, SH:7/ML/E/10/0001, SH:7/ML/E/11/0001, SH:7/ML/E/12/0001, SH:7/ML/E/13/0001, SH:7/ML/E/14/0001, SH:7/ML/E/15/0001, SH:7/ML/E/16/0001, SH:7/ML/E/17/0001, SH:7/ML/E/18/0001, SH:7/ML/E/19/0001, SH:7/ML/E/20/0001, SH:7/ML/E/21/0001, SH:7/ML/E/22/0001, SH:7/ML/E/23/0001, SH:7/ML/E/24/0001).
Other journal entries
Other journal entries
All private day book images courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale (SH:7/ML/AC/23/017, SH:7/ML/AC/24/022, SH:7/ML/AC/25/022).
Anne Lister's travel journals
Anne Lister's travel journals
While she was travelling, Anne Lister often brought along her current quarto journal volume(s) and a few other smaller notebooks she described as her "rough books". In these notebooks, Anne made notes as she went about her day. Sometimes she used these to record notes that were later expanded into longer journal entries and, in other cases, she ended up "inking over" (i.e. writing over the pencil notes in regular ink) the original notes to preserve them as de facto journal entries. Fourteen of these travel notebooks survive and are held at the Calderdale office of the West Yorkshire Archive Service. You can find the transcripts of these volumes below.
Travel notes
Italy, Switzerland and itinerary of tour
13 Aug-24 Oct 1827
SH:7/ML/TR/2
1 volume
All images courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale (SH:7/ML/TR/1/0001, SH:7/ML/TR/2/0001, SH:7/ML/TR/3/0001, SH:7/ML/TR/4/0001, SH:7/ML/TR/5/0001, SH:7/ML/TR/6/0001, SH:7/ML/TR/7/0001, SH:7/ML/TR/8/0001, SH:7/ML/TR/9/0001, SH:7/ML/TR/10/0001, SH:7/ML/TR/11/0001, SH:7/ML/TR/12/0001, SH:7/ML/TR/13/0001, SH:7/ML/TR/14/0001).
Journals from Anne Lister's contemporaries
Journals from Anne Lister's contemporaries
Some of Anne Lister's contemporaries also wrote journals that chronicle some parts of their lives. The ones transcribed so far are included here.
All images courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale (WYC:1525/7/1/5/1/1, SH:3/AB/22/001).
Useful Tools
Useful Tools
To search by the date of Anne's journal entry, or using select keywords, try using the AL Index or Eliza Left Us finding aids. These provide links to both the WYAS Catalogue pages with the source journal images as well as published codebreaker blogs.
This open-source project uses a calendar to make locating fully transcribed entries that are publicly available more easily accessible for those searching for information in the journal by date or keywords.
An evolving project to make searching the WYAS archive index more easily searchable that includes locating journal pages by date, a weather report tool, and an index keyword finding aid.
Includes a crypt-hand encoder/decoder, and an MS Word "add-in" that spell-checks abbrev[iate]d w[o]rds and transcript formatting to assist contributors of the WYAS diary transcription project.
A text generator to encode or decode passages using Anne Lister's crypt-hand.
A free font based on Anne Lister's own handwriting. Includes automated ligatures, and translates type to her crypt-hand.
The Transcription Project & #AnneListerCodebreakers
The Transcription Project & #AnneListerCodebreakers
Learn more about the WYAS transcription project, and get insights from those involved in the process from start to finish.
25 Sept. 2020 – Discussion of those involved in overseeing this collection.
25 Sept. 2020 – Discussion of what it’s like to be a codebreaker, the different transcription processes individuals use.
15 Oct. 2021 – At this point, all pages of Anne Lister’s journals and travel journals have been assigned. What happens now?
14 Oct. 2022 – Discussion of the project's checking phase.
Codebreaker Blogs
Codebreaker Blogs
The following is a list of blogs by codebreakers who publicly shared entries from various periods in Anne Lister's life while working on their official transcriptions for the WYAS project. If you know of any others, please let us know.
by Jane Kendall (@janekendalljane)
Journal transcriptions from 1829 Jul. 11-29; 1830 Nov. 10-Dec. 1; 1831 Jul. 7-Aug. 1 and Dec. 5-25; 1832 Mar. 1-21 and Sep. 28-Oct. 15; 1833 Feb. 6-Mar. 4 and Sept. 18-Nov. 9; 1835 Jan. 2-28, Sept. 8-Oct. 18, and Dec. 15-31; 1836 Jan. 1-21
by Steph Gallaway (@skgway)
Transcriptions of entries from Lister’s stay at Langton Hall in 1818, 1820, Isabella's Norcliffe's stay with the Listers at Shibden Hall in 1824, Anne's journey to Paris (and introduction to Maria Barlow) in 1824, writing to Sibella MacLean and Maria Barlow from Shibden Hall in 1825, visit to Lawton Hall in 1828, the 'Mr. Ainsworth' business with Ann Walker in 1832, and more.
by Karen Trillo
Transcription of Anne Lister's Journal - 22/3/1835 - 29/2/1836
by Alison Kirchgasser
Assorted transcriptions from 1818 to 1831
by Marlene Oliveira (@moliveiradev)
Journal transcriptions from different years, mostly from 1836 onwards.
by David Hughes (@ParkieBath)
Entries from Anne Lister's journal
by Jan Webster(@JanWebs17461835)
Journal transcriptions, mostly from 1828.
by Jessica Payne (@jessicampayne)
Journal transcriptions, mostly from 1826.
by JY Jiang
Journal transcriptions, mostly from 1839.
by Yvonne Haugen (@yvonnehaugen)
Transcripts of the full Norway travel journal with illustrations, maps markings and comments.
by Ylva Nilson (@shewolfse)
Anne Lister Code Breaker in learning. Journal transcripts from 1839.
by Kerstin H (@A_While_Since)
Journal transcriptions from various years.
by Erin Resso (@deejayres)
Journal transcriptions, mostly from 1825.
by Chloe Nacci (@chloenacho)
Journal transcriptions, mostly from 1825-1830.
by Amanda Pryce (@AmandaDS)
Journal transcriptions from different years, mostly from 1824, 1828 & 1831
by Lily Mo (@woollymitts)
Picking up from where the first season of Gentleman Jack TV show ended, journal entries from March 31, 1834 onwards.
by Kate Igoe (@nakajimab5n)
Journal transcriptions from different years, mostly from 1831
by Janneke van der Weijden (@JannekevanderW)
Journal transcriptions focused on Anne's travels, mostly from 1831.
by Janneke van der Weijden (@JannekevanderW)
Miscellaneous journal entries.
by @PascM76
Days in the life of Miss Anne Lister through the transcriptions of her personal journal entries
Author unknown
Entries from the coded sections of Anne Lister's diaries from 20 October, 1832 through 11 August, 1840.
⚠️ Previous URL (no longer accessible): annelistersdiary.com
by Ripley (@who_the_lass)
Assorted entries from June, September and October 1819.
by Dorjana Širola (@d_sirola)
annotated transcriptions of Anne Lister's diary and travel notes
by Jessica Btik
Set of journal transcriptions spanning periods across the years 1836, 1837 and 1838.
by Jenna Beyer (@BeyerJenna5)
In progress transcription of the period of May-July 1822, which will include Anne Lister's trip to Wales, where she visits the Ladies of Llangollen.
by Frankie (@Frankie31834)
Anne Lister Italia (https://www.annelister.it/). Researcher and codebreaker. Tutte le trascrizioni condivise sono state realizzate da me
by Sophie C.
Journal transcriptions focusing on Anne Lister's courtship of Ann Walker starting with their reacquaintance on 6 July, 1832.
by Soph (@Rundle_Walker)
In progress transcription of journal entries starting in late 1817.
(Previously known as The Real Anne Lister)
(Previously known as The Real Anne Lister)
by Leigh Mitchinson
An assortment of “Uncut Diary Transcriptions” across various years, including a series following the travels of Anne Lister and Sibella MacLean through Scotland.
⚠️ Previous URL (no longer accessible): https://iknowmyownheart.co.uk
by Helena Whitbread (@helenawhitbread)
Select journal entries (some partial only) from the period of 1817-1824 from Helena Whitbread's extensive transcription work done for her books "I Know My Own Heart" and "No Priest But Love".
by Kirsty McHugh, edited by Elizabeth Edwards
Transcription of journal entries from Anne's tour of North Wales 11-27 July, 1822.
by Marlene Oliveira (@moliveiradev)
Fully transcribed journal entries between 22 and 27 December, 1834.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
Special thank you to Steph Gallaway for collecting initial references and Marlene Oliveira for continued maintenance.
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