William Byrd, a great legal advisor and political activist in early eighteenth-century Virginia, is also considered one of the best known writers to emerge from his generation. Byrd's diary was kept in a secret shorthand and discovered only in the twentieth century. It provides insight into the mind of a southern gentleman. Byrd's diary also lets us see the daily schedule and the thoughts of a gentleman. Byrd committed to his diary some of his most private thoughts and actions.
Byrd shows the sincere love and affection that he had for his wives. In reading Byrd’s first "Secret Diary," it is apparent that he believed that his wife, Lucy, should submit to his authority. Yet even though Byrd believes in his superiority, he continuously defers to his wife, appears to be quite concerned about her, and spends much of his free time with her—not the actions of someone who hates and distrusts women. In an entry made on March 31, 1709, he states, "My wife was out of humor for nothing. however, I endeavored to please her again, having consideration for a woman’s weakness" (13). Another entry on July 12, 1709 reads, "My wife was very melancholy, but I comforted her as well as I could and was troubled to see her so" (31). He was quite naturally concerned with his wife’s health, especially during pregnancy and often restricted her activities during this time. Generally, his diaries do not focus on wild, sexual escapades, which other writings may suggest, but on discreet acts of intimacy with his wife and occasionally other women. Byrd’s love letters to each wife and other women in his life reveal a great admiration for women and their gentle nature. Byrd’s tone towards women was authoritative, yet gentle. His letter reflect a need to be near and a part of a woman’s tender soothing nature—something not inherent in male relationships.
In Byrd's view, African Americas were property, and he treated his slaves as such. Lacking the least bit of compassion, he even went so far as to play cruel games on his servants, merely for entertainment. His attitudes are evident in his journals, one of which was later published as The Secret Diaries of William Byrd of Westover, 1709-1712.
Byrd, recorded in his diaries his sexual conquests among his slaves well into his sixties. But these expressions of slaveowner violence extended beyond rape. William Byrd used chains and whips, branding and dismemberment to discipline his slaves; the most troublesome were fitted with a bit, much like a horse. The white South's reliance on violence engendered an entire culture in which violence was cultivated and celebrated. From boxing and wrestling to extreme horse racing and cockfighting, southern pastimes turned violence into spectacle—and celebrated those who mastered its use. And more subtly, southerners channeled their society's dependence on violence into a romantic celebration of martial virtues.
With the minim entries we found in Byrd's diary, it is almost hard to determine the relationships Byrd has with their long term house guesses. Thou. from the entries we found, it is clear that Byrd does not have deep relationship with them. The relationship with their long term house guesses seem normal at first, however, as we read more into the diary, it seems the relationships are more so him keeping up with the appearances than actual friendships.
The Anglican gentry in Virginia long had a reputation for shallow faith and attendance at church born more of habit and a desire for social contact than piety or zeal. Historians have begun to reevaluate this oversimplified view. They now characterize many of Virginia's elite as sincere adherents to a moderate faith that nonetheless provided a standard for judgment. Faith was ultimately a private and family affair. Reflections on a minister's sermons, for example, were discussed within the family group or recorded in diaries, such as what we revel in Byrd's Diary.