Dialect and the Construction of Identity in the Ego-documents of Thomas Bewick

This chapter looks at the use of dialect in the ego-documents of the Newcastle-based engraver Thomas Bewick (1753-1828). It begins by outlining the methodology of third-wave historical sociolinguistics and the framework of indexicality and enregisterment and how these might be applied to historical data. After a biographical account of Thomas Bewick which shows his interest in dialect and his strong attachment to Tyneside, it goes on to analyse extracts from Bewick’s correspondence and memoirs. This demonstrates how Bewick uses Northumbrian (and sometimes Scots) dialect to construct and perform identity both in his personal correspondence and in the memoir which would present his persona to posterity.