| Description | [Diary Transcription]
297
1828
April
oldest Miss Amyot to marry Monsieur Frederic Long du Plau — Madame de Rosny at Mrs. Barlow’s almost every evening Tired t
o death of her ~ Came to my room at 10 8/60 — Fine day — windyish now at 10 1/2 p.m. —
Monday 28
7 5/60
11 1/4
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James Holt came at 7 35/60 — in 20 minutes washed and dressed and went out with him across the field above the barn, and Benjamin’s field into the
Cunnery Ing to the Cunnery Clough where he thinks we ought to sink for water, and bring it across the Cunnery Ing to the house.
wages very low now — it might be done for £20 or £30 — Would sink for 6/. a yard and drive a head for 3/. per ditto — thinks the
colliery is now a losing concern to the party, but they wish to keep it on to get the loose for I know not how much
coal — Yes! said I but they must pay for it — This they do not mean to do — Then we must stop them by an Injunction —
Holt thinks that it may be time to do this in about 18 months — They have been getting a great deal of coal just lately, that there
will be a heavy payment this next time — Came in about 8 1/2 — In one and a half hour copied what I wrote yesterday to
Mrs. Barlow and added a few lines on one end affectionate but properly so anybody might see it ~ Perhaps should not be very sorry if we
could not have Dr. Tupper’s apartment — if we could, not to miss it — Very quiet about Madame de Rosny concluded with ‘still give me credit
‘for ‘good and honourable intentions,’ be assured of my esteem and deep and affectionate regard for yourself, and be persuaded that no hold, which is really
unmerited and improper, can last long upon yours very faithfully Anne Lister —’ will write to my aunt in the course of a few days —
Letter 3 ppages and the ends from M- [Mariana] Lawton — she had been engaged every day for the last fortnight — Charles has had a very bad cold —
Major and Mrs. Bailey went there on the 14th — Louisa Belcombe (Louise Rickets that was) much improved since we saw her in London —
they go to Paris for the winter in October, and next spring ‘mean to make a tour, the tour’ — Major Bailey (‘not to my mind
particularly gentlemanly either in appearance or manner’) would like to have M- [Mariana] with them She thinks of going with me as we talked
of at Lawton ~ this reminded me that I must not hamper myself with Mrs. Barlow somehow without reminding by her
self or her letters I do not always think very much about poor π [Mariana] I have learnt to live without her she seems
beyond my reach and I am therefore too apt to agreeableize with those who come in my way but I decidedly like her best
after all ~ M- [Mariana] gives no particular account of herself — Jephson (the medical man) not yet arrived — Sent off my letter to ‘Madame madame
Barlow Rue des Champs Elysees No. [Number] 6, Paris’ by John at 10 1/2 — breakfast at 10 35/60 — staid down talking to my
father about coals, having to go to law with the parties, getting water etc. and came upstairs at 11 3/4, and wrote the above of
today — Marian wrote this morning to Mr. Inman — She and my father determined yesterday to go to Market Weighton next Saturday — There are
several shares in the Market Weighton canal to be sold, my father wishes to see what they go for, — perhaps to buy them —
from about 12 1/4 to 4 1/4 looking over some old papers that came from Northgate and looking over and tidying my clothes to see what sort of box to
order etc. for packing — Went at 4 25/60 to the Cunnery plantation — Went to see Matty Foster, sat perhaps 1/4 hour there — Then looking
about to see how one might make a farmstead there — Then into the hanging hay — Came in at 6 1/2 — dinner at 6 35/60 — afterwards
talking to my father about roads, improvements about the place etc. etc. — came to my room at 10 5/60 — fine day — a few drops of rain
about noon —
Tuesday 29
6 1/4
11 35/60
Vc
Had young Charles Howarth — ordered deal box — from 8 to 10 at my ledger, settling last year’s account and beginning that of this year — breakfast at 10 — wanted to settle my account with my
father — could not get him to let me do so — with great difficulty got him to lend me William Keighley’s bill and Whitley’s of last year —
he paid too 13/6? to Wainehouse for locks to the gates, etc. etc. at Northgate and 3/6 to Mounsey for a pair of stockings — and Hemmingway’s tithe rent 3/. and Hardcastle’s ditto 0/2. — but then he
received £7 from William Keighley for sycamores cut down in Troughabolland-wood, and 2 years Hampstead rent will be due at midsummer -
consequently paid tithe rents . 3. 2} Received 7.0.0
paid William Keighley 6.11.11} 2 years rent
ditto Whitley . 1.5.0} due at
ditto etc. etc. .17.0} midsummer 14.0.0
8.17.1} 21.0.0
came up to my room from breakfast at 11 — wrote the above of today — from about 11 1/2 to 1 at
my ledger — Mr. Musgrave (the Vicar) came at 1 and sat with me 1 1/4 hour — To
execute the deeds on Saturday — said I should be in H-x [Halifax] — proposed Mr. Parker’s office —
Mr. Musgrave asked me to go to the vicarage — Could not well refuse — Said I should then have the pleasure of seeing Mrs. Musgrave,
and would be there between 11 and 12 on Saturday — Talked of one thing or other — The drainage in Cambridgeshire Bedford level — none
can have a vote on the subject who has not 100 acres in the fens — never knew any public body having so great power as
these drainage commissioners — can alter the tax at pleasure — The Duke of Bedford a commissioner — Mr. Musgrave and his brother the
professor of Arabic at Cambridge had about 100 acres between them — Tax from £25 to £30 per annum — his brother has just bought about 100 acres that he may
298
1828
April
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have a vote — It seems the opinion of our vicar that burying in the churches may ultimately be abolished — why not, said I, have cemeteries
at a little from the towns as on the continent — Should not like to be in H-x [Halifax] church yard — would rather be in some corner of Shibden, but understand
the Archbishop objected to consecrate ground for private mausolea — Mr. Musgrave thought he knew the Archbishop’s opinions on most subjects but did not on this —
perhaps the subject was new to him — but families had a partialiality to the place where their relatives were buried, therefore to keep them to the
church yards was considered a strong collateral tie to the church — Might have a faculty to secure to me in perpetuity some part perhaps
of the old church yard — or at any rate to secure some part of the ground intended for the church to be built on my land in Northgate —
would like to have 2 or 3 hundred more yards of ground, but not money enough subscribed — The subscription only £830 — speaking of burial-
-pits and disgusting interments, never saw any so bad as at Munich — outside the church or in some cemetery — probably thought I not worse
than even in Pere lachaise at Paris — Mr. Musgrave gentlemanly and pleasant enough — he sat his 1 1/4 hour with me apparently very well amused—
Just came upstairs, and changed my pelisse when Mr. Hudson of Hipperholme called for 10 minutes or 1/4 hour, sorry that he had before forgotten
to ask inquire after my aunt — Then talked a little to my father — he will give cent per cent for the canal shares at Market Weighton
I should think them, said I, when Marian asked me, worth £150 percent, if, as you say, they pay and are likely to pay 8 percent
of which 3 percent to be laid by to continue the canal up to Market Weighton a distance of about 2 miles — From about 3 to 5 at my
Ledger — Went out at 5 1/2 having first talked 1/4 hour to Marian Could not get my father to give me a regular acco
unt if he had had Shibden we should all have been wretched for we could have had no certainty of our money my un
cle knew all this and had therefore done as he had done Marian thought the case was not strong enough to justify
it I said it would have been the ruin of the family if it had not been so and I should always venerate the memory
of my uncle ~ from 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 strolling about the upper fields — came in at 6 1/2 — dinner at 6 40/60 — afterwards wrote the last 18 lines —
fine day — shower between 7 and 8 — Came up to bed at 10 10/60 — 1/2 hour reading the ‘cabinet lawyer’ —
Wednesday 30
6 1/2
11 35/60
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Went out at 8 — looked about at the end of bloody fields, just above the end of the old bank, where my father last year led the
remains of the old pit hill to fill up the hole left by the old road to Wakefield — a very good job — then down the old bank to Mr. Brigg’s — about 1/2 hour
with him — left him the draft of Mr. Scatcherd’s lease to read over ¬— to be as economical as we can — not for the present to wall
off the piece for planting in Pump lane — Messrs Sunderland and Drake have ordered a gate to be hung at the top of the lane, and my father last year put
up one at the bottom — to buy the little bit of waste near Dumb mill, but not to wall it off as yet — would rather not build for
George Robinson if he can make Ibbotson’s cottage do — Mr. Briggs wishes me to lay something by to pay Mrs. Firth — She drinks and may not live
very long, and then the children will want the money — Mr. Freeman would do anything to accomodate me — will take £1000, but seemed
nevertheless as if he would rather I kept it — From Mr. Brigg’s took a file to Miss Kitson’s to be washed etc. seeing the Saltmarshes’
door open, inquired after them, Mrs. Saltmarshe at home — went in — They have got as governess Miss Vicars my old teacher at the Manor school —
Went into the school-room to see her and the 3 children (girls) then hearing Mr. William Rawson was very ill walked with Emma to inquire
after him — Then took a little turn on to the moor for about 1/2 hour, and went back to the Saltmarshe’s, and in about an hour had breakfast (tea etc. and a very good breakfast) —
at 12 by my watch (1/4 too soon) Emma Saltmarshe and I went and called at the vicarage — Told Mrs. Musgrave my call was meant for
her though I had something to say to Mr. Musgrave he agreed not to take the trees — I said perhaps he might be enabled to take 2300 yards
instead of 2000 — would he try a subscription on the opening of the church? would hardly like that — [illegible] we agreed to stake off
tomorrow (told the Vicar we should measure off at 9 in the morning if he wished to send anyone to measure for him — I should be there —
he said he should perhaps go too) 2000 and he might for the time vail it off, and we would also stake off 300 yards more that he
might afterwards take if he chose — for I could give him a receipt for this additional quantity let it be walled off, and there would be an
end of it — The church, he said, would not be done (completed) of 2 years — Explained my wish to do everything handsomely, and we seemed mutually
well satisfied — he has done a good deal at the vicarage — laid out about £1000 — very comfortable house now — Mrs. Musgrave
en famille — a good sort of person who does not appear to have seen much of the world — Thought cold in her manners —
From the vicarage Emma Saltmarshe at Miss Burnett for her subscription for our late vicars 2 sisters (I had declined subscribing on account
of living out of England but gave a £1 note) I walked about — saw Miss Sarah Knight and then the Misses Sarah and Grace
Mellin — my old schoolfellow Mrs. Holme, gone to live at Naples — Said if the Misses Mellin would when they knew her exact address
send it to my sister (she would send it to me) and I would call on Mrs. Holme if I went to Naples very civil to them — said I would have called, had I had
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