| Description | [Diary Transcription]
276
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and made no mention of Miss Berry or Lady Gordon (except to ask if Miss Berry was returned I began to be uneasy
about the watch — and if no tidings of it, I would write immediately to Perrelet) but simply begged Lady Stuart
to accept 2 shawls, one for herself to wear and the other to dispose of as she thought best — and
said I had sent 2 in the same way to Lady Stuart de Rothesay and there was one for Vere — wrote also 1 page of
envelope to Lady Stuart to enclose my 2 half sheet, written yesterday but still dated today —
all this writing took me till 3 55/.. then hurried into bed — A- [Ann] asleep — thaw all the day
with some rain — damp, or wet, sloppy disagreeable day — Fahrenheit 44 1/2 ° at 4 a.m. just before getting
into bed at 4 1/4 tonight or rather this morning — Vere’s letter or note received this evening was kind — thanks for my
letter of Thursday ‘written at the close of the poll, which being later and different from the newspaper
‘account of the election, was particularly welcome’ — said in answer it might be different but it
not to be later than the newspaper account as brought ought to have travelled in the same mail
bag — said the house at Gisbourne was comfortable enough but the roads said to be bad in winter
but not caring for society they might like the place in summer — said the rent asked had been
I knew, £300 a year — mentioned an in-town out-of-town furnished house in Coughton belonging
to Mr. Pattison the bank or India director I knew not clearly which, that I thought they
might really have cheap — 36 miles from Liverpool with the Rode Wilbrahams about 7
miles off, and Lawton about 6 — had not been in the house but heard it was very comfortable
when inhabited a few years ago — nice garden and bit of pleasure ground and a field or 2,
I supposed, if required — Vere told me Charles Stuart was gone down at Lord Bute’s request to propose
Sir William Rae at Rothesay — ‘It seems etiquette for one of the family to be there for that
duty’ — Captain Stuart (Charles Stuart) to be at Glasgow on Sunday evening —
[margin text:] Extract from letter to Vere
Wednesday 14
9 25/..
11 3/4
No kiss ready at 10 8/.. and breakfast at 10 25/.. — A- [Ann] had had Washingon — Had Holt from 11 25/.. to 1 1/4 —
told him gently he had too much to do to attend properly to my job — I was grieved about the pit
having to stand and grieved about the drifts — feared that at John Bottomley’s would all fall in —
oh! dear no — never — then took down in my rough book what he thought ought to be done as follows —
Drift in John Bottomley’s land — tail end to be walled 2 feet high with good covers, and 6 inches of
puddle at the bottom — for 40 yards length — then lay a threshold (or stopping) and dam
the water back for a reservoir, in the bottom of which lay a pipe 1/2 inch bore, 40 yards
long or up to the house — wall up the drift at the tail end, and cover over (with a good
rag cover that can easily be lifted up if anything wanted to be done at the drift) the vent-pit —
soil may put on the top of the vent-pit cover — the walling at the tail end of the drift
to be done with parpoints dry walling, 2/. per rood for doing it — (for labour) enough — I
to find the stones and carting — Holt had just been measuring off this drift —
| Length 120 1/2 yards at 3/6 = vent-pit 18 1/2 yards at 5/. = May and boy taking up
| level 3 weeks should not charge more than 4/4 a day for himself and lad and candles
[margin text:] what should be done at John Bottomley’s drift
according to Holt.
cost of the drift
277
1835
January
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then asked him to explain the Walker pit agreement, and — desiring to have a written agreement given to me — Holt then
explained the agreement to be understood by all parties as follows — Walker pit drift agreed 3 October 1834 to be
{driven at 4/. a yard worked night and day — to set their own vent, and to find all tools, scoops
{and picks — and Anne Lister to find flags and vent stones — to be 1 yard or 1 yard + 2 inches high, and to be
{driven as narrow as possible to set the air (the vent will take 9 inches) — the drift cannot be driven
{in less than 1 yard 6 inches wide — to wall and arch galls for 4/. a yard Anne Lister finding stone —
{then shewed him (Holt) the Walker pit agreement saying it was ill drawn up and I wanted to have
{it clearly explained — agreed 3 October 1834 for ‘the contractor to sink the said pit or shaft upon
{the soft bed coal, eight feet six inches long and five feet six inches wide, and find tools of every description
{and gunpowder (except a gin, ropes, tubs, bellows, materials for framing and sheeting, and stone for walling
{the pit top but the framing and sheeting and the walling to be done by the contractor and included in the price agreed upon
{that is, 23/. per yard that is to say that all manner of work is to be done by the contractor at the above named price, and a gin horse after the 1st fifty yards which are to be found by Miss Anne Lister)
{Banksman and gin driver, wimbles, one shift to be worked till the 21st day of March next, after
which time 2 shifts per day to be worked till the completion of the said pit which is to be within 12 months
from the date hereof, or forfeit the sum of twenty pounds to the said Miss Anne Lister for every month after
such time, the 1st 50 yards to be pulled by hand — and the contractor to be paid every fortnight, reserving
one third in hand for the 1st 60 yards, after which time the full rate per yard will be paid, should the contractor
not proceed in a manner so as to ensure the completion of the work within the time limited, or not
do the same in a workmanlike or satisfactory manner, the said Miss Anne Lister to be at liberty to
relet the same and such money as may be in hand to be forfeited to the said Miss Anne Lister and the whole to be
done to the satisfaction of Mr. James Holt’ — Signed Joseph Mann, John Mann, Robert Mann —
the above red-ink interlineation is copied from the interlineation written in pencil on the agreement itself
from Holt’s explanation at the time — that is at the time he was with me and gave the explanation — (never named
to Holt the failure of the well sunk at Whiskum Cottage which is already almost filled up again) —
Holt said the gin he believed was ready — shewed the Low Moor prices, Hird Dawson and Hardy, dated
2nd December last — i.e. ‘present price for cast iron gins is 12/. per cwt. [hundredweight] — wrought iron for ditto 6d per lb.
thinks the gin will not cost £30 — but £22 + more or less — Rim of the wheel ordered 12 feet
diameter by 2 feet deep — horse tree 16 feet — the balance beam will be the same length [therefore] leverage
= 32 feet or 32 feet = diameter of circle the horse will go — Gin balk 38 feet long — axletree
10 feet long — will stand, gin balk and all, 12 feet high — then some general talk about coal — its
north and south edges are called Ends and its East and west edges Boards thus [drawing: plan of pit]
then asked what chance Holt had of buying Mr. Walker Priestley’s coal —
had the large plan down and Holt shewed me what Mr. Rawson could get —— William Priestley asks £80 per acre
for each bed (hard and soft i.e. upper and lower) = £160 per acre for both beds — to be paid for in instalments of £80
per annum or more if more got — but will allow a year before beginning to pay — Holt bade £140 per acre —
William Priestley gave him ten days to consider about it — but Holt told me he would give £160 rather than miss the coal.
[margin text:] Walker pit drift
agreement –
Walker pit agreement for sinking
Dimensions of gin
William Priestley’s coal
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