| Description | [Diary Transcription]
300
1835
January
V
L
Holt staid till 1 3/4 — then had Washington upstairs in the blue room, Dr. Kenny being below at the same time
told Washington to look after the tumbled down wall at Staups — A- [Ann] agreed to excuse him £40 of the
£140 he was to pay her for the Lidgate hay — so that there is only a hundred to deduct from the £500 to be
paid for his field adjoining Hardcastles — Glad to avoid Dr. Kenny so kept out of the way (in my study) —
A- [Ann] and I off at 2 3/4 along the walk and the Leeds and Whitehall road to her fields in Bramley Lane where
Robert Scholefield is walling — some time there, and while A- [Ann] went in to Mrs. Draper’s I stood talking to
Flather — would not tell me exactly what he sold his farm for to Joshua Keighley, but said he
had altogether made what I bade him, or rather the sum I named to him, i.e. £800; for
he had cut down the wood — ⸫ [therefore] wood = £200 for William Keighley told me his brother gave £600 —
Flather would not tell me what he sold the farm for for fear Joshua Keighley should be vexed at him
for perhaps I was about making a bargain with Joshua Keighley — No! said I I am not
in returning A- [Ann] and I went into the Cliff land, to set out holes to be made for thorns to mark the pump
and trough — home all along by the old Wakefield road at 5 10/.. — some while with my father and Marian —
Letter left by someone from Mr. W. Browne surveyor of taxes asking if I had not a gamekeeper (Joseph Pickells) and a pointer dog —
dinner at 6 1/2 — coffee — with my father and Marian 1/2 hour till 8 — I then had Eliza Howarth my sister gauche
housemaid ætatis [age of] 17 into the little dining room for a little good advice for near 1/2 hour — Mercy upon us, what
a girl for housemaid here! then talked to A- [Ann] and wrote the journal of today — 1/4 hour with my aunt
till 10 1/4 — she had Mr. Jubb 1/2 hour this evening between 6 and 7 — fine day Fahrenheit 43 1/2° at 10 20/.. p.m. —
[margin text:] Flather’s farm
Thursday 29
7 3/4
11 1/2
No kiss ~ very fine morning Fahrenheit 43.° at 8 40/.. at which hour went out till 9 1/2 — with Charles Howarth making
steps up to water closet, and with John digging up thorns at the bottom of the Calf Croft — breakfast at 9 1/2 in 1/2 hour — then
with Pickels and his brother and a young man or lad at the drybridge — Came in at 10 55/.. for A- [Ann] — she
wished to see the procession of poor Mr. Sunderland’s funeral pass at 11 — walked in the Trough of Bolland wood
from that hour to 12 1/4 before it got to the Stump — then watched it passing above 1/4 hour — 6 bearers on foot then 2 mourning coaches —
then 2 mutes and the herse — 2 more mourning coaches — 2 phaetons or double gigs — then Mr. William Priestley’s carriage with
2 posthorses and a scarlet jacketed postilion — then 2 more phaetons or double gigs closed the procession —
Mr. Bradley had been come an hour before we got to him at the drybridge — A- [Ann] staid a little with us, and
then went in — Mr. Bradley and I went in at 1 1/4, and he dined as before on the servants dinner joint — A- [Ann]
came down and took her luncheon at the same time — I then took Mr. Bradley out again about 2 — set
out the walling off of the is-to-be flower garden — looked over and partly fixed upon the paddock for
a kitchen garden — then went into the hanging hay field and stood viewing the house and talking over alterations —
I should like a gallery to the East about 60 feet x 25 feet and cellared underneath — the groined vaulting
of which cellar would cost about £500 — told Mr. Bradley to think of setting out the whole of the Northgate property
for building purposes — mentioned having promised it to Greenwood at £100 a year the whole or
any part of it to be given up whenever I wanted it — He (Bradley) said it was well worth that —
Bradley went away about 3 1/2 — to come again on Saturday afternoon — then a little while with A- [Ann] then out at the
drybridge and talking to Joseph Mann till came in at 6 — Joseph Mann would have me loose the coal
at Mytholm — could do it without loosing anybody else — the rails Hinscliffe got me are from Simpson
in King X [Cross] lane, not from Farrer — not good metal said Pickells, and not straight — Joseph Mann said they
were not good — said very well! then to ask tonight how many more were ready, and say I would
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take one ton instead of two tons — not quite satisfied with what I had got — to see if Farrer had any
ready — to give £8.10.0 per ton — dinner at 6 1/4 — between meat and pudding wrote as follows and sent by John
about 7 to ‘Mr. W. Brown, Surveyor of Taxes, Walton, near Wakefield, Postage Paid’ — ‘Shibden hall.
‘Thursday 29 January 1835. Sir — In answer to your letter of the 27th instant received yesterday, I beg to inform you, that
‘I have neither gamekeeper nor pointer dog — A man of the name of Joseph Pickells, is a tenant of
‘mine, and does a great deal of work for me, partly by day’s wages, and partly by job; but he
‘is not my hired servant — I am, sir, etc. etc. etc.—A Lister’ — and wrote and sent also to ‘Mr. Robert
‘Walker, 2 Jones Street, Berkeley Square, London, Postage Paid’ — ‘Shibden hall. Thursday 29 January 1835.
Sir — I send you the following order upon Messrs Hammersley for £8.19.3 being in full for the morning
Herald from 1 February to 31 December 1834, inclusive’ —
‘Shibden hall. Thursday 29 January 1835
‘Gentlemen — I shall be much obliged to you to pay to Mr. Robert Walker, newspaper vender, or
‘order, the sum of eight pounds, and nineteen shillings, and three pence — I am gents. [gentlemen] your obedient servant
‘A Lister’ — after coffee had Mark Town for 1/2 hour — promised him a gate, to make up the
gap into the little field and to let him and John Bottomley have a watering pond at the top of Whiskum road —
but would give him no promise of building, not even a cow shed — He asked if I had made up my mind
not to let him have the Mytholm farm — I answered yes! I had — some time with my father and Marian till
8 3/4 — then wrote the journal of today — 25 minutes with my aunt till 10 1/4 at which hour Fahrenheit 47° — very
fine day —
Friday 30
8 1/4
11 1/2
no kiss fine but hazy morning Fahrenheit 45 1/2° at 9 and then breakfast — Off with A- [Ann] to Cliff hill at 9 50/.. — found
Sykes and his son there — they had made 4 holes for as many thorns — Mr. Washington with them — he
ordered his cart and we all went into Bramley lane to where he is walling for Mrs. Sutherland — going
to stubb the old hedge so we got out of it one very handsome thorn and a nice root of holly — got them safe to Cliffhill
and just puddled and planted when I left A- [Ann] there (to dine with her aunt) at 1 20/.. — In returning called
and stood talking to Hannah Green about 3/4 hour — Aquilla thinks the Redbrook water will be
enough for his corn mill; but if we want the Black brook, Joseph Wilkinson will let
me have the privilege that may be wanted — said there was no need of great hurry — I would think about
it — but I could not build mills for 5 per cent — no! said Hannah, Aquila does not think of that —
I said I was informed that machinery (millstones, etc.) were done at 10 per cent and the building at 7 1/2 per cent —
She was at me again to know if George Robinson had had a notice to quit; but she got nothing out of me —
she said he was now doing well — she had changed £60 for them this last week — if his wife would not drink,
so, they might do very well — George Robinson did a deal of good in the neighbourhood by employing the people; and the men
said he was a very good master to work for — well! said I, I shall be very glad if he does well — I
must not take his mill from him — perhaps I shall want a coal engine — if I can make one wheel
grind corn and pump the water off the coal, it will be well — I will think about it — Then with Pickells
and Nathan and the lad at the drybridge — John had carted them a few stones, and was just gone to Whiskum with a
hundred bricks for the centre pillar to support the rag-covers of the Cistern — went to meet him then had him
till after 4 carting them more stones from close by, at the great Sycamore tree and fish pond — home for a moment — Charles and James
[margin text:] Aquilla’s Mill.
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