| Description | [Diary Transcription]
30
1835
April Friday 17
8 50/..
12
Vc
A little play last night but not even amounting to a grubble yet she was
rather excited and complained of being knocked up so I said nothing but let her fall asleep
Fahrenheit 50°. (in our bed room) at 9 1/2 and finish morning — breakfast at 10 — at the minster in
about 5 minutes at 10 35/.. — reading the Liturgy — service had begun at 10 instead of 10 1/2 as the
Belcombes told us last night — sat next them in the stall Mr. Richardson preached
admirably 28 minutes from Genesis xxii. latter part of verse 12 — service over at 11 3/4 —
we went for a few minutes to Mrs. Belcombe’s for a note from Miss Belcombe to take to Langton —
home at 12 1/4 — ordered horses and off to Langton at 12 35/.. — Eugenie not returned from the
Roman catholic chapel — took no baggage, merely intending to stay dinner at 5 — Arrived
at 2 43/.. — Norcliffe there — afraid Mrs. Norcliffe was not well enough to see me, — but it ended
in her seeing me by and by and though looking ill having suffered much during the winter from gout and rheumatism and from
sickness this morning, I yet found her better than I expected — nobody thinks of
|danger — IN- [Isabella Norcliffe] going to set off for Brussels on Monday — to stay there a month chez les Loyev
|no. [number] 25 Rue de l’Empereur, à Bruxelles — will be at White’s Imperial
|hotel, Covent Garden, London — recommended by Norcliffe — cheap — Mrs. Norcliffe very civil
to A- [Ann] wanted to see her before dinner (dinner at 5) would have her afterwards for 1/4 hour —
speaking about horses, Norcliffe mentioned his pony — Charlotte had ridden him — much
too rough in his paces — only fit for a servant — tried him — bought him for £15.
Norcliffe behaving very handsomely saying I might take him home and return him if he did not suit
me — Norcliffe’s servant (James) mentioned a gray horse very likely to do for A- [Ann] price 30 guineas —
no time to see him tonight — James rode over to Speck’s? late Shepherd’s stables
and desired the horse to be sent over for me to look at at 6 in the morning — so A- [Ann] and
I had night things from Charlotte Norcliffe and staid all night — A- [Ann] went upstairs to bed at 9 3/4
and I sat down stairs talking till 11 1/4 — IN- [Isabella Norcliffe] then came and sat with me while I undressed
till 11 50/.. — all very kind and civil — She wanted to joke about my warming A [Ann] in bed
but I put off all talk of this kind all very kind and Norcliffe particularly civil and said A [Ann] was
agreeable in fact she talked and acquitted herself very well but I see they don’t want
me unless they can have me alone ~ fine day but cold — Talked before going upstairs
to bed of the Lawtons, Norcliffe and IN. [Isabella Norcliffe] and Charlotte Norcliffe and I — I would maintain that she would fret for
L [Charles Lawton] if anything happened to him ~
Saturday 18
6 35/..
12 25/..
No kiss the gray horse lamed himself in the stable last night and could not come to be looked at
this morning — Burnett brought us a cup of tea for A- [Ann] and I of coffee for me which I did not take —
a disappointment both to A- [Ann] and me about the horse — Norcliffe not up — went into his room and stood
a minute or 2 at his bedfoot to ask if instead of his servant riding the pony to York and setting off between 10
and 11, he would allow George to take his (Norcliffe’s) saddle and bridle, and ride with the carriage to open the gates —
31
1835
April
Vc
L
Vc
N
no objection — A- [Ann] and I off from Langton at 8 and at the Black swan, York, at 10 10/.. — told George
to take his time from Howsham, and he arrived about 11 — Mr. Gray came at 10 1/4 and staid till 11 1/2 — settled that
he should consult Mr. Cresswell, now the leading counsel and best lawyer on this circuit about the waste
and recovering for A- [Ann] and her sister the house at H-x [Halifax] and Longley farm — A- [Ann] to write to her sister in the mean to ask her and Captain
Sutherland to join in the business — the recovery of waste would cost about £100 — the recovery of the other 2 places
£400 or £500 — can now recover only 6 years rents — the 6 years of house and farm would surely be about
£600 and suppose 6 years of the waste = £50, surely there cannot be much loss, if success is sufficiently
sure — In speaking of the waste, Jonathan Gray let slip that it was a ‘rogueish’ manner of taking it —
I to consider about a coal lease — get Mr. Parker to draw one up, and then consult Jonathan Gray upon it —
but I was not all the time in the room while he was there — I had George Cooper at 10 1/2 for near 1/2 hour —
explained what I wanted for A- [Ann] and myself to ride upon — a little horse not exceeding 14 1/2 hands for
her, and not exceeding 15 hands for myself — Briggs on the look-out; but I would not buy any horse of
him without Cooper’s seeing it — Cooper said Briggs was a regular nab — a great talking fellow,
almost sure to take me in — I said not much, but at heart agreed with Cooper told him I had been struck with
Briggs’s manner of asking me for the money for the gin-horse so immediately — told Cooper to be on
the look-out, and to let me know if he heard of anything likely to suit me — Had found on
our arrival Letter from Mr. Harper to say he had been at Northgate and taken the necessary observations —
Bradley’s plan very defective in accommodation for an Inn on a large scale — Harper sorry
he was obliged to go out of town this morning at 10 — so could not see me, — and would be away every
day next week but Monday so that he could not send me his plan before next Tuesday week —
but there should be no unnecessary delay on his part — breakfast on Mr. Gray’s going away at 11 1/2
A- [Ann] and I out at 12 1/2 in a fly rain having come on about 1/2 hour before — paid Mrs. Cooke for cap for
present to Mrs. Ann Walker called for a few minutes at Dr. Belcombe’s — he got into the Fly and talked to
A- [Ann] (had just told me on my inquiring that he had received the £40 A- [Ann] left for him with word on leaving York
last June) and I ran upstairs to Mrs. Henry Belcombe thanked her for her note I found this morning asking
us to dinner yesterday and explaining our having staid all night at Langton — asked if I had any
influence with her — ‘yes! certainly’ — mentioned our calling on Thursday night, and my declining going in
on account of her having Mr. Gilbert, and advised and hoped for her seeing less of him in future than
she had done lately — she behaved very well upon it, though not at heart liking my observation
but they were made kindly and neatly wrapt in flattering smoothness — then called and
sat 1/4 hour at old Mrs. Belcombe’s for A- [Ann] to give Miss Belcombe Charlotte Norcliffe’s note etc. etc. all
very civil and apparently pleased to see us — back at the Inn at 1 50/.. and off from there at 2 35/..
George rode the pony after us and arrived a little while later than we did — we alighted at the White
horse Tadcaster at 3 40/.. — went to Briggs’s — the gin horse a great large poor bay, dead lame,
ring-boned on his off foot — said he would do well enough — but had no great hope of him — I think Briggs
is indeed a nab — A- [Ann] and I had a mutton chop at the White horse — saw George off on the pony, and
leading the gin and off about 1/2 hour after him at 5 10/.. — passed him on the road about 1/2 way, and told him
to take his time and sleep at the hotel at Leeds, and be at Shibden by nine or thereabouts tomorrow morning —
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