| Description | [Diary Transcription]
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1835
May
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pays 12 1/2 per cent — asked to mention to Mr. Cawe what I had said — said he might do as he liked — but to understand that I
find no fault — other banks might and would have charged the same — I merely laughed in my sleeve
and thought it foolish, and had never been there since — mentioned the civility of the Scotchman at
the District bank, and his giving 6d due for a bill — Thomas Greenwood said Milner would be the ruin of
the District bank — not 1 in 21 respectable tradesmen would bank with him — he would only get
unsafe people — After much talk Greenwood at last said he thought warehousing over the stabling
would not answer — he convinced me, I shall alter their stable plan accordingly — A- [Ann] just
peeped in before she went out riding — called for wine about 3 — perfectly wearied
but poor Thomas Greenwood— he knew not how to get away; and I did not like to seem impatient —
I shall be less squeamish another time — wrote the whole of the last page and so far of this till
4 1/4 — then wrote as follows to ‘Mr. Harper’ — ‘Shibden hall, Friday 15 May 1835. Sir — I should have sent the plans
‘yesterday, but kept them for further consideration and advice respecting the stable part — The pencil lines and
‘notes I have put upon your ground-plan, will shew what I mean — I am told, there should be stabling
‘for sixty horses, and advised not to put warehousing over the stables — I have therefore reserved the frontage
‘in a line with the great room, and shall keep the stables back, and not put a 2nd story over any
‘of them except those in the line backing against Broad Street — If there is a back stair case for the kitchen
‘people, that at the end of the great room will be much used by the commercial travellers; and the front
‘stair case will be kept quiet — Perhaps the great room window-shutters can slide back
‘into the pilasters, so that the painting of the shutters may not be injured in sliding, and, being
‘nicely done, may be ornamental to the room by gaslight — It is Mr. Freeman’s
‘opinion, that it would not answer for me to work the quarry on my own account; and I have given up
‘the idea — He could not take the columns, etc. to work; because, if he did, all his men would turn
‘out — he seemed to think, the mason had best find the stone and everything belonging to his work; as, in
‘that case, the materials would be better taken care of — A rood of wall-stones (here termed parpoints,
‘insides and outsides) taking them as ordinarily furnished, might be delivered at Northgate house at 16/.
‘but, if of an uniform breadth of 8 inches, they would not be had under 19/. or 20/. per rood —
‘Mr. Freeman told me, if you sent him the dimensions of your columns etc. etc., he could tell you
‘very nearly what they would cost — he hoped you were aware, that working the hard stone of
‘our country was very different from working the soft stone used for York Minster — you cannot do
‘better than as you proposed — viz. as soon as your plan and specifications are ready, lay
‘them before 3 or 4 principal sets of contractors, and then decide as well as you can —
‘I hope you will do all that is in your power to expedite the business — I am, sir, etc. etc. etc. A Lister
‘I am anxious to have a working plan of the design after Kirkham gate’ — A- [Ann] came home a little before 6 —
dinner at 6 1/4 and coffee in an hour — just before dinner had Roger Ive Landscape gardener and land surveyor
mentioned by Mr. Jubb — lives in Foundery Street — brought me a garden plan, and several estate plans to look at —
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1835
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very neatly — would survey and lay down 20 DW. [days work] for 2. Washington would charge £5 — a nice sort
of man — said I was sorry my dinner was on the table — civil to him — said I had sent for one of the 1st men
in England for laying out grounds just to take a look at the ground here — could not do much my father did not
like to lose the garden walls — but said I would not forget him (Roger Ive) if I had any job for him or
anything to shew him — wrote out my Letter to ‘Mr. Harper’ and did it up in the parcel with the
ground plan, chamber plan in pencil, and elevation of Northgate hotel, and with the 1 sheet containing
4 designs of Lodges, and with Washington’s plan of the ground at Northgate, and sent off the parcel by
George at 8 1/2 directed to ‘Mr. Harper, Architect, York. Per Mail/2 Friday 15 May/1’ — then a little
while with my father and Marian — he poorly and very deaf tonight — had a little dizziness in his head this
morning — then talked a little to A- [Ann] and then till 9 3/4 wrote all but the 1st ten lines of the last page and so far of this
20 minutes with my aunt till 10 1/4 at which hour Fahrenheit 46° rainy day till between 1 and 2 p.m. afterwards
finish till evening and then rain again —
Saturday 16
8 40/..
11 35/..
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damp rainy morning and Fahrenheit 46 1/2° at 9 1/2 at which hour breakfast — Had Holt — he set out the drift — to be 200 yards
from drift mouth to gall — then to drive as far as to the end of my land — there will be a run of water
got stronger than the present run just got — the drift should be 3/9 per yard but worth while to give these men
3d a yard more than a less sober set, so will give them 4/. a yard — quite out of all reason to want
4/6 per yard — the drift to go all the way in the dirt-band i.e. 36 yards band — Mr. Rawson not getting
my upper bed — can be after him from Walker pit in a few weeks — to begin working shifts
on Monday — 1st shift from 4 a.m. to 12 at noon, 2nd shift from 12 to 8 p.m. — Ruthin (the jin
horse) does very well — will be able to do all the pulling if I send the pony to pull for 2 or 3
hours — viz. from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to give the horse time to have a little corn and an hour’s grass —
Samuel Holdsworth about agreeing for Keighley’s share of Spiggs Colliery — Holdsworth to article for
Mrs. Machan’s coal as soon as he can — told him to come once a week whether
wanted or not — promised to come every Friday morning — then had Washington till 11 1/4 — paid him Richard Woodhead’s
bill for railing in Little field and in front of the house — till 12 1/4 looking over Shelford on the real
property acts — I fear I have no right to stop the Spiggs Loose — then wrote as follows to ‘Mr. Marshall
Thompson Hotel Cavendish Square London Post Paid’ sent this evening by George ‘To C. M. at Marshall
‘Thompson’s hotel. Miss Lister wishes to know if C. M. would like to wait upon 2 ladies,
‘and what wages she asks, and to whom she refers for a character Saturday 16 May 1835.
‘Shibden hall near Halifax Yorkshire’ — out at 1 10/.. no had Joseph Mann till 2 — paid him in
full for Walker pit drift — out about 2 1/4 with A- [Ann] on her pony — walked with her (on her
way to Cliff hill) as far as Pump — there turned up the Lane to the top of the hill and down the fields by Walker
pit to Bairstow — Robert and his man not there — but all the stones walled up though not much walling done —
then by Whiscum cottage down the old bank to Mr. Parker’s office — Grieves must be ejected, and cannot be got rid
of till September — cannot be made to pay any rent for the house from May day to September — can only recover costs
and 40/. damages against him — said I felt sure of getting Northgate licensed and therefore would not purchase any public house
in H-x [Halifax] — asked him if he knew of a gamekeeper and a Sunday school mistress — likely enough to provide both —
went to Whitley’s and put down A-’s [Ann] name as a subscriber to Horner’s views of old houses etc. in this neighbourhood.
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