| Description | [Diary Transcription]
340 [240]
1836
October Sunday 16
9 40/..
12 3/4
+
U
L
.. No kiss very fine morning the sun full upon the thermometer standing now (10 40/.. a.m) at 79° —
breakfast at 10 40/.. to 11 40/.. then walked with A- [Ann] on the flags opposite the house an hour till 1 then sauntered
out about alone till about 2 — then a little while in the drawing room tidying — all ready prepared for the
coffin being brought down into the drawing room tonight — went to see my aunt about 2 1/2 p.m. saw no change in
her appearance — sat with A- [Ann] till 3 then went down to read prayers — waited 10 minutes or 1/4 hour for John Booth —
from 3 1/4 to 4 A- [Ann] and I read the evening service I read only the 1st lesson and she read the 2nd lesson for the morning by mistake — and in 1/4 hour I read one of Paley’s sermons volume 6. page 42. It is
good for us to be in affliction — about 8 ppages long — very appropriate — very good — all the
women and the 3 men came in, and all seemed attentive to and impressed by the sermon — 5 women
Cookson Oddy, the cook (that Mr. Jubb sent to help us) Ann the house maid and Sarah the kitchen maid —
3 men Robert the footman, George the groom, and John Booth — with A- [Ann] in the store-room a few minutes
then till 4 3/4 wrote the above of today — my cold still very bad but better than yesterday or the day before —
I began yesterday to wear an additional piece of flannel across my chest and this seems to have done
me good — I read with less difficulty or rather with more ease than I expected — then wrote as
follows — ‘Shibden-hall — Sunday 16 October 1836. Dear Sir — I have long been impatient
‘to send you the valuation of your farm, and hoped to have had it in time for this letter; but I have
‘not yet got it, (the valuation of the township being not yet quite completed), and, on
‘this melancholy occasion, I will not delay my letter longer — you will be sorry to
‘hear that my aunt expired at five minutes past one, a.m. on Monday — worn out
‘by previous suffering, she seemed to slip away gently, and easily, at the last — I beg my
‘compliments to your mother, and sister — Believe me, dear Sir, very truly yours A Lister’ —
Sealed and put into the letter bag to go tonight my letter to ‘John Lister Esquire 11 Stockwell
Common London’ — went to see my aunt — no apparent change — stood looking
perhaps a minute or more and came away having seen her for the last time at 6 8/.. — dinner at 6 10/..
in 35 minutes — coffee upstairs — Mr. Duncan came between 6 and 7, and the coffin was soldered up, and put
into the drawing room where I went in to see it at 9 20/.. — A- [Ann] read a little French at coffee time and we both
sat reading afterwards till 9 20/.. I the 1st 48 ppages volume 3 Bigland’s (A-’s [Ann]) history of the world — article Italy —
Letter tonight 1 1/2 page widely written from Mr. Musgrave dated ‘Osbaldwick near York. Saturday.
October 15th’ — ‘my dear Madam — the interest I have felt for some years past in your lamented
‘aunt makes it a peculiar mortification to me that I am precluded from officiating, as you desire,
‘on Monday It is not however, I regret to say, in my power to be at H-x [Halifax] on that day. The anniversary
‘of the Bible Society is held on the same day, and I had requested Mr. Gratrix previous to the receipt of your letter
‘to apologize to the Committee for my absence at a meeting at which I usually preside — I am sure
‘any one of my curates will be happy to be in attendance at your own hour. I beg my kind regards to
‘Miss Walker and am, my dear Madam, your’s very truly Charles Musgrave’ — I mentioned to A- [Ann] my
supposition that our vicar is on a visit to archdeacon Markham — that there is a dinner party or some
such thing for tomorrow that he does not like to miss, and ⸫ [therefore] it is not in his power to be at H-x [Halifax] on that day!
341 [241]
1836
October
had just written so far of today i.e. the last 15 lines at 9 50/.. p.m. read the newspaper — A- [Ann] saw to the setting
out the tables for tomorrow’s breakfast — she called me down at 11 — Fahrenheit 42° now at 11 35/.. p.m. very fine day —
Found my cousin come gently just before dinner ~
Monday 17
7 1/2
12 1/4
+
u
No kiss — thick, foggy morning and Fahrenheit 48° at 9 1/4 a.m. — breakfast at 8 3/4 — wore 1st time my new
pelisse that arrived 20 August last — Mr. Duncan brought me a 3 yards long broad crape which he merely
put round me and tied in front (slipped one end through the other) — Off from the house at 9 54/.. — the
funeral procession much the same as for my father — a change as to the persons of some of the bearers and mutes — not
all the same as then but everything conducted much the same as for my father — desired Mr. Jubb
to sit with me at church, and we went into the Shibden family-pew opposite the pulpit —
Mr. Jubb sat during the greater part of the service read from the pulpit — I stood the whole time — Mr. Steward
did the duty very well — without any affectation — very simply and impressively — better pleased with his manner than with
the vicar’s — off from here at 9 54/.. — at the church door in 50 minutes at 10 44/.. — all
ready — alighted immediately and followed (Mr. Jubb and I) the corpse into the church — Mr. Steward did the
whole duty in 26 minutes — I stood close over the grave the whole time saw the coffin lowered
and took one last look before coming away — It was the same vault in which my father and I had
seen my uncle laid in 1826 — I saw no trace of my uncle’s coffin, yet my aunt’s seemed
to sink deep down — deeper than I expected though I had ordered it to be laid as deep as possible —
home in 3/4 hour at 12 — had gone and returned through Northgate and along the wool-shops, as at my fathers funeral
Mr. Duncan had so ordered it — we used to go down Winding hill lane for the more quiet; but I
before omitted naming this to Mr. Duncan, and would not name it now — thankful that this solemn
melancholy ceremony was over — all went off well, and without bustle — sat with A- [Ann] reading
her Pinnock’s Goldsmith’s Roman and looking at the plan of old Rome — sent for Mr. Duncan
at 2, just before he went away — desired him to tell Mr. Steward that I was much pleased with his
manner of doing the duty — asked Mr. Duncan what was usually given as a compliment — the church dues
are 1/. for a funeral — some people gave a pound — some as much as £5 but never more — I said that considering that
at my father’s funeral so lately passed nothing more than the dues was given and that I merely wished to
pay Mr. Steward a compliment I begged Mr. Duncan to give him with my compliments and thanks 2 sovereigns —
Mr. Duncan said it was very handsome and seemed much pleased — nothing had happened that annoyed me but
the York joiners sending up by John Booth to ask for beer — Mr. Duncan thought it had been
the workmen in general — I undeceived him — said no! there was not a man of our own
people who would have done such a thing — Mr. Duncan and all the people gone at 2 5/..
the bearers and mutes returned with me, and had cold meat and negus afterwards, as at my father’s
funeral — It was not so at my uncle’s funeral or before — I remember my father’s saying it had not
been the custom — However it was thought right at my father’s funeral; and so it I would therefore have
it at my aunt’s — I could have been attendrie — I could have had tearful eyes, and wept to the
peoples own content, had I chosen to give way; but I calmed and turned my thoughts as well as
I could and seemed undisturbed upon my countenance — but, my poor aunt! she was very good to me —
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