| Description | [Diary Transcription]
51
1837
March
L
L
+
‘seems as if it still had all its natural elasticity, and my heart as if the chilling
‘influence of time and worldly selfishness had left it still its natural ardour unimpaired —
‘Buona notte! Buona notte! I still could fancy those sweet harmonies were sounding
in my ears — I often think of your singing, and hope the little Vere will emulate Mamma —
You used to say, it was useless singing to me, for I never attended! Where is your voice now?
I shall think of you at Rome, — I shall think of you wherever the vox humana is
most powerful to ‘bend the knotted oak’ — Have made my peace with Lady Harriet — ‘She answered
‘my letter the very day after receiving it with so much real, sterling kindness, that her ppages 1/2 cured me of
‘La Grippe’ which had kept me in bed 2 days’ — Shall write to her soon — ask after everybody
‘It will be quite charity, my dearest Vere, to write to me during the further term of my probation here —
‘never mind how much, or how little you write — you cannot write one syllable that will not
interest me; and if you wrote but one, I shall value it enough to satisfy you —’ ask if
the Stuart Mackenzies are to succeed the Wilmott Hortons at Ceylon — hope Mrs. Stuart Mackenzie would
remember me — Ask if Vere is interested in the question of steam navigation to India — ‘How would
‘you like a letter dated from the land of Goshen?’ ......... I shall be off some time, and
‘will tell you when as soon as I know myself — Keep me in mind, and believe me always very
faithfully and very affectionately yours Anne Lister’ — had just written so far and went out at 4 and out from then
to 6 55/.. — a little while with Ingham at the new coachhouse court — then with Robert Mann + 3 getting up elm
and holly in the old hedge-row between the upper and lower brook Ing, and getting them planted (left as safe
as we had time) at the foot of the low-pool-east-embankment — ready in 5 minutes and dinner at 7 — sent off
my letter to ‘the Lady Vere Cameron, Brafield house, Olney Bucks [Buckinghamshire]’ and my letter to ‘Mr. Robert
Walker 2 Jones Street Berkeley Square London postage paid’ — Coffee read till 11 1/4 — last Foreign Quarterly
on Steam navigation to India — tonight’s London paper and article in the Gents. [Gentlemans] Magazine (come
tonight) on Toddington near Cheltenham Gloucestershire the fine gothic modern seat of Mr. Hanbury Tracey planned
by himself and executed under his own direction — timber grown on the Estate and some years in
seasoning — very fine day — Fahrenheit 32° now at 11 40/.. p.m.
Wednesday 8
7
12 1/4
V
No kiss ready in an hour — fine morning Fahrenheit 41° at 8 a.m. A- [Ann] off to Cliff hill about 9 to
meet William Keighley whom she had sent for to cut down a large poplar close to the house —
had Charles Howarth at 9 20/.. about doing up the back stable stalls (all tumbling down) went to the top of the west tower — breakfast at 10
then had Cookson in my study and library passage, to dust all the books left in the latter (about 1/2) and see the
drugget put down again and all made right after the masons — backwards and forwards with
Cookson — had William Keighley and Joseph Mann about 12 — went to the Paddock (Godley top field) and ordered about
the soil taking off for the Incline and Godley road drift rubbish — the platform stuff about 1/2
all that is good to be shot down off the Embankment just at the end of the Lodge into the hollow
fenced walled off to the wood — told Joseph Mann to think what the job as stated could be done at
per yard cube — 30 yards long and 10 yards wide to have the soil taken off from 2 to 3 feet deep and banked
up on a base 5 yards broad (at the foot of the place left for rubbish) with a slope
3 yards high at the back [drawing] with Joseph Mann till 1 — told him I meant the platform stone
52
1837
March
V
to do the bur walling against the Godley road to hold the stuff up, or to wear the brook side against the meer
to hold up the middle band drift-water stuff which which I had told Robert yesterday I should strengthen the
weak part of the embankment — from Joseph Mann (at 1) went to the Stump X [Cross] — the chimney at the north end
into the great new room only on parpoint wall thick against the flue outside — said it ought to have been
lined with brick — would not answer as it was — sure to smoke — a pity to have spoilt it — the fire-
-place only 2 feet 8 inches wide and 3 feet 1 inch high — in that very large room looks like a pigeon hole —
some time at the Stump X [Cross] — told Mawson to look at the Whiskum road and let me know what
he would put it into, and keep it up in, repair for — talked to him about rough forming, draining,
and rubling (1st coat) the Lodge road so as to be passable as soon as possible — could begin of it
anytime at a day or two notice and make it passable in a fortnight — would be no
detriment to the road at all — from the Stump X [Cross] walked by Mytholm quarry
to the school A- [Ann] not there — found her at Crownest — surprised to see me — said I had had William
Keighley (came to ask a great favour — to let him get out (along my road) the Belvidere poplars he had bought of Mr.
Alexander — sorry I could not do this) who told me, she would not determine about the taking down of two
poplars before till she saw me, so I had come to give my opinion — walked about the garden at Crownest —
(1st time I think in my life) said how I would cut the ivy (in lancet gothic shaped windows) about the temple,
and where I would put the large holly to be removed from close under 1 of the windows, and advised a few
more large young Pontey-planted trees being removed from their intrusion upon other windows — then to
Cliff hill — advised where to put an elm and beech removed from under the windows, and rather against
taking down the 2 poplars in question — advised moving a tall stripling lime to the 3 cornered bit near
the drive up to the door — went in to pay my devoirs to Mrs. Ann Walker (always glad to see me nowadays)
for 5 minutes and then off home across the fields to Hill Top — called for 5 minutes to see Mrs. Hopkins, up and
sitting at her tea — then across the fields by German house to Hipperholme quarry, and thence by Mytholm and Lower brea
wood to the meer a little before six — Robert Mann + 3 and Booth and his men there just finishing the Stone water-tight pen-trough
for the clow-frame to be screwed to — then some time at the Embankment above the pools — came in at 6 —
ready in 5 minutes and dinner at 7 5/.. — asleep on the sofa — coffee at 9 — sat reading the newspaper
till 10 40/.. — 1/2 sheet (3 ppages) kind letter from Lady Vere Cameron Brafield house — after the 29th instant cannot
receive us at Brafield house — they have an engagement on the 31st and go early in April to Lady Stuart
to stay with her till she lets her house — they are expecting Miss Cameron on the 14th ‘and she is
a person who you will find very superior in many respects to the generality of women’ —
when on the top of the tower this morning found they making the top-room flue only a parpoint wall
thick on the outside towards the west — ordered it to be lined with brick — rainy night Fahrenheit 41° at 11 1/4 p.m.
Thursday 9
7 35/..
12 5/..
.. No kiss found my cousin just appearing hardly discernible A- [Ann] in bed 1/2 hour before me last night —
finish windy cold morning — Had Mr. Husband till 9 — told him about the Chimney seeing him with a
smile on his lips about I looked grave — I said it would not answer — would smoke — he began to defend the plan — said
he had done hundreds in that way — where? In London — no comparison between here and London — his foolish
defending of the thing and talk of Economy led me to talk of folly and ignorance — he knew enough — if I could get
a better I had better do so — I said he was not employed by me Mr. Harper was the person to speak to about this but
if he (Mr. Husband) knew enough, he was contented with very little — I had told him, too, that a very small part
of all he had thrown me away would have done the chimney right, and made the fire-place larger — yes! he said
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