Friday, January 16, 1835

1835

January

Friday 16

9

11 40/..

No kiss.

Very rainy night and rainy morning – F 44 1/2° at 9 55/.. a.m. in my study – Breakfast at 10, and afterwards as I could –

Ann had William Keighley in during breakfast, and told him to go and look after the damage done by the snow in Holcans wood – Will go on Monday – A little talk about the Spiggs Colliery business – Advised them to settle it with Hinscliffe – I would certainly stop the loose, if we could not agree – but I was sorry for them, William Keighley and his brother, and did not wish to be hard upon them – But what I took for the loose for coal to be bought would not be taken out of their pocket, but out of that of the seller of the coal –

Then had Joseph Mann – Paid him £8.6.0 in full of £30.5.11 cost of driving the drift to get water to John Bottomley’s – It looses at the far end – J. M- thinks it had better be puddled there – Will do all that is wanted for 20/. – Agreed – And it is to be done or begun on Monday – puddling and getting the puddle to the place all for the 20/. –

Pickles advised me yesterday to let it wait a little (and he can tell whether water will come or no) before I lay out any more money on it – Thinks the drift will stand well enough – He can manage it – Said very well – He might do what he would with it, only he could pacify John Bottomley’s fears of its all falling in –

Talked to my father and Marian about 3/4 hour till after 12 –

Then sat talking to Ann till got her out (very much better – well as usual? today ) at 12 3/4 – Began to rain before we got to the Dumb Mill Inn, and continued driving small rain at our backs all the way to Cliff hill – Mrs. Ann Walker very glad and surprised to see us – Would not sit down (because rather wettish), but stood talking 14 minutes – Then back (by the high road – The bottom of the walk overflowed from the drain into the brook, and in going we had got over the railing into the Dolt and so along the footpath), – in 46 minutes at 3 35/.. – Rain, or hail, or snow all the way back, and both of us wet –

I staid out in the barn talking to John till near 4 – Then came in and changed my dress –

Talked a little while to Charles Howarth – John had told me Mr. Joseph Wilkinson meant to bid hard for the Stump Cross Inn; and Charles Howarth told me Mr. Washington’s sub-steward (pays him £50 a year for sub-stewarding on the Leeds and Whitehall road) Mawson, who keeps a publichouse at Leeds and did Mytholm-will dam for me, worth a good deal of money by taking jobs of this kind – wanted Stump Cross – Had spoken to Mr. Washington about it, who was supposed to have told me – Thomas Pearson had said he, Mawson, was worth a good deal of money, and Charles thought him a very likely tenant –

A man should have £500 to engage with the Stump Cross – Hoped there it would not be as at the Mytholm farm letting – Only one round of biddings – had there been a 2nd round one Lobley, who put in the no ticket the 1st time would have put in a good one the 2nd time – and he was a likely man – When Mr. Sunderland and Mr. Drake let Dove house and Caldwell hill (they themselves were the letters) they had 3 rounds of bidding and after the 1st and 2nd declared who was highest bidder, as is customary –

In consequence of this came upstairs and wrote as follows to ‘Robert Parker Esquire etc. etc. etc.

‘Shibden hall Friday evening, 16 January, 1835. 

Sir –

You only put in one round of biddings at the Mytholm-farm letting; and I have understood that, if, as is customary, you had declared who was the highest bidder, and then put in another round, there was a person there who did not bid at all, who would have put in a good ticket at the 2nd round –

I shall be much obliged to you to have, at least, 2 rounds of bidding tonight, or 3 if you think proper –

I send this note by Charles Howarth, a man accustomed to attend lettings, and well able to give a shrewd answer to any question that might be asked him on such an occasion –

I wish the biddings to be known to no individual but yourself –

I am, Sir, etc. etc. etc.

‘A Lister’ –

Gave Charles the above note about 5 saying what it contained, and desired him to give it into Mr. Parker’s own hand, or if not there, into that of the clerk in attendance for him, or to bring it back to me – It was written on a 1/4 sheet and sealed up in a 1/2 sheet envelope --

Dinner at 6 1/4 – Coffee – 20 minutes with my father and Marian – Then came upstairs and from 8 to 9 40/.. wrote from line 25 of page 278 of Wednesday up to this line and moment of today –

Very kind letter tonight 1 half sheet full and 1 page and 1 end of envelope from Lady Stuart de Rothesay – dated Tittenhanger, Wednesday 14th and 1/2 sheet full from Charlotte Stuart, delighted with the watch which she had just received from Miss Berry – (Both letters in one frank from Lord Stuart de Rothesay) –

Lady Stuart de Rothesay says nothing will be settled till after the elections are over – They have no appointment yet – ‘I suspect it will end in Vienna which you must put on your list of promises though not one of the original points of attraction – I cannot bear to think of India that would involve such a choice of evils to me – As a matter of interest to Lord Stuart, he always rates it the highest in the scale; but he is not likely to be taken out of his immediate line of business – Nothing will be settled till the elections are all wound up – I shall remain here with my girls some time longer – My dear mother is tolerably well – Yours very sincerely, Elizabeth Stuart de Rothesay’ –

Then 20 minutes with my aunt till 10 5/.. – Finish in the morning till about 2 p.m., then rainy afternoon, and rainy, wind rough evening and night –

A well dressed man walking behind John tonight on the northbridge, knocked him and then ran away –

F 41° now at 10 3/4 p.m. in my study – Fine night between 11 and 12, and ground white again with snow –

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/17/0146 and SH:7/ML/E/17/0147