Friday, January 9, 1835

1835

January

Friday 9

9 20/..

11 1/2

No kiss.

Damp, rainy morning, F 35 1/2° at 10 a.m. in my Study – Breakfast at 10 10/.. –

Had Thomas Greenwood from 10 55/.. to 12 1/2 – Much talk about the Election – Then he paid me the Christmas rent of the Sheep Croft and his pew in the old church – and I paid him the amount of both – 5/., in full of a bill he had against me for timber for Lower Place in May, 1833, and some little things of furniture quite lately for Shibden –

Spoke to him about Northgate – Offered him the field next the church, with a road through it (for his sole use) and temporary, a cottage for his foreman built at one end of it – He thought I had better see 1st what I could do with the house and if I could let it without the land, he would take the land – He values the house at £85 a year, or at any rate, it should be worth £80, and I said the land was before valued at £6 per DW. – said I should tell Mr. Parker to put out hand-bills advertising  the house to let with or without land –

Thomas G- recommends Stevenson, the engineer of Oldham, to see about the mill at Mytholm for Aquilla Green –

Then from 12 1/2 to 4 1/2 (with the exception of speaking to Joseph Mann in the meanwhile (who could not get Holt to come and measure off the drift in John Bottomley’s land), had Hinscliffe in the house and then, in spite of  the rain, went out with him to the drift – He went into it, and found fault that they were driving it 4 feet wide instead of 3 – So rainy did not go up to the pit – but came in in 10 minutes at 4 25/.. –

Hinscliffe had told me all about the Spiggs Colliery Loose – I had better (and I could do it easily) stop just within the Wellroyde land, as the people had a regular right to come through Wilkinson’s land – They said they had a right to come through mine –

I explained, and satisfied them they were mistaken – Said I would not promise to shew my Uncle Joseph’s books to anyone, but he should look over them with me if he liked – I then read him, from volume 2, Business letter book, the account I wrote to Mr. Briggs (my late Steward), of Mr. Clarke’s coming to me about the loose – vide p. 10-12, dated Saturday 10 September 1831., and gave him on 1/2 sheet of paper, to shew to Keighleys and Company, a copy of the 2 entries in my uncle Joseph Lister’s book as follows

          1816                                                                                                                                       September 7 ‘Recieved of John Green and Company in part for |         32.5.0                                          driving drain up Willroyde holmes                          |

          1817                                                                                                                                      April 29      ‘Received of J. Clark and J Green and Company for |         25.0.0                                        driving the drain up Willroyde holmes in full            |                                                           Shibden hall. Saturday 10 September 1831.                                                                                                                                A Lister’

           The above is a copy of what I wrote on the back of a paper                                                   brought to me by Mr. James C. Holt, on the 10th of September 1831.                                                                                                         A Lister                                                                                                                          Friday 9 January 1835

With the above, Hinscliffe seemed satisfied – Said he saw how it was, and he would see William Keighley again about it –

He gave me a small rough sketch of the present waterhead of Spiggs Colliery – Said they ought to pay me for the loose – It would loose all Micklemoss – And told me in grand secret he had heard of some combination of Holdsworth and people to take the Stump Cross Inn and land and then smuggle something to one another about the loose – Advised me to be cautious –

Told him the sort of year to year lease I let on, and would this time make all particularly sure – Would secure looses, right to get Coal etc. on paying reasonable damages – He said the custom was double rent – Yes! but, said I, if a great price is given on account of the house, this may create a difficulty about the value of double rent of the land, so I will fix the damages at £3 per DW. for the land above the house and £4 per DW for the land below it, which Hinscliffe thought very fair – He seems to think Holt had not behaved well in the business to the Keighleys – And on the subject of the work going on here, said he had too much to do at the public houses to look after it properly – Should be here almost every day –

Thought the drift at John Bottomley’s would not be worth much – We should fetch the water down this way by one pit-drift – Said I had ordered them to stop, and meant to leave the drift open next summer to see how it would answer –

Talked about rails – and ended by desiring him to get me 2 tons at Brighouse (as he recommended) at £8 per ton – Good metal such as they could bore through – He would advise having every rail tried with a file – Still recommends vent stones, 18 inches broad and to let them remain for a sort of drain for the water afterwards – He thinks he can get them for me at 2d per yard –

From Hinscliffe’s manner of close attention to all I said about the Stump Cross Inn, it would not surprise me if his son offers for it –  Hinscliffe is of Whig politics – but let him turn conservative, and . . . . . . .

Came in at 4 25/.. (Hinscliffe having just gone home on coming out of the drift) and though only out 10 minutes, wettish, and changed my dress – Then some time with my father and Marian – Dinner at 6 1/4 – Coffee – From 8 1/4 to 9 3/4 wrote yesterday – then with my aunt 1/4 hour till 10, at which hour F 39° in my study – wild, windy, rainy day –

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/17/0140 and SH:7/ML/E/17/0141