Tuesday, January 20, 1835

1835

January

Tuesday 20

8 35/..

11 40/..

No kiss.

Very fine winter’s morning – More snow in the night – Hard frost – F 36° now at 9 25/.. –

Breakfast in about an hour – Went in to Marian to ask her to speak about the smoke last night in the kitchen – Long talk – Cordingley not to return except for Marian’s convenience till she got another servant – Had thought of inquiring for a cook housekeeper –

What Ann and I pay is perhaps not quite enough to cover the additional expense – Said we would pay whatever more might be required – Offered to take the whole establishment upon myself if Marian liked – my father allowing me whatever his present expenses were – Marian herself had no objection – but my father must be consulted – Well! said I, and so must Adney; for all the indoors trouble would fall on her – Said I was glad Cordingley was really going or gone –

Ann and I off to Cliff Hill at 11 – Talked over what had passed with Marian – Ann quite against our having anything to do with housekeeping – Thought things had much better go on as at present during my father’s life – She easily persuaded me to her opinion –

Sat at Cliff hill from 12 to 1 10/.. – Mrs. Ann Walker good humoured and glad to see us – I told her of Cordingley’s gong on account of ill health, and she (Mrs. A.W- ) will try to hear of a servant for us –

A little while at Crow Nest, and asked Mrs. Washington to inquire about Servant  for us – Off from Crow Nest at 1 25/.. and home at 2 10/.. –

Had met Hinscliffe in going, who said he could lend us 20 pair of 4 foot rails and would call as he passed and tell Joseph Mann that Pickles’s cart might go for them directly to Hinscliffe’s Smithy (now Walker’s opposite the Crow Nest gates) – Hinscliffe said, too, that he had agreed with Farrer for the iron rails at £8 per ton for 2 tons – The money to be paid on the delivery of the full quantity and he (Farrer) was to return 5/. – About a ton would be ready in a day or 2 and the rest soon –

Ann came in to lunch – at 2 10/..I went to Charles Howarth in the farm yard, he and James Howarth cutting up the old Mountain ash (blown down last spring at the top of the Allen Cav) – for sleepers for the iron rails to lie upon in the drift –

Stood talking about stopping Spiggs Loose – Charles thinks there will not be above a yard gained between Slip-in Pit and Walker pit – (vide last line of p. 285, Howarth thinks there will be 10 yards gained -- ) ⸫ Charles thinks stopping the Spiggs will certainly stop Walker Pit – But thought I might stop Keighleys, and still keep the water low enough not to stop myself at Walker Pit –

Came in at 2 50/.., and till 3 25/.. from page xii to xxv. De la Beche’s Geological notes –

Then went down to Mr. Washington and settled the rent account with him – He had paid Mr. Carr £3.10.0 before he could settle with him for the 1/2 DW. of litter called manure and that 1/2 raked off again –

Ann and I sat talking from 4 till after 5 – She had just gone to my aunt when I called her away to Mrs. Grieves who paid her £50 and got back the promissory note for this sum, getting Ann to pay her 4/. for the stamp, as Mr. Beattie told her it was customary for the receiver to pay for stamps.  Ann said this was neither law nor custom, but she would willingly give her the 4/. –

I went down to Marian for  1/2 hour and told her to her great satisfaction that Ann wished things to go on as they are – Marian thought that if I had taken charge of the Establishment, my father would probably have gone into the East Riding.  Of course, I said how glad I was to do anything for the best –

Dinner at 6 – Coffee – We went to my father and Marian at 7 20/.. for 1/2 hour –

Then till 9, wrote out the whole of today –

4 pages of common sized letter sheet from Lady Stuart, Whitehall (Thanks for the shawls) and 3  pages and under seal of 1/2  sheet from Lady Vere (Whitehall) franked by Lord Stuart de Rothesay – 

Very-kind letter from Lady Stuart.  

Captain Stuart returned for Rothesay – Nothing yet said about Lord Stuart de Rothesay being employed, but he sure of not being forgotten tho’ Lady Stuart knows not what to make of the long silence about it in high quarters –They all tell her she looks well – She herself knows her own feebleness – 

Vere says she has only seen ‘Miss Agnes once, and Miss Berry’ (Berrys) ‘not at all – they asked me to a soirée but I have not been out once, and I do not encourage them here, for they are much too exciting folks for us. Lady Charlotte Lindsay is far less so, and more amusing’ – A house in a town without good shooting will not do – the rental asked for Gisbourne £300 but taxes and wages of gardeners etc. would mount it to £450 – But the Camerons hope to get it for £300, all included –

Ann read aloud the paper – With my aunt 1/2 hour till 10, at which hour F 34° fine, very fine winter’s day – Hard frost –

 

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/E/17/0149 and SH:7/ML/E/17/0150