Tuesday, February 21, 1837

1837

February

Tuesday 21

7 5/..

12 3/4

No kiss. Rain in the night and this morning till 8, then fine and F42 1/2°  –

Out in the stable and about, and with Robert +3 (a new man come this morning) at the upper pool (stopping the leakage) till breakfast at 9 50/..

To 10 55/.., sat musing and planning bedroom in east tower for Ann and myself and dressing rooms.

Heavy shower about 10 1/2.  Had Charles Howarth at 10 55/.. about pen-trough for the meer drift head – Said I did not want any – Only wanted the clow making – Paid C. H. two little bills in full up to today, excluding Joseph Mann’s vent-pit frames making –

Nearly fair (high wind), and out again at 11 25/.. No! Sat reading in my study till 12, and still raining from 12 to 12 1/2 more or less, in the north parlour till 1, Encyclopaedia of Agriculture and then writing copy of letter to Mr. Harper.

Robert Mann then came for me to tell me that my grandfather’s drain (that I had supposed so excellent) through the quondam orchard was only a loop-hole drain and therefore might well be incapable of taking the water now boiling up near the great cherry-tree – a new drain to be made –

But Robert came also to tell me that 2 of the rocks were coming down! Luckily, though, 2 of the very large ones, they are the 2 most manageable – The 2 corner ones towards the north, holding up the mid-pool – But Robert thinks he can set all right again – Had propped the lowmost so that we can keep it up where it is –

Some time with Robert and Sam in the Lodge road laying 2 loads of rag at the jutting-out (to widen the road) near the Lodge, and making up ruts in the road –

Then at the Low pool, and getting up a laurel planted on the embankment near the great variegated holly, and digging out new drain course through the quondam orchard –

John Booth all the day with the old bay horse and light cart carrying scraplings and rubbish from the old wall-race at the bottom of the quondam orchard to raise up the walk by the low pool –

Went to the meer-drift head – 3 or 4 masons hewing the large rag-stone for the meer-tail clow – found them all sitting in the hut at their drinking – Sent them out –

Then by Lower brea lane to Mytholm to see if George Naylor had ploughed up the little croft near the mill for tares – Yes! but not sown –

Heavy rain before I got back as far as Denmark – Stood some time in Charles Howarth’s barn porch – Then with Robert Mann again till came in at 6 – Wet – Dressed –

Wrote and sent my letter to ‘John Harper, Esquire, St. Leonard’s Place York’ to say difficult to do the interstices between the hall-stoothing cement – I thought plaster would look better than casing them either with oak or deal to be afterwards painted – If Harper thinks plaster the best to send over Crabtree or some plasterer who can and will do his work tidily and well – he might do the 2 bedrooms at the same time and give in an estimate for the hotel – Mention Mr. Cole’s bringing his plan yesterday – a mere sketch without any explanatory detail – Mention price and power –

Dinner at 7 – Ann read French – Coffee – I read partly aloud the pith of tonight’s paper and a little aloud out of the Encyclopaedia of Geography –

Then at 10 went to my study – Read a little there Lindley’s Natural System, then wrote all but the 1st 6 lines of today (downstairs) till 10 55/.. –

Very showery day – cold and windy and wet and comfortless day –

WYAS Finding Number SH:7/ML/E/20/0025