Wednesday, March 8, 1837

1837

March

Wednesday 8

7

12 1/4

 

No kiss. Ready in an hour – Fine morning; Fahrenheit 41° at 8 a.m.

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 ), and went to the top of the west tower –

Breakfast at 10, then had Cookson in my study 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. 

With Joseph Mann till 1 – told him I meant the platform stone to do the bur walling against the Godley road to hold the stuff up on to wear the brook side against the meer to hold up the middle bank drift-water stuff which with which I had told Robert yesterday I should strengthen the weak part of the embankment –

From Joseph Mann (at 1), went to the Stump 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 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 rubbling (1st coat) the Lodge road so as to be passable as soon as possible – Could begin of it any time 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 Cross, walked by Mytholm quarry to the School. Ann not there  – found her at Crownest  – surprised to see me – said I had had William Keighley (came to ask a great favor – 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 till before 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 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 by German house to Hipperholme quarry, 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 pages) kind letter from Lady Vere Cameron, Brafield house – After the 29th instante mense 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.

 

WYAS Finding Number SH:7/ML/E/20/0031