Anne Lister Entries Only – August 1834

Wednesday 27th August 1834

[up at] 8 35/..

[to bed at] 10 40/..

long good kiss last night slept together first time since Paris Comfortable bed – packing travelling bag – breakfast at 9 3/4 – went into the good garden belonging to the Inn – regular gardener – fine view from the summer house down upon the fine broad river (Medway) – the summer house in part of old round tower belonging to the old castle – the large old square tower in another property but near the end of the garden – nice promenade all round the castle made 4 years ago – the waiter said it was customary to give the ostler 1/. a night for greasing a carriage even if he finds the grease – Off from Wright’s hotel (very comfortable) Rochester at 11 25/.. and alighted at 26 Dover Street at 4 18/.. – have the 1er – very comfortable – wrote 2 1/2 pages to my aunt mentioning our arrival in town and saying it was possible we should be at Shibden on Saturday night – John to sit up for us till 12 but no later – if not back then, should arrive early on Sunday morning – Sent off at 5 3/4 my letter to my aunt (Shibden) – Adney and I had our hair cut by man from Truefitts’ Bond Street – sent to inquire if Lady Stuart was at Whitehall, and sent for Hutton and Baxter – dinner at 7 20/.. – very kind note from Lady Stuart saying she could not have me in comfort chez elle (the Fosters arrived yesterday from Turin) but if she would come to me this evening, if she could not otherwise see me – pretty good account of herself – her maid (Mrs. Cole) brought the note – had her in – said I would call at 2 p.m. tomorrow – came to our room at 9 40/.. – fine day tho’ little or no sun – Fahrenheit 60˚ at 10 25/.. p.m. –

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale SH:7/ML/E/17/0080

Thursday 28th August 1834

[up at] 8 25/..

[to bed at] 1 55/..

long goodish one last night fine morning Fahrenheit 58˚ at 9 1/4 a.m. Kind letter 3 pages and ends from Mariana (Harrogate) – still thinks of me too often and loves me too well – but time cures all things – to get her if possible 10/. worth coronation braiding at Wilks’s, 186 Regent Street – breakfast at 9 50/.. Adney and I out at 11 50/.. at Colnaghi’s for little French print – best print-shop in London – Adney subscribed 1 guinea (1 of 100 subscribers) for a finely illuminated black letter written copy of a poem of the middle ages, just done by an officer – to be raffled for – Saw the 2 first numbers (folio) of Trésor de numismatique et de glyptique or Recueil général de médailles etc. rue du Colombier, no. 30, Paris – (4 plaques par no. at 5 shillings a number –) chez Rittner and Gonpil /Goupil/ – the engravings of the medals very curiously done by a new process the invention of our queen’s treasurer, Sir John Barton, a very clever man, who died the day before yesterday – then to Baxter’s, 113 Long Acre – the name still up tho’ Baxter dead some years ago, and the establishment belongs to Pearce who was with him – saw a good strong fourgon for travelling, made to order, at £140 – then to Hammersleys – left my 2 remaining £25 circulars = £50 out of the £500 (in 20 circulars) I took with me – then with Lady Stuart (Whitehall) tête à tête from 1 50/.. to 3 1/4 A- [Adney] sat in the carriage half hour then did some shoppings of hers in Oxford Street and returned – Adney and I then went shopping – to Peacock’s Salisbury Square for Adney’s Estate-plan case, and bought her Russia leather writing case – good place for this sort of thing – he is bookbinder to the King – a complete set of all the English almanacs (almanacs and binding) in 2 very thick volumes 11 guineas for Talleyrand to give Louis Philip – then to Jones, 201 Strand, for more Promethean lights 500 in tin case for 10/6 for the wholesale trade – to Blades’s the great glass shop – magnificent – asked for silver watch at Rundell and Bridge’s to give George – had no such thing – nothing but a second hand silver at 8 guineas – not very civil – would not recommend any watchmaker – seemed to think their dignity affronted by my inquiry – home at 7 1/2 – had Hutton the tailor, and Baxter’s man the coachmaker between £3 and £4 of repairs done to the carriage and will cost £100 to refit it for travelling – the axle-trees too short therefore pannels so rubbed and spoilt – dinner at 8 – then Melbourne and ordering till 9 25/.. about the picture frames – left him 15 prints – frames plain maple-root – to be about £12.12.0, and be done in a fortnight – 4 bottles best Cognac from Morell for my aunt – Off to Whitehall at 10 and home at 11 1/2 to Lady Stuart – Lord Stuart de Rothesay there and Sir Augustus and Lady Albinia Foster and their boys, and Sir Augustus’s brother Mr. (Frederic) Foster – all very civil – Sir Augustus hoped they should see me at Turin – Lady Stuart asked him to look at the Fourgon at Baxter’s for me – no shaking hands with her all very civil be she and I seemed rather shy and she did not invite me but all very civil – Lord Stuart de Rothesay and his friend hired the vessel they had to Iceland and went to Norway chiefly to see the great waterfall – went up the fiord – had no communication with the natives except for pilotage – In our shopping before dinner should have named Rivington’s St. Pauls churchyard – Conder’s universal traveller 30 volumes at 6/. would let me have the work at £8. Lord Byron’s works complete containing all the before suppressed parts . . volumes at 5/. £4? order the booksellers bibliographist by . . . . . about £4. fine day till 9 1/2 p.m. then heavy showers Fahrenheit 62˚ at 1 1/2 tonight –

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale SH:7/ML/E/17/0080

Saturday 30th August 1834

.. [did not go to bed the previous night]

[to bed at] 12 35/..

Tolerably fair during the night – Both Adney and I slept a good deal – she very comfortably not having to awake at each stage as I had to pay the postboy – at Leicester at 1 55/.. a.m. Between Alfreton and Chesterfield (at 9 1/4 a.m.) barley in stook – everything quite green – no trace of autumn – fine country here – At the Angel Inn, Chesterfield, at 10 – breakfast – off again at 12 – fine morning but cloudy – had been much rain everywhere lately, but the road rather drier from here – at Sheffield at 1 37/.. alighted at Rogers’s shop, and staid looking at the cutlery etc. and making a few purchases till 2 55/.. – very nice well plated portable tea-pot containing coffee-pot cream and sugar basins = £6 – canteens fitted up to order as also dressing boxes etc. – at 4 35/.., 4 miles from Penniston /Penistone/ oats in stook – at Penniston at 5 10/.. obliged to take 4 horses (sent them off at 6 52/.. just before entering Huddersfield) first time except from Dartford to top of Shooter’s hill, and begin with flagged causeway – oats and wheat in stook – the man at the George Inn Huddersfield would not settle what I was to pay for the horses – said I would not have horses from him again – Adney nervous and frightened down Ainley hill – too steep – at Shibden at 8 55/.. wall built up between garden and north end of the house – vexed about it – all pretty well – saw my aunt – tea till 11 40/.. – a few flying showers from Sheffield and again on starting from Penniston – fair on arriving at Shibden Fahrenheit 64˚ at midnight –

Memoranda for Baxter respecting the carriage
Pole to be fitted for 4 horses, i.e. with brass hook at the end.
Mail coach lamps
Lamp inside
Could barometer be fixed at the top along the back net to hook on at the top so as to take off easily
Great pocket to fasten up with straps and buckles instead of common buttons
New cap-case cover
Imperial to put on the boot
New blinds.
Saddles, how to carry (Fleams to bleed horses?).
Canteen. New sabot, and drag staff.
Shafts, how to be fixed on.
Grease box in round leather case.

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale SH:7/ML/E/17/0080

Sunday 31st August 1834

[up at] 7 35/..

[to bed at] 11

no kiss fine morning Fahrenheit 59º at 7 40/.. a.m. breakfast at 9 – siding books etc. – with my aunt at 12 – Adney and I read prayers in 1/2 hour till 1 10/.. – we walked to Lightcliffe church in 3/4 hour – there at 3 – Mr. Bellamy did all the duty – preached 1/2 hour from Psalm XIX 10 and 11 – 1/2 asleep – 3/4 hour at Cliff hill till 5 1/4 – Mrs. Ann Walker did shake hands with me en entrant and en sortant, but unwillingly? and scolded Adney all the time – no shew of pleasure to see us – very ill twined – nothing right – a thorough jobation – home (by the walk) – dinner at 7 – coffee as usual – sat talking till 9 – then I 3/4 hour with my aunt – too poorly to bear having us both together at night – showers till between 1 and 2 p.m. afterwards fair and fine Fahrenheit 60º at 10 1/2 p.m. –

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale SH:7/ML/E/17/0081