Friday 2nd January 1835

No entry today.

[up at] 7 35/..

[to bed at] 11 1/2

no kiss very fine white frosty morning Fahrenheit 42° at 9 25/.. – off to Booth’s at 8 1/2 – asked him to think about buying the cottages for me in the Haugh, on ground sold off from the Staups Estate – He will see about it, and may perhaps be able to give me an answer a month or 2 hence – thinks the cottages let for £30 a year – should not give more than £400 for the property – then asked him for his vote for Mr. Wortley but did not press it much – and asked him to bring his wife (as he reminded me of having promised to let him to do so) to see my walk, and drink tea – and promised when at Vienna to inquire after his cousin Mr. Booth, and send some message about him thro’ Mr. Parker or Mr. Washington – then went to Mr. Parker’s office – said I  could only raise £1100 towards the payment to be on the 8th and that he, Mr. Parker,  must take care for the rest – then mentioned the business of the hunters and their late trespasses last Friday week – shewed a copy of the form of notice (recommended by Mr. Jonathan Gray) to be sent by Adney – Mr. Parker advised taking the opinion of a special pleader to which I agreed – a case to be drawn up and a  good opinion to be had by next week – had called at Whitley’s, to say I should send this morning the Morning Herald of last year (nearly complete) to be bound – returned up the old bank and home at 10 – breakfast – dawdling in the house over one thing or other – with Adney or my father and Marian till near 12 – the carriage took the Morning Herald to Whitley’s to be bound went for Miss (Ann) Plowes at 10, and she arrived about 12 just after I went out – out with 1 or other all the day except came in for near 1/2 hour at Adney’s luncheon – Miss Plowes a fine looking, dark complexed girl, of 18, two inches, at least, taller than I who am 5 feet 5 inches in stockinged feet – without shoes on – shy perhaps or very stupid – Pickells building up heads for the run from the drift – much talk with Joseph Mann about iron rails instead of corve-wheel stones – can lend me 80 yards of rails – I can perhaps borrow of Holt or Hinscliffe, or buy some – a ton will do 60 yards iron dearer of late – perhaps now about £10 per ton for rails – Had Pickels down in the afternoon and gave orders for walling at the bottom of Trough of Bolland wood against the top Godley field – 4 feet high fence wall with limed tops to be done by Pickels at 14/. a rood – ie. 2/3 per rood walling 1/. per rood lime and tops putting on – turnpike (once a day from Northowram for 2 horses) 7d or 6d = 3/10 or 3/9 + stones (6 loads per rood at 4d) = 2/. per rood which leaves 8/3 for carting per rood – John Bottomley cannot go more than 6 times a day therefore will bring a rood per day – he is pick stone large enough for drain covers, and thus we shall have covers at 4d per load for which, if we asked for drain covers, we might be charged 1/2 crown – sometime with my father and Marian – changed my pelisse – dinner at 6 1/4 – coffee upstairs – read the newspapers – thankful for it the poor girl too shy or stupid to have anything to say beyond yes! and no! – had dessert and George and Matthew waited     found cousin come gently by or before noon but made no preparation till night on going to bed – Miss Plowes left us about 8 1/2 or nearer 9 – walked down with her to the carriage door – purposely and particularly civil and attentive to her – sat talking to Adney till 10 – then, not thinking it so late, went to my aunt, and staid till she was just getting into bed at 10 25/.. – very fine day – Mr. Parker sent me up the case this afternoon – read it over – made one observation or 2 in pencil leaving it to him to pay such attention to these observations as he thought proper – 

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale SH:7/ML/E/17/0136