Monday 15th December 1834

No entry today.

[up at] 8

[to bed at] 12 5/..

no kiss fine soft damp morning – breakfast at 9 – Had Washington – wrote and sent by him note to Messrs. Parker and Adam to beg that should the givers-in of the tickets for the Mytholm farm call for answer, they (Messrs. Parker and Adam) would say, no, and should a person of the name of Dewhirst now on the premises call about the farm, that they should say, I was not inclined to let it to him – Charles and James Howarth fitting up (with new back) Kendell’s chimneypiece in the north parlour – Letter 3 pages and ends and under the seal (kind and well written) from Lady Vere dated Leamington 13th instant – going to London tomorrow – Mr. Cameron has had an attack of something (Brodie calls it determination of blood to the head) that has drawn inwards his right eye – and putting him on spare diet has reduced him very much – they would like a place near Liverpool (to be near the steam communication with Scotland) for one year as they cannot afford to hurry on the alterations at home next year – they have heard of Gisbourne Park and will bear it in mind – only afraid of rent and keeping in repair (keeping up) being too expensive – old Lady Stuart they hear is looking pretty well – Vere to be confined in April in the small house belonging to Lady Stuart and adjoining her own – Adney off to Cliff hill at 10 1/2 and I wrote the above of today – then till 12 20/.. dusting and siding my writing table desk etc. – from 12 1/2 to 2 wrote 2 pages to Vere and looked at Nichols’s map to see the situation of Gisbourne Park etc. – then gave sent down for Adney and wrote ‘Miss Walker’ on the paper 5/., to a Sarah Holdsworth with written paper begging for some man of the name of Parkhill of Bailiff bridge – had Mark Hepworth to ask for an oak tree or tree of some kind cut down in Yew trees land and for 3 deals to make out his stable that he is altering and doing up – gave him the tree – promised to go over, and consider about the rest – He said he would cart the timber from Halifax here for 35/. could bring 3 tons at a time go 3 times a day, and would be 2 days about it – 4 horses and 2 men would be employed for 18 tons in 2 days – off to Cliff hill for Adney at 3 – some time there – back about 4 1/2 – 2 men from the Halifax wharf brought word the timber was arrived – talked to Charles Howarth – said that according to the freightage bill there was only about 6 instead of 18 tons of wood – Charles had calculated 12 tons to come at 6 times but said the 4 horses could bring 2 1/2 tons at a time – he said he paid 3d per deal for deals carted for him from Halifax; and he had calculated me to pay 2d per plank for the 120 twenty-one foots and for the 50 twelvefoots for 2d a piece was to little for the 21 foots – he averaged each 21 foot plank at 12 stones and each 12 foot pine plank at 6 stones and the oak logs at 2 tons a piece – and thought 35/. not too much to give – so told John to tell him (Mark) I would give him his price and he was to go for the wood tomorrow – a little while with my father and Marian – dinner at 6 – 3/4 hour with my aunt till 7 1/2 – then coffee – played 3 hits of which lost 2 – came upstairs (blue room) about 8 1/2 – afterwards looking over my journals Adney and I, and sat over them till 11 20/.. – then wrote the last 19 lines – fine day – Adney with Sykes planting and Richard Woodhead railing at Cliff hill all the day – Fahrenheit 46° now at 11 35/.. p.m. – 

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale SH:7/ML/E/17/0124