Monday 26th January 1835

Up at 9. long conversation with Miss Marian about Cordingley – Sharp to be head in the kitchen & Spate’s girl under her; sent for another [word crossed out] Housekeeper’s Guide. read 60 pages of Sismondi – Hinscliffe came & stayed till 2 ½ – call from Miss Armytage about subscription for Mitchell, the wife of the man who is to be imprisoned 12 months for robbing Mr. Macauley; gave Miss A- [Armytage] 5/- Mr. Parker came & paid me, my share of the division of personalty from Mrs. Clarke, viz £1178..10 which has been lodged in Messrs. Rawsons’ bank since August 1832 – they refused to allow any interest, but said they would allow interest from what was left in their bank from this day – walked with dearest by top of Bank thro’ Godley Lane cut, past Staupes, & on the Leeds & Whitehall road to Lower Brea, then down Coffin Lane & up walk – sat ½ hour with Mrs. Lister – & after dinner played at Backgammon with dearest completely beat her, then went to wish Mr. Lister good night. Mr. Denton called to solicit my Dispensary vote for Mr. Lister. began Blanket for Mrs. Lister.

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale WYC:1525/7/1/5/1/38

[up at] 8

[to bed at] 11 1/2

cousin came gently   no kiss – fine morning – mild – out a few minutes – then with my father and Marian – Fahrenheit 48º – at 10 3/4  – breakfast at 9 20/.. Marian came to us – staid talking – till 10 3/4 at which time Adney and I came upstairs – then went down to Marian for a minute or 2 and Mr. Jubb came before 11 – explained that my aunt could not take opiates, etc. then shewed him in to my aunt – his 1st visit – gentle, and conducted himself well enough – recommended putting a tablespoonful of ch[l]oride of lime into the warm water, or bran water, or gruel that my aunt put her feet and legs into at night – it would cleanse the wound and take of[f] the smell – well my aunt did not hear the latter part of the sentence – liked him very well – saw him again for a minute or 2 in the drawing room – he says, the wound has a great tendency to spread but it is astonishing how long people may live under those circumstances – Had Hinscliffe from 11 1/4 to 3 5/.. – nothing settled with the Spiggs colliery completely – the loose is secured to the Keighleys by their purchase deeds; so they don’t care – Hinscliffe for my stopping the loose – said I had seen John Oates – explained about the deed securing the loose thro’ Wilkinson’s field  – I said I had mentioned the business about this deed to James Holt on Saturday who would see William Keighley that night, and say I was willing to buy their share of the loose under Wilkinson – Hinscliffe he had thought of this and was going to propose it – very well, said I, I told John Oates and do you tell your son to set a price upon your two shares amounting I suppose to 1/2 of the whole – said this business would lead me to wait a little before stopping up the loose – and that I thought of proposing that the Spiggs company should let me send a person into their works to see how much Spiggs coal they really had to get – Hinscliffe thinks they have ten acres to get – then turned the subject to Walker pit – Hinscliffe still thinks I can bottom it, in spite of stopping Spiggs – told him John Oates said it was on the lower level – then brought the coal plan down – if 20 yards on this side of the water head hold, Hinscliffe thinks it will be on the upper level and that John Oates is wrong – we shall have to drive along the face of the coal along the old works till we get to the whole coal in Whiskum field (no. 152) a length distance apparently of 180 yards which if the works are not very much fallen in (since measured 1 April 1831) may be driven in about a month – there should be about an acre of coal loose – (Mann said on Saturday about 1 daywork) Hinscliffe said he had seen Rawson’s steward who had told him (this a great secret – at least I am not to name it) that they were getting the waste but should have done it all long before I could get at them and would then dam up the water against the face of my coal so that I could tell nothing – Hinscliffe said they told him they would not meddle with my coal, but said, he thought that if they did trespass, it would be in the broad part of the waste into Hughgrave field and that if they did this and dammed the water up against me there I could not easily find the trespass out – I could not get at it unless I loosed myself from below and drove up and let the clean off – I said this I should probably do – but it was his Hinscliffe’s interest as well as mine to bottom Walker pit and see what had been done in Whiskam field and the end of John Bottomleys Long field and the far end of the Far Bairstow – but said I, I know the plan, they will throw the trespass on you – I enlarged on this till I saw that it made some impression – this said I, is what I do not want – I care not about you and your trespass – It’s Rawson‘s I want to prove – He owned that if he (Hinscliffe and company) had trespassed it could only be at the end of the Far Bairstow – and was sure he could prove what coal he had got so that Rawson could not fasten any trespass on him that Rawson had himself committed – well! said I, there will probably be swearing enough, and you must be prepared – Hinscliffe thought if Rawson died or made over the colliery by deed of gift I should lose all claim for damages said I did not see that – I could surely come upon the estate or colliery in whatever hands it might be – Poor Hinscliffe! perhaps he begins to think there is no knowing whom to trust – the impression is strong on my mind, that he has hitherto been on the look out to help Rawson and wished to stop Spiggs and that I might not bottom Walker pit for fear of the consequences to himself, Hinscliffe – Adney came for me to see Mr. Parker (and Hinscliffe went away at 3 5/..) who had at last got the administration money from Mrs. Clarke paid by Messrs. Rawson at Adney‘s moiety = £1187.10.0 – no interest allowed – advised Adney to take the money and say nothing – She agreed before Mr. Parker to let me have the whole at 4 percent a note of hand from me to her to be made out by him for £1000 at 4 percent and the rest to be settled between ourselves – Mr. Parker went at 3 1/4 – Spring guns and mantraps not lawful to be set in grounds – Adney and I out at 3 1/2 – walked round by the top of the hill and Godley gulph to Staups – the front wall in part fallen down in consequence of widening the road beneath – home by Lower brea and the walk, and took some turns in the garden and came in at 5 – then out above 1/2 hour at Walker pit – Pickells not there but had set out the new road – met Joseph Mann there coming from sharping tools and walked back with him to the drift – said I had seen Hinscliffe – he persisted I could stop Spiggs and still bottom Walker pit – Joseph Mann said I could not – well! said I, I shall probably sink another pit, and have been thinking not to sink gin or make a new road till I begin the other pit – Joseph Mann said it would be the best plan, and I think I shall follow it – Came in at 5 50/.. – prepared linen for cousin ready for bed time dinner at 6 1/4 – coffee – won a gammon, lost a hit, and then lost a back-gammon to Adney – got into a passion and would not play it out – Adney would have me play it out, and at last I did – 1/2 hour with my father and Marian – Mr. Denton (Mr. Sunderland’s apprentice) called on Adney for her dispensary vote for Mr. Lister about eight – she said she had promised it to him – Mr. Sunderland’s family anxious for him to succeed – he is the next surgeon in the town to Mr. Jubb – came upstairs at 8 1/4 and wrote all the above of today in about an hour – then talking to Adney 20 minutes with my aunt till 10 5/.. – fine, mild day – Fahrenheit 48º now at 10 35/.. –

[In margin:]

Mr. Jubb’s first visit

Hinscliffe

nothing settled about Spiggs

10 acres to get at Spiggs

Respecting Rawson’s trespass

manner of working Walker pit etc.

Rawson will throw the trespass on Hinscliffe

Impression on my mind respecting Hinscliffe

Adney received her 1/2 the administration account

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale SH:7/ML/E/17/0154 & SH:7/ML/E/17/0155