Monday 9th February 1835

No diary entry today

[up at] 7

[to bed at] 11 1/4

no kiss ground covered with snow – fine frosty morning Fahrenheit 39° at 7 50/.. – out a few minutes – sent George for Charles Howarth – saw the gardeners coming – Pickles not come – came in at 8 10/.. – very hard frost – breakfast at 8 1/2 in 1/2 hour – just before and after till 10 20/.. read very attentively from page 40 to 5 Philip on Indigestion – sent by George before breakfast paper to Whitley to order Sir Henry Parnell on Road making for Adney and Quain’s anatomical (lithographed) plates with text, at 2/. the fasciculus for myself 18 fasciculi already published – met Hinscliffe at the entrance gates at 10 1/2 – turned back with him – said I was much obliged, sure he would do the best he could for me, did not blame him, but Simpson had used him ill about the rails – paid him £15.15.0 for two tons – some small weight out of which 5/. to be returned to Hinscliffe as agreed – very civil to Hinscliffe – said I should be glad to see him any time – nothing more done about the Spiggs colliery – said I should take no more notice, but do as it suited me – Hinscliffe had spoken to his son and John Oates about their part of the Spiggs loose – but no price fixed – Wilson likely to stop very soon – before the 3 months end – Mr. Rawson has lowered his coal 1d per load and the Low moor company have lowered their coal 1/2d per load – said all this was nothing to me – Mr. Rawson had forced me into sinking, to look after my property; and I should go on with my purpose at all events – Holt came between 11 and 12, so left Hinscliffe – the Machin-coal not agreed for – the youngest son will come of age on the 9th April next – the matter to be settled then – he will want money to set up in some business for himself so Holt does not think him likely to hold out, tho’ he did say Holt had not bid money enoug[h] – Holt still sticks to £300 – Mr. Rawson not likely to hear what is going on – that Holt has no fear of not getting the coal – Manns will take what jobs I have to do, and begin as soon as Walker pit drift is driven i.e. in about a month – From Mytholm dam-stones to Breakneck cottage I said and Holt agreed, had better be an arched culvert along the foot of Lower brea wood road wall – labour 4/. per yard – Inquire what Turner will deliver on the spot field wall-stones and parpoints for turning the arch – the water wheel must be just above the gall, wherever the gall may be – satisfied me a corn-mill would not pay – too far from the canal – judged by Netherton corn mill in the Ovenden valley – Bairstow? said he was killed with carriage – besides, the wheel having only coal to pump for, would have not much to do, and would improve Mytholm wire-mill, and all would be done for little expense – I said if [I] did build a corn-mill, I could not count much upon the black brook; for Wilson’s engine would soon stop – yes! said Holt, the Low moor company will buy it to stop opposition and let it (the engine) stand – Stocks will not give much for it, as he has only 2 shares of Swain’s i.e. Northowram coal – said I did not want the engine myself but did not want the Low moor company to get it for nothing – Holt to let me know how things went on – he thinks the Low moor company have the Wyke coal very dear – pay £1,000 a year rent (one thousand a year) therefore must force a sale – Samuel Holdsworth calls Joseph Wilkinson Stock’s tool – the town determined to get Joseph Wilkinson out of office as road surveyor – the slopes cannot be sold – Holt told Samuel Holdsworth so – where must all the stuff be put, if not on them, that falls and will fall till there is a proper inclination from bottom to top from the north side of the deep cutting? I said it was dangerous – yes! said Holt that it is – I said if my carriage road got made into it, I should be indibting /indicting?/ it over some mischief – the town (Northowram) has taken the Lower brea road from Stump Cross to Mytholm (or Water Lane?) for an allowance from the Godley? commons of £120 per annum and from the other road (Old Wakefield road) of £200 per annum = £320 per annum – very well done – Holt sure there would be great opposition to putting the Stag’s head in the old stone quarry i.e. in Hipperholme cum Brighouse – but would be no opposition to moving it to any place in its present township (Northowram) and it would stand very well near Lower brea as near the black brook as it could – and it would be much better watered there than on the other (Hipperholm) side of the brook – Holt said he had named the Spiggs loose to Keighleys, and they were very cross – sure I could stop them by raising the water 2 yards which I could do, and still not stop Walker pit – sure of this – the run of water from the Walker pit drift will vary very little from it is at present – can easily turn it all into the present fish-pond, and there exposure to the air will make it very good for home use    Holt went away at 1 – while he was here went upstairs for a minute to Mr. Jubb – it is a ganglion on my wrist – the synovial fluid escapes thro’ it – must have a plaster and be bound up – will take a month to cure it – to come and arrange tomorrow or Wednesday at from 9 1/2 to 10 a.m. – the mischief had been done these 10 days, I know not how – wrote the above of today till 2 1/4 – should have gone out with Adney at 1 but a shower of hail and small snow prevented – out with Adney at 2 1/2 – went to Whiskum to see the 2 sycamores put at the end John Bottomleys field – then walked to Hipperholme Lane Ends and back by Lower brea and the walk in 1 10/.. hour – rained and hailed and latterly snowed all the way back – both of us wet – I staid out 5 minutes longer to tell John to put the 2nd load (2 sycamores as before) near the others in John Bottomley’s field – changed my dress – near an hour with my father and Marian then talking to Adney till 5 35/.. – the road from page 55 to 73 Philip on Indigestion – dinner at 6 5/.. and coffee – then 3/4 hour with my father and Marian till 8 – then talking to Adney or asleep on the sofa till 9 20/.. at which hour Fahrenheit 39 1/2° – windy, rainy, snowy afternoon and evening from 1 p.m. pretty fine till then – with my aunt 1/2 hour till 9 50/..

[In margin:]

Machin’s coal.

Tilly holm style drift.

no corn-mill

Wilson’s Engine.

New Stag’s head.

Can stop Spiggs and not Walker pit

good water

my wrist.

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale SH:7/ML/E/17/0160