Saturday 15th November 1834

No diary entry today.

[up at] 9 25/..

[to bed at] 12 5/..

no kiss fine morning Fahrenheit 43 1/2° at 10 1/2 at which hour breakfast – had Mr. Hoyland about 10 3/4 and fixed about the blue room painting to be begun on Monday – Holt came about 11 1/2 and staid 40 minutes took his uncle James? Holdsworth (who buys of, or sells goods to, Mr. Priestley) with him and went over to Thorpe (I suppose from seeing also Mr. John Priestley) last Monday –  Mr. Walker Priestley very free – they had 2 bottles of porter together – did not know his coals were worth anything – would inquire about them and let Holt know in 3 weeks – but promised he would not sell them to anybody till he had done with him Holt i.e., gave him the 1st refusal – what would the coal be worth? Holt thought £50 per acre would be a good price but he would give as much as anybody – it must be remembered he had privilege to buy of Mr. Waddington (privilege of loose) and should have no pit to sink in the land – had bought the field adjoining at £40 per acre belonging to W…… (Widding, or I did not catch the name) – John Priestley asked if his coals were not worth anything – Holt answered ‘they are not ripe yet’ but said it was difficult to say – nobody knew when they could be got – they might be worth £10 per acre – John Priestley said that was like giving them – inquired about James Thwaite who has just taken Taylor’s lease of Adney’s tanyard – a drunken young man who had £600 left and set to and spent it all, but will have something at the death of his father – but the Thwaites low now – none of them have anything (the young ones) but the one in Rawson’s bank – no trusting to Samuel Washington‘s recommendation – Be this a lesson forever – we shall see how it ends – said I had sent the letter about Spigs colliery – said, if we did not agree, I should stop up the loose – Holt said the Clarkes in their deed of sale of their share they had reserved a power of loose of the Northowram coal – and I had better without mentioning names tell the parties I had heard this – said I should tell them so, and also that, in agreeing with them, I should have a regular agreement selling the loose for so much per specified acre and reserving a power to send down and examine their works whenever I chose – Holt thinks he knows of a man who can draw me a plan of the coal strata – urge him to get it done – time to advertise Mytham farm – did not know Pearson had given it up – told Holt the whole story – he thinks the plan of letting by ticket good – Wednesday the best day – no market – should have a fortnight’s notice and might well put among the conditions that the answer should be given (which ticket should have the farm – not bound to take the highest bidder) on the Saturday following – said I would have bills out next week (Mr. Parker my law agent and steward for persona[li]ties) and letting on Wednesday the 7^th next month and answer given the Saturday following   might perhaps consult him (Holt) but should say nothing about it – he would not pay for the skin pits – if a skinner takes the place let him pay for them – if not, let Parker take them away – fiat – Stocks sadly annoyed about my buying Staups – perhaps may get his coal loosed thro’ Wilson who has sold almost all he has; and Lewis (Alexander) has got hold of him – said I could afford to give Wilson as much as Stocks could; and Holt to say nothing but be on the watch and let me know all that passed – I did not want to throw money away but would get hold of Wilson’s works and Upper brea, too, if I could and then said Holt you will shut up Stocks like Rawson if Samuel Hall’s coal is come at – I said Stocks would be much more likely to succeed with me if he came and told me openly what he wanted – gave Holt £7.15.0 to give to Samuel Washington to pay the pit-sinkers, desiring that their notes might be brought to me on the Friday evening and I would give Samuel Washington the money the following Saturday morning – wrote the whole of the last page after having been a few minutes with my father and Marian and stood some time with my aunt looking over the Yorkshire Gazette relative to projected rail roads when called down to Mr. Musgrave at 1 3/4 – my aunt was with him in the drawing room, and he staid about 1/4 hour after I went down – very civil – then with Adney at her luncheon – backwards and forwards – out with Adney at near 4 for an hour in the walk – she rather poorlyish today – said I had promised Holt not to mention what he had said of Thwaite but I wished I had known before     however if he did not do well the lease would be voidable and we could manage well enough by and by     I think this made her poorly never tell her more than necessary of what is not brightest about her own concerns  talking to John – he had given a wrong message to Mr. Wilkinson about the road walled up along the top of Wellroyde upper wood – then had Pickels – he is to move the soil from Greenwood’s (Park farm) field to the slope just under the approach gates at 9d per yard to begin on Tuesday – Mr. Pollard of Greenhill and 2 or 3 gentlemen from Bradford hunting in Adney’s joint property yesterday (Hunger hill near Bouldshaw in Northowram, near Shelf, Moses Jackson the farmer) yesterday in spite of the notice served on the gentlemen or men of the hunt to the contrary, and telling the person ordering them off the ground they would hunt there in spite of him – George on calling at Wellhead this afternoon brought back note from Mr. Waterhouse   apologizes (had really not had time) for not giving me fuller information – meant to have seen me before the meeting to be held on the 3rd of next – he writes ‘your note which conveys to me in a sufficiently strong light your disappointment at my not entering upon a detail of the resolutions of the committee’ – the committee unanimous on Wednesday as to what should be done – the 1st part of the following material part of the note is hardly English, but no matter – ‘Two parts out of three (which the Act empowers) even thought desirable with a seven foot depth of canal, and 50 feet surface in breadth so far as the new works extend, single locks not double were decided upon of the dimensions of 70 feet long by 16 wide. Such are the principal points agreed upon, the accomplishment of which will involve an expenditure of near £40,000.’ out of the question to make any charge for the acts of parliament – vindicates the committee from any wish to involve their proceedings in secrecy ‘from any interested enquirer’ …‘never did there exist a period when the lucubrations of that committee were of equal publicity as at this period’ – I see in the Yorkshire Gazette of today (dated Saturday 15 November) notices advertised of intending to apply to parliament next session for a Railway from Sheffield to Rotherham Thomas Badger, Rotherham; and Henry Vickers, Sheffield, solicitors    a Railway from Hull to Selby. Charles H. Phillips, solicitor. one line by Hessle, and another by Cottingham (to take one or the other line as hereafter may be) – a Railway or Train-road (‘Great northern and eastern Railway’) from London to the town of Cambridge – and from Great Yarmouth to Norwich – and to York and Selby – dated ‘Grand Northern Railway-office; no. 56 Lombard-Street, 11 November 1834’ application also to be made for the act to be amended for the Scarbro’ harbour to be made a large and capital port – and leave asked to bring in a bill for making a port or asylum harbour to be called ‘Port William’ at Redcar. – page 2, column 5, of this same Yorkshire Gazette gives a sort of prospectus of the Northern Railroad from London to York, thro’ Cambridge, with branches to Norwich, Leeds, Sheffield, etc. for the conveyance of light goods and passengers, bullion, and the public mail – the question fairly argued 2 years ago before he parliamentary committee on the Preamble of the Birmingham Railway Bill – the country from York to Cambridge an extensive plain – therefore expenses of construction 1/3 less than thro’ an undulating country – less wear and tear of carriages and greater speed – At Doncaster and Selby the road will connect itself with the West Riding of Yorkshire – At York a centre will be formed for the East and north Ridings and ultimately for Edinburgh and Glasgow – From London to York expenses averaged at £12,000 per mile = about £2,500,000 exclusive of the branches – according to experience of Liverpool and Manchester rail road travelling expected to increase 3 fold – gentlemens carriages with their retinues, public coaches, and other conveyances, racehorses to and from Newmarket – cattle, sheep, and lighter sort of merchandise at the rate of 15 or 20 miles per hour – deducting expenses a dividend of 10 percent expected division in London about the plans of 2 rival engineers as touching the route from London to Cambridge and Norwich but this does not affect the northern portions nor affect the general merits of the undertaking therefore the York committee (met 2 October last the London mayor in the chair) will not delay initiating proceedings leaving the points at issue to be settle[d] when the matter is more matured – Shares in the northern Railroad forthwith commenced at £50 each and 5/. paid at the time of subscribing towards the current expenses – applications to be made for shares and more detailed information to Mr. Davies Town-clerk, and to Messrs. Blanchard and Richardson, solicitors, York. Deposits received on account of shares at any of the York banks – I see in the Halifax Guardian of today page 1 column 1 ‘a special assembly of the proprietors of the Calder and Hebble navigation’ advertised for Wednesday 3 December at 11 a.m. at the navigation Office ‘for the purpose of deciding upon the execution of such of the New works authorised to be made, by virtue of an act passed in the last session of Parliament, as may be deemed expedient. Specifications, and a Report thereupon, are left at the office of the said company, in Halifax, for the information and inspection of the said proprietors’ – dated Halifax 12 November 1834.’

Dinner at 6 1/2 – a few minutes with my father and Marian – coffee downstairs – Looking over plan (Smeaton’s in 1757) of the river and canal till 10 – Charles and James Howarth and Mrs. Ann Lee and her assistant staid till near 10 to finish the north chamber ready (druggeted and all done) for Marian to sleep there tonight – Adney and I busy moving her drawers and putting the last hand to tidying till about 11 – sat musing there a while on the extreme neatness, comfort, and prettyness of the room – very fine day – 

[In margin:]

Walker Priestley’s coal

James Thwaite

Spigs colliery vide last Saturday

about letting of Mytham farm.

Hunters in Adney’s joint property

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale SH:7/ML/E/17/0108 & SH:7/ML/E/17/0109