Saturday 17th January 1835

Lectured Washington – wrote to my sister in reply to letter received on the 7th gave Mrs. Draper a baby’s frock to work –

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale WYC:1525/7/1/5/1/36

no kiss fine morning ground covered with snow but not deep  – Fahrenheit 39° in my study at 9 1/4 a.m. breakfast at 9 1/4 to 10 1/4 – at which hour Holt came and also Mr. Washington to whom I just spoke in passing and went out with Holt up the fields to Walker Pit where had just set out the gin-race – the gin would be enough – no engine would be required – And coals could be pulled at this pit for 50 years to come – About 2 acres already loosed – while this coal was getting the water wheel could be set up near Tilley holme stile (would not cost £500) and the 2 drifts might be driven from there to the pit – would be above 800 yards long – but the coal got in them would pay for driving – there would only be rails to pay for – that, said I, would be easily calculated – suppose 1 ton to do 60 yards and rails to be had for £8 per ton – suppose 2,000 yards of drift = 4000 yards of railing that is 4000/60 =  400/6 = 66 4/6 tons of railing say at £10 per ton (for iron may rise in value) = £666.13.4 – walked with Holt down Bairstow to the north bridge and then he turned up homewards and I went to Mr. Parker’s office – Holt told me, he thought Wilson would not be incommoded by the great throw I spoke of (mentioned by William Keighley yesterday morning) – Joseph Wilkinson had at Stocks’s and got so drunk he lost his road surveyor memorandum book which his brother surveyor had luckily bought for 1/. – Joseph Wilkinson was to bid for the Stump Cross Inn for Stocks, if Stocks was not there – but he (Stocks) went to the letting in his carriage – Holt thought there was something brewing between his uncle Samuel Holdworth and old Wilkinson about coal – about 1/2 hour at Mr. Parker’s office – said I had almost determined to take Mawson for the Stump Cross tenant if a blue man – for Walton being Mr. Hird’s headman would be a yellow – Mr. Parker thought not – Walton would be blue and a good tenant – so would Mawson – desired Mr. Parker to make inquiries about the 2 – but he saw I inclined to Mawson – Mr. Sutcliffe wished to see me about Northgate – to come here on Monday morning – Adney‘s administration money not yet received – Mr. Parker waiting for a release from Mrs. Clarke – long talk about Mr. (Christopher) Rawson – Mr. Parker agreed that the bank was talked of underhand – I mentioned in confidence the business of Samuel Hall’s coal, and said Mr. Rawson was not apparently going on like a man of great stability – I said Adney wished to have the money as soon as she could and left Mr. Parker to do what he thought best – He asked what I thought George Robinson – I could say nothing favorable – Messrs. Parker and Adam wanting money of him – thought it might be well to look after the field adjoining Adney’s land above the Hipperholme Lane ends quarry  – returned up the new bank  (having gone to Whitley’s, and  got 2 poll books one published by Whitley the other by the whig publisher before going to Mr. Parker’s – and having seen Greenwood in the street and told him to come up about the Walker pit road) – returned up the new bank and home at 12 50/.. – an hour with Adney then got her out and in 50 minutes we walked to Hipperholme Lane ends and back – very fine sunny winter’s day – she much better for her walk – then with John in the walking cutting off and putting litter round snow broken evergreens – and with Pickels looking about the drains – then with Charles Howarth – said he had heard my uncle say the Mytholm Engine cost above £2000 – he said there was a brass working piece that had cost £300 – when the mill was last done up (enlarged) for George Robinson they had tried to get this up, but could not – got hold of it, but it was so fast in the wood, which was not yet rotten, that they could not get it (the brass working piece up) – but they had got up the brass steps it worked upon? did he say, and they had got out many a stone of brass – I said I had never heard a word of this – begged him to quietly get me more particular information so that it could be vouched for necessity – I would not forget it – George Robinson had no business to meddle with the engine pit, tho’ old wheel was taken away, that gave him no right or reason to meddle with the pit –  Adney had Washington some time this morning and gave him a good jobation on her own account – he left the rental for me saying he had not got Mr. Carr’s rent as he wished to know what he (Washington) was to do; for the manure of the 1/2 daywork of ground which Mr. Carr had manured before the railing was set, and which by an alteration the setting out was taken to the ground reserved for the house – was valued by him (Washington) at 50/. and Mr. Carr wanted £7 for it!!! – Told John to speak to his brother (Mr. Carr’s manservant) about it – there must be some mistake – £14 per daywork for such litter-manure as Carr’s was impossible – Came in at 5 – sat looking over the Halifax poll books – dinner at 6 – coffee – and went to my father and Marian at 7 for 3/4 hour – sat talking to Adney – then till 9 3/4 wrote this journal of today while Adney wrote to her sister – 20 minutes with my aunt till 10 10/.. – very fine day – very slippery walking but not dirty – Note tonight from the Literary and philosophical society to announce the next monthly meeting for Monday the 19th instant at 7 p.m.    till 11 read from page 98 to 125 Phillips’s Geology while Adney was writing – Fahrenheit 37 1/2° at 10 10/.. p.m.

[In margin:]

Holt’s estimate of setting a going the Walker pit colliery Brass taken from Mytholm Engine pit
Carr’s charge for manure

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale SH:7/ML/E/17/0147