Tuesday 16th December 1834

No entry today.

[up at] 8

[to bed at] 11 35/..

no kiss very fine frostyish morning Fahrenheit 45° at 9 a.m. – Mark Hepworth arrived soon after with the 1st load of wood – 28 planks 21 foots and 3 oak logs – too heavy a load – the 4 horses sadly oppressed – could not pull 10 yards up the new bank without wanting to rest – wet as if they had been in a pond – the planks very heavy – some of them 15 stone or more – Greenwood’s man came about and with lock for blue room closet library door – it would not do – gave him the little-model-of-Mont-Blanc box to make one in satin wood, to be glazed with plate glass (for the model) and done the end of the week – out at 10 about putting the wood (planks etc.) in the barn – then in the low and upper land and about at Whiskum and ordered Pickels to cart away the pit hill stuff tomorrow and mend the road this afternoon – till down the old bank and at Mr. Parker’s office at 1 – there some time – Dewhirst had been about Mytholm farm – anxious for the buildings at least – mentioned the plan floating in my mind about pulling down the old building and begged to decline letting to Dewhirst or Mark Town – bills to be prepared for letting the Stump Cross Inn – the papers will be ready by the 7th of next month possession given and the money paid – the cottage i.e. house tenants at Staups have the poor rates paid for them by the owner so that I must make a fresh agreement with them – tho’ the Mytholm letting was a failure, Mr. Parker did not know why – thought the people would soon get into the way of it, and it was a good plan – I said I should not be easily frightened out of anything – Mr. Sutcliffe to be applied to about Northgate house, whether he will take it, or not – if likely, to come up here – He gives a plumper for Wortley which said I is in his favour – met Mark and went with him to the canal wharf to see the deals, very good ones – returned up the old bank and home at 2 – no Mr. Bradley the architect as appointed – wrote the above of today – had brought Adney Grieves’s proposal to pay secured by note of Ely Taylor of Common wood £50 the next rent day and secured by note of _____ Misdale £40 at midsummer – dictated her note and Adney sent note by George to Washington and to Hepworth about table etc. out again at 3.40 with Adney in the walk 3/4 hour – then in the barn talking to Charles Howarth about the Mytholm farm till dark, till 5 – then 3/4 hour with my aunt (and Adney with her also) dinner at 6 – 20 minutes with my father and Marian – Mr. Tweedy the stamp collector and vote-returner died rather suddenly the other day – some person or persons for mischief threw, or let down a barrel of gunpowder into one of Mr. Holmes’s coal-pits at Causey head, and blew up the engine in the pit – the shock about 8 p.m. yesterday (I think) by the neighbouring cottagers – coffee – played 4 hits – lost 2 and won 2 – then came into the blue room – read (little bits aloud to Adney) from page 40 to 147 volume 2 Sismondi’s Literature of the South of Europe – then till 10 10/.. with my aunt 25 minutes – very fine day – Fahrenheit 46 1/2° now at 10 1/2 p.m. – Letter this morning from Kendell, Leeds (his bill)

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale SH:7/ML/E/17/0124 & SH:7/ML/E/17/0125