Tuesday 27 June 1837

Very fine morning Fahrenheit 58 at 8 25/60 - out about till breakfast at 9 in about 3/4 hour then out again

Booth told me he had been with Holt and the Manns and Wood and another ('a person with Holt') Illingworth, Robert Mann afterwards told me, who agreed with the Manns that 1/2 the engine pit would not do - not to tell me - thanked Booth

Came in and wrote to Mr. Harper to come over as soon as he could and to Mr. Bates not to proceed with anything till his engineer had had his plans approved by Mr. Harper who would know what extra time to allow for this delay and would settle about the back shuttle not mentioned in Mr. Bates's last estimate

Sent off by Ann about 10 1/2 my Letter to ' John Harper Esquire St. Leonard's Place York Postage Paid' and my note to 'Mr. George Bates Millwright Sowerby Bridge', and then out again

Ann took little Mary in the carriage to Halifax to see the procession and hear the proclamation of Queen Victoria and got back about before 2 to luncheon

With Robert Mann and co. cutting away enlarging about the third pool - carrying the water into the present walk and the stuff (a great deal barrowed away) down into the bottom at the foot of the great trees - then went down to the meer - Mr. Gray there. He had Mawson's man yesterday and today (over him 1/4 day yesterday) at ornamenting (undulating) the meer-bank. Had just done the west side of their great timber run this afternoon about 2 1/2 and the water had got up and was floating the planks and almost were then the 2 great timbers of the run, and the men began about the meer drift mouth where the intended boat-house is to be 

Mark Hepworth and co. carting away stuff as yesterday from the front of the house.

In returning met Joseph Mann coming to speak to me - to tell me the plan of 1/2 the engine pit would not do, and Illingworth thought so too - said as I had before told Robert that I had written to Messrs. Harper and Bates but did not mention Booth so as to bring him into any scrape - only said he had told me about Mr. Husbands saying the plan would not do on which account I had written 

Off with Ann at 3 and took little Mary to call on Mr. and Mrs. Warburton at Hipperholme - sat 1/2 hour with them and went with Ann as far as Lidgate then got out and walked to Hill top

Today being a remarkable day, the proclamation of Queen Victoria, and the Lodge road passable, the 1st coat of rubble just laid upon it, we drove along it - the 1st time of any gentleman's carriage having passed along it - very pretty drive

About 10 minutes at Hill top - Little Dick (Richard Hanson) sinking - the well about 11 yards deep - hard blue rag - no sign of water - Ingham's dry walling at the back of the house not good - the masons there setting fixtures but dawdling - the cottages not begun -, the repairs of the 2 cottages not begun

Returned by the fields and german house to Hipperholme quarry - Hartley off - only Benjamin there - then home by Mytholm and Lower brae wood and the Walk - there just before the men went away at 6 - staid loitering about there with Mr. Gray, and with him at the pools till surprised to find it 7 50/60

Dinner at 8 - Ann behaved very well about it - dinner at 8 - tea - she went to bed about 9 1/2 and I came upstairs soon after - the currant wine had made me sleepy - threw myself on the bed, and slept till 12 1/2 then till 1 wrote all the above of today

Very fine day Fahrenheit 48 now at 1 tonight - till 2 1/4 eating 1/2 dozen oranges and reading today's Halifax Guardian.  

WYAS: SH:7/ML/E/20/0082