Open Writing

Charles's Diary

1 SATURDAY
Today was Sarah’s first half day off. Mary wouldn’t deal with the baby at all, but I found that I could cope with changing her & playing with her to give her some stimulation. Emma came as usual for her feeds.

2 SUNDAY
Took baby Mary out in perambulator for first time today. Went to Wilson’s. Everyone gathered & seemed supportive & wished us well. Mary feels they were condemnatory, but she is still very unsettled in situation & very depressed about everything. Had good wishes for my forthcoming Birthday. Melancholy circumstance, marking my progress on the road of life by fearful looming mile-posts, which coming suddenly to view looks ghastly.

6 THURSDAY
My birthday today with greetings from Father, Uncle Charles, CG, Uncle Clephan, and Barnsleys. Letter from George Thackray who will work with Mr. Monkhouse the Lithographer for 3 years, which is like to prove a good spec. Wrote to Mrs. Barnesley sending her receipt for French finger. Mary gave me two new books. Much appreciated.

7 FRIDAY
Letter from Mrs. Russell inviting us there for Sunday week. Wrote declining & telling of baby Mary’s birth. Wrote long letter to William Dewse by way of stirer-up, on his long silence, on Mary’s birth, the P, I. & P.

8 SATURDAY
Today, busy at office, commencement of Hop Season & the rest. At Grainger’s & Stratford’s. I am in deep reading of Carlyle's Cromwell letters.

9 SUNDAY
Went to Wilson’s today, after dinner Jones came; walked up to St. Johns - Mary baby & I to Boughton to tea.

11 TUESDAY
Long letter from William Dewse after a wide interval of silence; he has been a fortnight in Leeds & is disgusted with it; proposed instead to visit Worcester again next Summer, consents to contribute to the P I & P. Registered Mary’s birth. It needs to be done within six weeks of birth, but no charge unless later than that.

12 WEDNESDAY
Wrote letter of explanation to Aunt Ann this morning (after having had a long one from her misunderstanding all).

15 SATURDAY
Bought at Birley’s & sent to Edward Thackray as a birthday gift a pair of good razors.

16 SUNDAY
Jones & I walked up Tolladine Road & crossed fields to Crowle & back through Newtown. Up to Boughton in afternoon, Harry at Bredon; all the rest well & good tempered. Baby Mary is growing & progressing, but still is very much an infant & doesn’t seem to react to me or anyone else.

17 MONDAY
After work yesterday went to Wilson’s to tea; on the Park Hill, with beautiful prospect of the town below & surrounding country. Monday, still no letters; busy at office.

19 WEDNESDAY
Mr. N went to Bristol Tuesday. Added PS to Father’s letter & off.

20 THURSDAY
Wrote last night to Lindsay, replying to his former one & its topics; mainly on love & its singleness which I sometimes doubt the consistency of, hope it won't sound treason to Lindsay's ears; told him about baby Mary.

21 FRIDAY
Wrote yesterday to Uncle Clephan to ask after him, not having heard since he was in London & received letter from him this morning, our letters having crossed; he was recalled suddenly from London by ill news- a customer of his who owed him £180 & whose bill for £150 he held - had failed. Wrote also to George on his becoming a Lithographer with exhortation to persevere. Mary busy preserving fruit.

22 SATURDAY
Letter from Ned this morning with thanks for the present which he had received safely, but had been too busy to acknowledge earlier; his birthday went off with spirit; festivities kept up until 5 the following morning Read the London News.

23 SUNDAY
Sarah’s day off so invited Aunt Walker and Harry & Eliza around to help us out with caring for Mary. All went well. No letters arrived so wrote more.

24 MONDAY
Read in the paper about the death of Louis Spohr, German violinist & composer, following only a few weeks from the death of Karl Baedeker, author & publisher.

25 TUESDAY
Pleasant surprised by a letter from also one from Charley - kind & good humoured as usual, wishing to see me in the Happy Valley again; wrote back a long letter to him talking about baby Mary & how she is progressing.

27 THURSDAY
Working at an article for the proposed mag in evening. Astonished on Monday by the gift of a sovereign from Mr. Haines the Coal Master, which I thought best to deposit in the Saving Bank before it flew off. Wednesday was busy day at the office, Mr. N. being away at Bristol again. Jones down in evening. Did a trifle at article for the Mag.

28 FRIDAY
Jones up last night; he & I & walked up the New Road, & then came in & read at Carlyle's Cromwell which I am now in the 4th volume of giving this great work the best perusal I have yet had in chance of doing & learning some good. I hope from it or I had better not have looked at it; Grainger lends me it, he has an immense collection of works bearing on Cromwell & the times of the martyr Charles & Nell Guyune- defender Charles second. I have little to say that is of interest to Mary these days, who droops around the house.

29 SATURDAY
Mr. Needham has been down at Bristol this week the same as he was last & only returned last night. Had a letter from Father on Thursday morning saying he, had been to Palace at Bishopthorp in company which was pleasant to hear; Answered his letter with a long one last night.

30 SUNDAY
Mary & baby & I started on our first family expedition at 11 o'clock for Malvern going by rented coach by the Upham Road a little way & then by a by lane past Shenards & Warnard Greens, through a beautifully tinted country at the fall of the leaf, on to the Wyche which we dined off bread & cheese at John Davis as I usually do; feeding Mary with a bottle of sugar water provided by Sarah for the occasion; then along the brow of the hills through the clouds, so speaking, which dragged along the summits into Malvern; & back to Worcester again by the regular road. It was very pleasant but also a continual struggle, with Mary so much resenting our daughter’s presence with us. Sarah spent the day doing housework and doing baby’s washing with which she had got behind.

31 MONDAY
Wrote to Ned Thackray & to Uncle Clephan on our Malvern trip, Busy all this day at the office, as indeed Monday usually is. I met Jones in the evening & we had a long walk & a talk together as we formerly used to, talking of marriage in general but with its bearing on himself in particular but also in our marriage specifically & his relations at home where he still lives with his mother.

A long letter from Charley Cox in reply to my last. Wrote in evening - a long letter to Aunt Clephan with encouragement to her to be of good cheer. Letter from Miss King, whose illness had prevented her writing previously, her brother John is dead, indeed her family seems a fated one. Aunt Walker called yesterday dinner time. Wrote to Mr. John Mayfield at Hagley, my Great-Uncle as to William & Mary Mayfield & their conduct as being most praise-worthy. Have hired a man to work at my garden for a week or so & to get it into good order; planting out, making a new strawberry bed, dressing asparagus, forming new walls, laying on crating of ashes on them & bringing the whole in to a creditable condition before the winter.