Roger Whitley's Diary: February 1688

February 1688

Feb; 1st Wednesday, Crew sent Smethers to visit us; Angell dined, went away past 2; Dicas sonne came from Chester to see his mother; went agen before dinner; the hop man came about 4, to be hyred, went downe with me & Hughson towards the mill, where they were carrying muck; Mainwaring retorned about 5; supt.

2. Thursday, Robinson the painter came to see me also Fletcher about his lease & widow Edwards about her husbands debt; Bolton & 2 others from Tatenhall about my concerns there; whilst we were at dinner came G.Mainwaring, Bret, & Minshall; the last stayd all night; the other 2 went past 5; Dicas came to fetch his mother & another man with them; they went before one; Mrs Stringer came from her mistresse to see my daughters.

3. Friday, Hughson, & Houseman went early to Tatenhall; Biddolph Mainwaring & Minshall &c. went a fowling towards Catnall; retorned in the evening; Hardware & his wife came to see us past 3; stayd till past 4.

4. Satorday, Mainwaring & Minshall went to Chester & Hughson about 9; Mrs Swan came to make a visit from Lady Calverley to my daughters, stayd not; neare 1 there came a man pretending to be one Pilkington, a Knights sonne; I gave him shilling soe he went away; I sent Houseman (past 2) to Chester; Tarvyn barber trimmed me about 12; in the afternoone a man came from Oulton to know how my daughters did &c; Mainwaring retorned late from Chester & Gleg with him; I saw them not that night.

5. Sunday, I went to church in the afternoone, Gleg, Biddolph & Mainwaring with me; in the evening Minshall & Jackson came; the last retorned before supper; I sate up with the rest till 10.

6. Monday, there came a man to me about the copper mine; his name is Thorowgood; he went before dinner; Mr Lee of Booth came to christen Mainwarings sonne, Harrison with him; then came Crew & 5 women with him, Mr Sherwood, Mrs Done & her 2 daughters, Streete, G.Mainwaring, 2 Andersons & theire wifes, Taylor & his wife, Mrs Minshall, Kenrick, Jack Wright, Traverse, Hardware, Mr Gerard & the clarke; Jackson & his wife, they stayd all night; soe did Gleg, Lee & Minshall; I left them at 10; Chester musick came; went at night; the rest went about 5, or 6.

[fo. 87r]

Feb; 7. Tuesday, Biddolph Mainwaring & the other gentleman went towards the forest; dined at home, also Harrison; went in the evening to Kents; retorned to supper; I left them at 10; there came a man from Dysert about thrashing the corne there; & another from Frogsall about being questioned for killing a fawne in Frodesly parke.

8. Wednesday, Gleg went homewards about 9, (before I saw him) Jackson & his wife soone after; Lee & Harrison about 3 in the afternoone.

9. Thursday, Biddolph Mainwaring & Minshall went towards Glegs & Gayton about 9; past 11 came the church warden of Frodsham, about Davyes businesse; after dinner came the gardner from Peover to see my daughters; then Hardware & his wife.

10. Friday, no company; onely Crosse a joyner of Chester dined with us; 2 old woomen came with him about renewing a hospitall lease; Roger Brereton came to see us; also a man with a letter from Streete &c about an almeswoman's place; they went back about 3, or 4 o'clock.

11. Satorday, Huson & Harper went to Chester; retorned very late; Biddolph & Mainwaring retorned from Gayton before 7.

12. Sonday, I went not to church; Biddolph & Mainwaring went in the afternoone; Traverse retorned with them; after supper we had one bottle; then went to daughter Biddolph's chamber (Traverse with us) had a Gossips Cup; parted before 10.

13. Monday, Whitle of Barrow dined with us; left us past 2; my 2 sisters went (on horseback) towards Chester; Mainwaring went to meete Lee of Booth at Kelsall; Nat Lee came about 5; stayed all night; I left them at 10; Minshall's man brought some oysters.

14. Tuesday, Mainwaring went to Chester; about 11 my tenant Deane & Thomas Cowley came and agreed for the tyth corne of Leeswood & Bistry; they went away before 2; Mainwaring stayd at Chester all night.

15. Wednesday, Biddolph Lee dined at home; stayd at home all day; after dinner came Grantham, sold me sheep & corne; went past 4; Mainwaring retorned about 7.

16. Thursday, Mainwaring went to Knotsford soe to Peover; before 12 there came one Scansfeild (pretends to be a Quaker) about the mines of Dysart; he dined, went away about 4; Biddolph, Lee & I supt, parted past 10.

17. Friday, I dined at home with Biddolph Lee & Traverse; some people brought barley &c; the gentleman went out in the afternoone; supt, I left them at 10.

18. Satorday, Hughson & Griffith went to Chester; a man came with a letter from G.Mainwaring to Mr Mainwaring to invite him to the funerall of his daughter; after dinner Biddolph, Lee & I went to Kelsall; met Mainwaring at Ale's; stayd till past 5, came home, supt, & parted at 10.

19. Sonday, went to church (with Biddolph) in the afternoone; Mainwaring & Llee on foote; after sermon we went to the Greyhound with 3 Bruens, Traverse, Vicar, Hardware (he stayd not) parted at 5; Biddolph Mainwaring & Lee came in the coach with me; supt, parted past 10.

20. Monday, Alban Gray came to agree about making of bricks & cosen Whitley of Shotton about his mortgage; they went about 5; dined in the buttry & when we were at supper came Minshall, stayd all night; I left them at 10; my daughters dined below this day.

21. Tuesday, Biddolph, Mainwaring Lee & Minshall went towards Badeley past 11; daughters dined below; 2 Soughall women came to sell cloth, dined with the servants; Marget went soe did nurse Broughton; I saw neither of them; a man came to geld the swine &c; Jordan & another to work.

[fo. 87v]

Feb; 22. Wensday, Sir John Crew's man came to know how we did; Hughes & Whitley came from Mold about Roberts businesse; they dined below; came to me after dinner; had some ale & a glasse of wine in the Compasse; retorned before 3; Strong came from wallasey about the money he owes; went before 3; 23. Thursday, Huson, James & Griffith went to the faire at Chester; retorned at night, &c.

24. Friday, Huson went to Shotwick; yong Turton came to see us about 11; dined; about 2 came Bolton (of Ashton) & another man about marling; Turton went with Vernon & Houseman (about 5) to Kents; stayd out till 7; supt, stayd up with him till past 10.

25. Satorday, Turton & Vernon went to Chester before 9; retorned late; I saw him not that night; Biddolph Mainwaring Lee & Minshall retorned from Badeley; Baroby came; supt, parted past 10.

26. Sonday, I went not to church; Minshall went to Chester in the morning; the rest dined; went to church after noone (all but Biddolph & I) Traverse came back with them; supt, parted at 10.

27. Monday, Baroby went early towards Manchester; the Vicar came to church my daughters; he, Hardware, his wife, Llee, Turton & Mrs Done dined with us; the last stayd all night; the rest went past 4.

28. Tuesday, Mainwaring Llee & Turton went early to Chester; I & Biddolph went after them about 10; we dined at Wrights with Minshall & Alderman Wright; after dinner came Scansfeild & Leak, in Mr Brents behalfe about the copper oare; then came Thorowgood about the same matter with a letter from Mr Howard; there came with him G.Mainwaring, Balsh & Hughes (an agent of Sir Thomas Grosvenor; we had a bottle of wine; parted about 3; I went to Angells; saw my sisters; there was sister Whitley; daughters; Hes Williams, Aldersey, Cooper; I left them past 4; went to Jacksons; Wright came to me; then Lee, Taylor, Biddolph, Turton, Warburton, Mainwaring G.Mainwaring, Streete, Minshall &c; as I went out I met the Governor going in, also Recorder, Captaine Mainwaring &c; Biddolph & I parted past 6; came home by 8.

29. Wednesday, Mrs Done went after dinner; in the afternoone we fished the brook; Richardson was with us; in the evening Mainwaring & Turton came from Chester; the 2 Richardsons came to discourse us about fishing (in my waters & on my side onely).