Roger Whitley's Diary: March 1691

March 1691

March: 1. Sonday, Bidolph & daughter Charlotte went to church; Burgesse came to me from Shotwick; Profit, from Dysert; Huson came at night.

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Mar: 2. Monday, Huson went to Chester; Hardwar came in the evening; went at 6.

3.Thursday, Penket & Heyling came from Saughall about the taxes at Shotwick; they dined with the servants: I wrote to the Commissioners by them; then Bidolph & I went to the funerall of Mr George Bruen; after sermon we went to Grantham's; there was Mr Bruen & severall others ; we had wine, &c. there was Hocknell, I spoke to him about the tax on Shotwick Park; I soone left the company; Bidolph & I went home; Ned Morgan & Morgan Whitley came after us; stayd all night; soe did Savage, who came to speake with Mainwaring.

4.Wednesday, Mr Lee of Darnehall dined with me; he went past 3; Morgan Whitley & Ned Morgan, past 5; Huson retorned this night from Chester; Barker came to work this morning; I sent carts to Shotwicke for corne.

5.Thursday, Tomkinson went to Shotwick, Bromborow, &c. Walley came when we were at dinner; dined, discoursed about copper oare; went before 4; the carts came back with corne from Shotwick; S: Huson, & Barker went in the morning to view Bromley's house in order to repaires.

6.Friday, Huson went to Chester (about 8) to the Comission, betwixt me & Mr Booth; Tomkinson retorned in the evening from Brombrow.

7.Satorday, Tittle went to Chester; I wrote by him to S: Huson; Angell dined with us; Mainwaring came back from Peover, about 8.

8.Sonday, Mr Anderton came (before 8) from London to treate about copper oare for Dennis; Manley, & Ned Morgan dined with us; went back about 2; Morgan Whitley came in the evening, also Mr Anderton's companion (one Harris) with a guide from Namptwich.

9.Monday, Mainwaring & Morgan went to farme race; Huson, Anderton & Harris (& John Mosse with them) to Dysert; Cumley & another with him (who lay at Bromley's last night) dined with us; they came about copper oare from Coven; Angell dined with us, stayd all night; Kerison came after dinner (eate something in the buttry) agreed for a lease at Lach; gave me a guyney earnest; left the matters in difference, to my discretion; to send my resolution to Chester (by Huson) on Satorday; went past 4; Jordan & Barker went to view Bromley's house about repayres; Cooper came for some plants for cosen Mainwaring; Donald trimmed me in the morning; Cumley & his frind stayd all night; the mole catcher came this day.

10.Tuesday, Comley & his frind went past 10; about 2 Mainwaring & I went to welcome the Vicar & his wife who came home that afternoone; there was much company (men & women) we left them past 5: met Angell on the sands in his retorne to Chester; about 7 one Owens (a servant: to Sir Richard Standish) brought letters: about borrowing money, &c. I told him I could not help him; he supt with us, stayd all night; soe did Mainwaring's man's father.

11.Wednesday, Mainwaring went about 7 to meet Bellot at a Cocking at Stafford; Sir Ricd: Standish's servant: went away about 9; I sent Broster with 10 measures of malt (a present) to the Vicar; past 12 Tomkinson went to Tatenhall & Bechin in order to goe next day to Wrexam faire; the postilion went after him; Walley came about 3 to treate about copper oare; went past 4; Hardwar came past 5; discoursed of changing his estate in Moldsworth, for mine in Brombrow; he went about 6.

12.Thursday, Mrs Astry (& Mainwarings man's father) went to Staffordshire in the morning; Bidolph & Houseman went a fowling & setting towards Sandway Head; the 4 yong children & mayds went to dine at Mrs Huson's (in Bidolph's: coach) Nixon with them; my daughters went about 3 to visit the Vicar's wife, retorned past 5; Bidolph retorned past 7.

13.Friday, neare 12, one Mr Clarke (son to Sir Clement) came to discourse me about copper oare; he dined, & went away about 3; Tomkinson retorned in the afternoone from Wrexam faire; bought 40 sheep.

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Mar: 14. Satorday, Tomkinson & the gardiner went to Chester; Mr Smethers brought a coachhorse to sell; Mainwaring retorned at night from Stafford.

15.Sonday, I was not at church (Mainwaring Bidolph & Charlotte were there) Morgan came at night.

16.Monday, Morgan went to Chester about 10; some neighbors of Aston came to speake with Mainwaring. I made them drink; Huson retorned from Wales, &c. Mainwaring & Bidolph went to Chester; Comly, his frind, & John Wright of Tatenhall dined with me; Finchet came with Kelsall rents; a man with a letter from Kerrison; they all went in the afternoone; Jordan came about brickwork, &c. Bidolph & Mainwaring came from Chester about 8; yong Mr Lee after them (at supper) I left them before 10; It pleased God that Daniell dyed this morning, betwixt 6 & 7; having ill, about a week..

17.Tuesday, Mainwaring & Lee went a hunting; Huson went to Chester; in the evening Hardwar came to see us; he, Bidolph & I went to Bromley's; there was Comly & his frind, we stayd till past 6; Bidolph & I met Anderton & his frind in Ashton; they went home with me: about 8 came Mainwaring Bellot, & Poole, supt, & stayd all night.

18.Wednesday, Mainwaring & Bellot went a hunting; Huson retorned from his house about 9. Anderton & Harris went about 11; Donald trimmed me; he & Cumley dined with us; Mr Kerison came as we had dined; did eate in the buttry; agreed about his lease; went about 5; most of the servants: went to the funerall of Daniell; Hughes & Yates came about slating; Cumley went past 7; Bellot, Poole, Minshall & Jackson came with Mainwaring about 8; supt, went to bed; Birket came past 12, dined with us; 19.Thursday, Mainwaring Bellot, Poole, & Jackson went a hunting past 7; Huson went towards Manchester; about 7; Minshall & Bidolph went past 11 to dine at the forest with the hunters; Taylor & Parry calld in their way to a Commission at Altringham;stayd an hour; went past 11; Cumley & his frind dined with me; we agreed, & he signed a short paper of articles about the copper oare; they went about 2; neare 9 Mainwaring Bidolph, Bellot & Jackson came from hunting, supt, stayd all night.

20.Friday, Mainwaring, Bellot, &c. went a hunting; Tomkinson & the husbandmen with a cart to Shotwick for wood; about 11 came one Dutton to beg money, I gave him 6d, he went away, I look on him as an idle fellow, having bin with me before on the same account; Mainwaring, Bellot & Poole came back; supt, stayd all night; Jackson went in the morning.

21.Satorday, I went to Chester with Mainwaring, Bidolph & Bellot, lighted & dined at Ep: Bennets; there was G.Mainwaring, Streete, Batho, Warburton, Jackson, Poole, Ely, &; after dinner came Hancock & 2 other ministers to speake with Mainwaring & Bellot; I, Bidolph & Streete went to the new Chappell & to widow Johnson's; drank some ale; there was Farington, Crosse & Mercer; went thence to Jacksons; there was 2 Mainwarings, Poole, Ely, Warburton, &c. Donald trimmed me; Walley came to speake about copper oare, &c. we parted about 6, came home past 8.

22.Sonday, was not at church; the rest were, Jackson dined with us.

23.Monday, my daughter & 2 yonger boys, went to Dedington; Angell came, dined, went at 5; Houseman went to a fishing over the Forest, retorned at night; Fletcher came with draught about building; went at 5; about same time Hardware came, discoursed me about a change of Moldsworth for Brombrow or Frodesly; went neare 7; Huson went to Chester & Tomkinson to Tatenhall; retorned late.

24.Tuesday, no company but Bidolph, workmen, carpenter, mason, laborers, &c. Neelds sonne brought pike.

25.Wednesday, Huson went to Chester past 9; Neelds sonne brought more fish; his father came to the horse; Crosse dined with us; went at 4; Hardwar & his wife came past 3, he went out with Bidolph; she went at 6; I went to Bromleys; met Bidolph he went with me; dranck some ale with workmen, H: Cawley;.

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Mar: 26. Thursday, I sent Houseman to Dunham, hearing Lady Warington was dead; he went before 9; Hardwar came about 5, stayd till 6; gave me a particular of his estate at Moldsworth; Houseman retorned from Dunham; Huson came late at night, after I was in bed.

27.Friday, G.Mainwaring Johnson, Sparks, Pemberton, & Bevan dined with us; went past 5.

28.Satorday, Huson went about 11 to Chester; Sir James Poole's man brought me a letter from his master about the assessments in Werrall; he dined, I writ by him to his master; in the evening Bidolph & I went to Bromley's; retorned in ½ houer; about 7 Mainwaring daughter, his sisters, &c. came from Dedington.

29.Sonday, was not at church; Morgan came from Chester; stayd all night; Huson & Burges came in the evening;.

30.Monday, the mole catcher brought a peahen from Mr Warburton of the Grange; I sent Huson & Tomkinson thither in the afternoone to buy ewes & lambs; Yong & 2 other neighbors came in the morning to Mainwaring with a man from Sir William Aston & another from Mr Lee; my daughters & cosens went about 2 o'clock to Mrs Husons; Joseph went to Chester for meate, &c. about 3; Donold barber trimmed me, dined, went about 2:.

31.Tuesday, Huson went towards Mold; Nixon with him, to Chester; Tomkinson went to Shotwick, & the carts for timber; Fletcher came about the bridge to the vineyard; Mainwaring & Bidolph went a fishing, dined at home; Hardwar came in afternoone, stay ½ houer; in the evening Mainwaring & Bidolph & I went to Bromley's; there were the bricklayers; we retorned past 7.