Diary Jan 1904 - Aug 1904

29 Jan. Report on progress of new church building

2 Feb. Reference to Gloucester Archaeology Library over John Bellows's shop

Walked home from Gloucester - found Northgate St. or London Road "in a frightful mess - the new electric tramway being now in process of putting down"

4 Feb. New church committee meeting. £2290 now paid or promised. Contract price £2722.10.0. Discussion re. chairs to be bought (@ 4/6d. each!), also re. vestry

6 Feb. Death of Archdeacon Sherringham announced by the Dean at Evensong in the Cathedral. Aged nearly 84

21 Feb. Told of Lord Fitzhardinge's manner and occupations

24 Feb. Informed that he has been proposed as a member of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society

2 March Attempted suicide by drowning of a villager reported - taken to Infirmary Ward at the Workhouse - to be brought before the County Justices

4 March Rural District Council to be asked to take over Sandfield Road (which has been repaired at cost of over £84)

7 March Lists some baptisms (not recorded in Church Register)

8 March Exhibition of electrical effects by Rev. Hodson at his home

21 March Boy expelled from school for assaulting a master

22 March Iron screen, including pulpit and lectern, to be ordered from Marshall, Cheltenham, for new church

26 March References to the Churchdown Land Co. giving the land for the new chapel

6 April Visited Thornbury Parish Church - description of several items including interesting Font

19 April List of Services arranged to be held at the Church of St. Andrew, April 25 - May 2 (including Dedication on April 25)

24 April Church Service held in the school chapel for the last time (apart from Holy Communion 25 April a.m.) (Services had been held there continuously from Nov. 1873)

25 April Dedication of St. Andrew's Church. Bishop not present owing to indisposition. Dedication conducted by Archdeacon Scobell

8 May In an article in the Cheltenham Graphic relating to the new church the author is referred to as 'The National Schoolmaster and Village Antiquarian"

9 May Meeting to re-establish the Cricket Club. Officers and Committee elected

13 May Received notice that his salary would be £101 per annum to rise £5 per annum to £124 - with house

14 May His history of Churchdown, on which he has been working for months, now consists of 99 closely handwritten foolscap pages

24 May Inspected registers of Stone church, dating from 1594. One of the incumbents styled himself an itinerant physician

26/27 May States that a mansion at Stone (currently belonging to Mr. Poole) was formerly the George Inn, a posting house and then became a boarding school (kept by the Misses Wolverstone) - in the early 19c.

29 May Glebe Land at Hucclecote stated to be worth £230, and land between St. Andrew's church and the vicarage valued at £400 by the Land Co.

7 June Visit to Bredon, Strensham and Pershore with Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society. Notes on Bredon Church and tithe barn, Strensham Church (monument to Samuel Butler who was born at Strensham and Pershore Abbey

13 June Description of Badgeworth Church

21 June Sought a quotation for the publication of his book on Churchdown. Told a rough estimate would be 5/- per page, 9d. each volume for binding and 4d. per sq. inch for blocks for photographs

29 June Quotation from the Echo Office for ditto: 1/6d. per page. The Vicar suggested that the total expense would be in the region of £10 and that some parishioners (named) be asked to assist in meeting the cost

1 July Informed that the Manor House (Churchdown) was not given that name until the sale on his death of Col. Hopkinson. It was formerly called the "Guest House"

2 July Given £3 by the Misses Smithe towards the publication cost of The History of Churchdown, also £1 from their brother William

20 July List of subscribers to a fund to purchase a gold watch (12 guineas - Baker's, Gloucester) for presentation to Mr. Sydney Cullis, organist, on his departure from the parish

23 July Reference to the remains of a monastery at Badgeworth

3 Aug. Sees the tombstone of John Pick (his great-grandfather) in Berkeley Churchyard (died 1813). Description of church