Diary April - May 1878

5 June Club procession

7 July Alfred Berry killed on railway line at Sugar Loaf Bridge (Churchdown)

8 Aug To Gloucester Union to have valuation book signed (frequent references to collecting in Cheltenham as assistant overseer of the poor)

14 Aug-15 Aug Visit to Oxford and Standish

17 Aug Fishing in Windrush for chubb and pike; swimming and visiting Stanton Harcourt

17 Sept Displeasure at 'very low' sermon by Rev. Smithe's stand-in, Mr Layton

23 Oct- Scarletina fever in parish (own children affected)

16 Nov Letter from brother Charlie in America: son died of dysentery: 'middling circumstances' [emigrated May 1867]

20 Nov School closed due to fever

26 Dec Second concert by Choral Society at Gloucester (Messiah etc)

1877

4 June "the Chapel opened today by a man named Hunt and our people came to show their colours as chu[rch] people in opposition to the Ranters"

11 Aug-18 Aug Visiting Standlake, Oxfordshire (Harry Poole working there)

20 Aug Visit to Weston for day

21 Aug Visit to Lower Stone. Father Mills, tipsy, nearly had an accident when out at river

30 Aug Visit to Frocester and Dursley with Dr.Smithe: fossil-hunting; reference to tumulus opened up 50 years since nr. Dursley

7 Sept To concert at Gloucester Cathedral. Last of the musical festival

10 Sept Letter from brother Chas. in USA: wife dead; wanted to come to England and mother take eldest boy Willie; unemployed [mother threw cold water on idea - 11 September - another letter asking for help 19 September]

12 Sept-14 Sept Collecting subscriptions towards school chapel corona (lighting) [See list of subscribers at end]

15 Sept Busy as overseer: action against defaulting ratepayers

3 Oct-4 Oct F.F. Wheeler, editor of directory of Cheltenham and environs; William correcting Churchdown section

4 Oct Fair at Cheltenham. "There was a show with a frightful picture of the Turkish atrocities hung outside - which was sickening"

30 Oct Performances at theatre, Cheltenham. Mrs Rously as Elizabeth in "Between Axe and Crown"

2 Dec Smashed the [school chapel] corona and nearly set fire to building "this gave me a severe nervous feeling which I did not get over for several hours"

28 Dec Circus in Wellington Street: "the whole very twaddling jumping through hoops - walking on a wire - then a foolhardy pantomime not worth looking at"

1878

3 Jan Parish 'Entertainment'

10 Feb "Dr. S[mithe] and Jenner snarled in the classroom. The latter said if he was the vicar he would drive all the roughs of the village into the vicarage dining room on Sunday Afternoons, this nettled Dr. S and me also"

(Loose at entries for 4 - 10 March: note from Francis Hartley about arrangements for entertainment - Aladdin, etc. - 10 February)

11 April 'Mother' proposed a general renovation for her shop

1 May 'Yeomanry week' at Cheltenham

"The town very lively - a group of sweeps performing at the Royal... we rode down the High Street in Jordan's basket Carriage"

At End: list of subcribers to corona

<p>[Nympsfield. see also 24/9/77]</p>