The Diaries of Josiah Chater – 1849

Excerpts from Josiah Chater's Diaries 1849

Excerpts:

1849

March 4th – Josiah visits the Holcroft graves in Oakington

This afternoon I & [Cook?] walked over to Oakington to the graves of three ministers of the gospel who were denied the rites of burial in consecrated ground on account of their principles they lay in a garen adjoining the churchyard their names are Oddy, Osland, & Holcroft. They were buried in they say 1687, 1692 & 1711  we call’d at Mrs Doggetts but found the house locked up & all gone to Church  We had a very lovely afternoon & enjoy’d our walk save that the distance was rather too far without rest being about ten miles went to Mr As to tea & after tea to Chapel went to the room had a very interesting meeting

6th April – Good Friday holiday

This being Good Friday we of course closed the [business?] & did what we thought each of us most conducive to our several tastes Cook & Stephen went down the [Station?] I & William met Mr Adams at the Station & we set off for Huntingdon at which place we arrived a very little after ten Oclock We made the _ our Headquarters & from thence we sallied forth in search of adventures peeped in at Lady Sparrows new church “which the Bishop would not consecrates because her Ladyship would not allow the Ch of Eng to have supreme control over it” There we heard the tail end of a sermon from Mr Heyworth from these a Mr [Westwood?] not a very electrifying preacher from thence we came to another church & heard there the whole of a sermon from a Mr Heyworth, very tame, on going from there to another church from which we met the people coming & amongst them Agnes & the Misses Fox she saw me & bow’d of course I return’d it I saw her again afterwards going for a walk we went & got our dinners which we concluded about ½ past two Mr A had a nap & William waited whilst I call’d on Agnes at Mr Fox’s They asked me into a room full of ladies I thik there must have been 14 or 16 in all I shook hands with Agnes who blushed deeply but seem’d very pleased to see me her cousins were all laughing & giggling at her I could see it very plainly They made me sit down by her side for some time & bought out the wine which obliged me to confess “though not at all unwillingly” my teetotal principles. After sitting some time I asked Agnes to go for a walk they had a good while to consider & I was afraid at one time I should not have the pleasure of I so earnestly desired of walking with her but at last she consented & in company with Lucy the one I had seen at Cambridge we set out after I had bid the others all goodbye then I was obliged to go & excuse myself to Mr Adams which affair _ admirably for he had just woke up when I went into the room & hardly knew what I said but I told him I had seen some friends & wished to go for a walk with them if he did not object, fortunately he acqu

May 6th – The Fen Ditton Penance

Being Sacrament Sunday in the afternoon William & I Cook & Aikin walked over to Ditton to the church to see what sort of a wreck was left for during the morning service surname Smith was to do penance in the Church for having defamed the character of Mrs James, the ministers wife imputing to her the crime of adultery Mr James carried it into the Arches Court & got her accuser “Smith” condemned in costs & to do penance accordingly this morning “as I afterwards learnt” hundreds of people were wending their way to Ditton to see the performance of one of the last monkish institutions of popery The service was perform’d by a Mr Small of Emmanuel Coll Cambridge as soon as he began he was saluted with “speak up old boy” & muchlike exclamations when the sermon began the mob began to set up cries & yells and noises of all descriptions so that it was impossible to hear what was said & about ½ past twelve Smith the Culprit made his appearance he was received with shouts & cheers quite deafening the bells rang & the minister left the pulpit to get nearer him in order to hear him read his recantation but that was impossible & the pulpit was immediately fill’d with spectators in the porch was a Dog fight & in the Church two men fighting others smoking pipes of tobacco but to crown the affair the basses used for kneeling upon where (sic) used as missiles & hurl’d from one end of the Church to the other one hit Mr Small on the head the tops of the pews were all crowded & many of the pews gave way from the crush The pieces were taken to through (sic) at the minister & an old broom that was found was used very effectively the bells were ringing the whole time & after the sermon which was obliged to be ended prematurely two men took Smith & carried him out of the Church on their shoulders to the Plough & there they spent the rest of the day drinking & smoking I had my history from several eye witnesses beside what I saw of the ruins it was a most disgraceful affair ever witness’d & the like can never surely happen again in this

June 15th – Elizabeth Woodcock memorial

Am up to 11th Inst in either book Jane Barrett has asked me to go with them to Impington next Tuesday there is to be a large dancing party at Mr Saunders’ to commemorate the putting down of a Stone to the memory of a Mrs Woodcock who was buried in the snow on her way from Cambridge Market in the year 1799 but I do not like to accept her invitation [correction] Agnes thinks I had better not so she is going to write to her Cousin who is there to ask if I may be allow’d to go I should like it much it is a shilling subscription to pay for the Stone & they give tea & supper in I need not note here that they are highly respectable people but if I go I do not know how to manage for the night where to sleep or how to get home

September 16th – Big fire on Market Hill

About ¼ before One this morning Miss Aikin came & call’d me & said there is a fire somewhere I immediately jump’d out of bed & look’d out at the window & thought it appear’d about Mill Lane I dress’d very hastily & bundled down stairs when to my horror I found it was on the Market Hill at Lodges next door to Orrige [Orridge] the Chemist I ran at once to the Engine & began pumping then handed the buckets for a long time after that I went to the Chronicle Pump & help’d to pump & hand the buckets there for half an hour all the time the flames were rapidly advancing to Orriges [sic] shop there were very soon 5 or 6 Engines there most of them were not better than Squirts I went to Mr Barretts & stay’d with Harriet & Miss Wood we got out at the top of the House & in doing so I ran a sharp spike into my hand which made it very sore just as I began work some boy by accident gave me a tremendous blow in the eye which quickly swell’d but I bath’d it well with cold water which I easily got in passing the buckets I went round by the Cury & on to the Hill with HB & Miss Wood saw some Lady there with her nightgown on with Mrs R Barret [sic] to whom we spoke then came home again Charles [? Hull] came there very wet he went into the Kitchen & put on a clean shirt & dried his trousers & drank some brandy & water The fire raged till about 6 Oclock burnt down 8 houses & seriously damaged several more all Tradesmens’ I went home about seven had a cold bath & went to bed slept till ten but not soundly I then got up had my breakfast & went before church to look at the ruins & surely it was dreadful such a mass of building [? at night] have been seen only a few hours since now to be nearly flat with the ground all black & smoking but I must confess that whilst it was burning it was a glorious sight & when the chemists was on fire every time a bottle crack’d there was an explosion superior to fireworks & truly setting aside thinking of the consequences I gazed upon the burning mass with delight It has been smoking all day I went to Church this morning & Chapel evening tea’d with Mrs A who appears to b

October 11th – Josiah seen kissing Agnes

We have been perplexed all day as to the course Mr Lilley would pursue with regard to tomorrow which is to be held as a general Fast [feast?] day by the wish of the Mayor & the Clergymen finally however the decision was to close all day which will give me an opportunity of going to Walden have been very busy all day after ten I had a long chat with Agnes who tells me that one night some time ago her sister Mary was standing at the parlour window when we were chatting on the steps & she saw me kiss her: what an awful calamity! but has not said anything about it untill today when they had a long laugh & said the next time they saw me they would give me a good roasting Agnes says she does not care & I am sure at heart I am rather glad altho’ I would not have done it in her presence had I been aware however I certainly shall not fret about it nor do I believe she will. Posted letters at ¼ past ten  this evening. Poor Agnes has also been baited by her school companions so that she had a long catalogue of grievances to relate but I do not expect it will cause either to say we will not meet as often as we can or that we will part “when opportunity will permit” without a parting salute at least it runs in my head after that fashion

November 11th – Helps to fight fire at St Michael’s church

After coming from school this morning & on my way to Church I heard that St Michaels Church was on fire so away I went & reached there before the flames had broken out as soon as I found what it was I returned & changed my clothes in order to work to better advantage which I found a very wise plan for in passing the buckets my feet soon became thoroughly wet though it began at ¼ to eleven & was extinguished before one Oclock forunately there were not many people in church After School in the afternoon I went to Mr Barretts & had tea with them to Church in the evening St Mary’s & back to supper after supper we had some music nice singing & spent the evening very comfortable except that I did not feel altogether the thing for they did not ask me to stay & I did not like to go & did not know whether they would like me to stay so that I could not make myself to give as I would have wish’d I do not have that degree of confidence I have any where else Mr [Hart?] was there I like Mary there is something really good about her  Yesterday was Miss Aikin’s 3 anniversary after dinner today we went into her room & had wine & fruit that _ of course I declined the former

November 12th – Josiah’s 21st birthday  and a long review of his life so far

The 21st Anniversary of my natal day & accordingly I think it meet to enhance my life or take a retrospective glance at it it has been fraught with an immensity of variety both in my thoughts & aspirations & in my actions the first idea of greatness I aspired to was a jacket & trousers “or that I have any distant remembrance of” not a very magnificent event but a source of as much joy & satisfaction as many after events of much more importance the next _ _ was to leave Grandames School & be mix’d up with boys what an education. With them I was content to remain after experiencing a multiplicity of vicissitudes about six years my scholastic career was short but the end of duties then so arduous “to my I must say very frequently lazy habits” was eagerly & impatiently sought for at the early age of twelve I completed my studies my restless spirit would not brook the quietude of laborious studies but when engaged in active exercise on the playground it far oustripped my physical powers & frequently prostrated me for weeks together this counteracting the advantages I gain’d in a quickness of perception whilst pursuing the paths of science & literature for two years I remain’d with my fathers home

Of course just being as it were free’d from prison & unencumber’d with the regular routine of school duties I felt ill inclined to take upon myself more grave responsibilities & I cordially confess I used to _ when I could not respectably get off & shirk it whenever an opportunity presented itself thus I went on until I found home a burden & I made up my mind to move away but where I did not much care fortunately at the very nick of time a situation offer’d at Cambridge I accepted it & commenced my duties forthwith on the day after Xmas 1843 then aged 15 years in jacket & lay down collars of course seeing lads of my own age aspiring to stick ups & coats I could not be long behind them & was not easy untill I had donn’d myself in that habit thus I went from one thing to another as the years roll’d round ever & anon slight events in my history passed in rapid succession in my view leaving but faint traces individually of their importance but as time  wears on & I recount them in a snap what a mighty change they make & this year has been one of the most important in my existence to this I have long look’d as a point of importance the very idea of 21 brings with it a cloud of thoughts & speculations quite indescribable since last X