Diary 1887 - September
3 Saturday Took down one side of the pigeons’ house & cut down the almond tree & a lot of branches off the oak tree. Heard of Edith’s engagement to Dr Pearce of Salcombe. Arthur gave me the £2 interest on my £100 in the business & paid it into the Savings Bank for me. Cousin Edith Paice, a daughter of Uncle William, married Dr Arthur Pearce MRCSE.
4 Sunday Had a letter from Isleworth Brewery to say the premium was.....(not clear: £300?) 5 Monday The alterations were begun today to make a shed for the new furniture van & to make house for storing furniture.
6 Tuesday Tricycle was finished mending by Watson.
7 Wednesday Mr Adams had a letter Mr Daniel at Colchester Brewery to say his premium was £150, board & lodging extra. Finished the first 100 rows in my tennis net.
8 Thursday Went to Allen’s to supper.
9 Friday Sold 4 pairs of my pigeons. 1 pair Jacobins 2/- to a builder. 1 pair Fantails 2/- to a builder. 1 pair Jacobins 2/6 to Will. Cannon. 1 pair Jacobins 2/6 to Mr Pike. Picked 28 lbs of plums for jam, 14 lbs red plum, 14 lbs black. 10 Saturday Cut down the May tree. Took some plums & grapes down to Aunt Jane. We had a tremendous lot of grapes in the greenhouse this year.
12 Monday Sold 3 pairs of carrier pigeons to Doubleday for 3/6. Wrote to Mr Daniell at Colchester to meet him in London on Wednesday. 13 Tuesday Sold 3 pairs of Jacobins & old pair of Fantails to a builder for 5/-. This was the last of my pigeons. In aft & eve took down the wire aviary & tied it up & took it to the top of the garden. 14 Wednesday Went up to London with Aunt Mary. We went to Uncle William’s & I met Mr Daniell there at 12 0’clock & arranged to go there in November as a pupil for a month first to see how I liked it. Uncle George & Uncle William were there & were both satisfied with the arrangements, he is a nice gentleman. I went up to Camomile Street to order a block for printing of the new furniture van. Went to Hammersmith to sleep. Thomas Daniell & Sons, West Bergholt Brewery (founded about 1815) merged with Daniell Brothers & Co of Colchester in 1887 to form Daniell & Son’s Brewery Ltd. Acquired by Truman Hanbury and Buxton in 1958. Brewing ceased 1959.
15 Thursday In the morning walked to Putney with Charles. In aft. went to St James’s Palace with Edith, Julia & Winnie to see the Queen’s Jubilee presents. They were very handsome. Great talk about Edith’s engagement. 16 Friday Went for a long walk with Charles in the morning. In the evening Fred went up to Waterloo with me & came back home at about 9 o’clock. My bantam hen hatched 7 young ones out of 7 eggs.
17 Saturday In morning went up to the station to meet Uncle W & Aunt Polly. They were going for their holiday to Jersey. I gave bantams to Frank & he is to keep them now.
18 Sunday Went for a walk with the Allens.
19 Monday Sold the 3 young bantams to Charles the gardener for 1/-. Blanche went to Miss Hart’s school as morning governess. 20 Tuesday Sold the 3 old bantams & 7 young ones to Mr Jacob for 5/-. Took down the pigeons’ house & packed up the wire & put it at the top of the garden. 21 Wednesday Laid the foundation stone in the new building. JBM 1887. I cut it out before. I laid the brick & filled it in with white mortar & stood the bricklayers a gallon of beer. Arthur laid one & Frank too.
22 Thursday Went out for a ride on the tricycle to Herriard & got some nuts. Harry Powell let us put our tricycle in his shed until our alterations were finished.
23 Friday Drove Mr Longley to a sale at Hurst – 20 miles. Started at 8.30. He bought several things & I had a good dinner at the house free of charge. Got back at 7 o’clock. Blanche had a telegram from Uncle William to go to Southsea till Tuesday: she went.
24 Saturday I drove Ma & the children out nutting to Herriard, we did not get many nuts. I put a back on a plush frame of Mrs Allen’s & took it down.
25 Sunday Went to Uncle Richard’s to supper; he was bad.
26 Monday Helped make some tomato sauce from our own tomatoes & bottled it. Wrote to Loftus & Co for a list of works on Brewing. Cousin Ada went back home with Nora.
27 Tuesday Blanche came home from Southsea. In aft I went up to a football practice at the School. In the morning I went out to Sherfield & got some blackberries & a fine caterpillar.
28 Wednesday In the aft I went blackberrying out to Bramley & got 2 baskets full on the tricycle. Mr & Mrs Clift came in in the evening.
29 Tuesday I mended Grandma’s travelling box, for which she gave me a shilling. I went out & got some wild berries & ferns for Blanche to decorate the church. Went up to School to a football practice.
30 Friday I made a lot of blackberry jam. In the aft I drove out Blanche & Nellie Loe to get some berries etc for harvest Thanksgiving. Finished reading Voltaire’s “Candide” – did not much care for it, very overdrawn.




