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Lt. Col. Robert Story - Diary notes 1886

Notes from Robert's diary by MN D-W

Jan - Apr 1886

"The new year finds us (Floré, Vida & myself) staying with my mother in Clifton where Floré has had an operation performed on her breast - she is slowly recovering, but rather weak & will require much care and watching for a long time. Vida is wonderfully well, though still very subject to take cold. I am fairly well, though perhaps not quite as fit as I was last year at this time."

Fran and Arthur were still staying, and Floré could walk as far as her mother's at Kelson Villa.

Monday 4th. "Took the 8.30am. train and came home to stay a day or two. Saw Dean and Smith about a new gauge glass for my boiler, Stopler about a stove for the servant's bedroom, Hammond about my gun, Gudgeon about the garden fence & Lloyd about albocarbon burners. Called on the Marshalls. People's Entertainment in the evening, Marshall came in to smoke after."

8th. "Took the 10.20am. train train from the new station & travelled with the dogs in the guard's van as far as Didcot. Changed there and went on to Swindon where I caught the Dutchman. Found heavy snow from about Whitchurch to nearly Bath. Met Mrs. Henry Cooke at Bristol station & while I was speaking to her a man with a truck of hot water tins drove over Punch's foot but lucklily broke no bones. Musical evening at Sundon House . Spafford came in after.

10th. "Field came round after lunch and broyght me an advert from The Spectator for a tutor to take 2 boys to San Francisco and back. Went for a walk with Field and saw Lou. Wrote to enquire about the tutorship. ."

17th, "Lou had a daughter born 11am."

20th, "Took Floré and Vida to see Lou's baby.

Robert went to stay with the Evans at Pentre for a week and went home to Winnal on the 30th.

In February Robert was back at work with his lathe and fret machine. On the 8th Vida was 5. Robert practices some music, then played and sag at a People's Entertainment.

11th. "Went to a meeting in the Close about reviving the branch of the Church Defence Association."

16th. "Saw Cawte about having the spare room painted & turned out the furniture from it. Saw Stopler about a stove for the servants' bedroom. Mrs. Wrench and Wilfred called. Dined at the Fearons - pleasant evening. We arrved rather late as Floré's donkey chair boy came late. Had oilclosth put down in the kitchen R passages," During the next few days they rearranged the library, had the spare room painted and at last got the stove installed.

On March 2nd Robert joined the Cathedral voluntary choir. He had some railings put in the back garden and his workshop painted.

22nd. "Cut the ivy on the north side of the house. Put up the heating apparatus for the greenhouse and found it worked very well. Went to the Dampiers Glee class. Saw QrMtr Markland about a distressed rifleman's widow."

24th. "Cut ivy on the south side of the house. Tea at H. Wards. Saw Frost about a watch for Wazir."

26th. "Wazir sent Vida a very handsome pair of cups and saucers and 2 tumblers of Muradabad work."

April 3rd. " Went by train with Vida and Floré to Sleawford & gathered daffodils at the Yonges. Missed the train going home & took a fly from the Dolphin and drove home."

4th. "Vida fell off the nursery table and hurt her shoulder."

7th. "Richards came to see Vida and found her collar bone was cracked."

9th. "Gladstones Home Rule bill was proposed yesterday in the House of Commons."

April 14th. "Called on the A'Courts & the Woods, Leonards and Forrests. Saw Gudgeon about letting the house. Bad pain in my back in the even. Wrote to Tatlow about coming to the best terms possible with the tenantry." He got another pig and was given a ferret.

21st. "Mowed the upper part of the lawn. Heard from Tatlow and wrote at his dictation to offer the Murmod tenants 3/- in the £ reduction. Forgot to go to John's to lunch and wrote to appologise."

"Found something wrong with the stable well - took the cover off and in doing so dropped a piece down. I had to fish it up and in doing so hurt my back. Charles Lacaita rode in from Godalming and spent the day with us. He & I lunches in the summer house and dined in the library as he was just getting over whooping cough."

30th. "Mowed part of the lawn and called on the Johns. Went with Mabel Forrest, Miss Tyson, Emily Hopkins, Rough, Louisa and Floré to the H.H. Ball (Hampshire Hunt) at Alresford - good dance - bed at 6am.

May & June 1886

On May 21st Louisa (the cook) flew into a rage with Floré & Robert gave her notice to leave by 4pm on Monday (this was Sat.) Fran came to stay and he & Robert went bathing at the College bathing place.

10th. "Joined the 37th Depot for duty." Next day there was a C.O.'s parade, and Robert went to the mess for dinner and billiards. The following day he had breakfast at the barracks, dined at Hants mess and played pool. He went daily to the barracks for the rest of the month.

At home he got steam up once or twice and did some wood turning, he used his ferret round the pig-stye & woodpile and got 21 rats and 2 rabbits.

29th. "On duty. Queen's Birthday parade at the barracks, took Floré and Vida to see it.

31st. "Two men were hanged at the gaol this morning. Went up to London with Floré by the 9.16am train. Saw Cheyne and took a room at Fitzroy House for Floré to be operated upon tomorrow. Saw Aunts Fanny, Agnes, Lou Luard also Uncles D & George at Sussex Place. Saw the Sampsons and arranged to stay there tomorrow. Called on Tina who was at home. Wrote to Mother about Marshall, also Col. Moorsom to get leave off the inspection. Signed Company's accounts in the even."

June 1st. "Went up with Floré by the 9.16am train to London and drove to Fitzroy House where I stayed with her until 4pm when Cheyne performed the operation I being present. The right breast was removed and the glands of the Axilla the latter being extensively affected. Left Floré about 6pm still unconscious & went to Sussex Place to tell the Aunts that all had been done. Telegraphed to Louie, returned to Floré, went to the Sampsons and telegraphed to Mother and Mrs. Bush, dined and then wrote to them."

2nd. "Saw Floré and found her wonderfully well considering all things."

Robert returned home that afternoon to pack up ready to go into camp. He travelled to Aldershot on the 7th visiting Floré en route. He took a monthly season ticket and for the whole month that the camp lasted he went every afternoon to see Floré in London, attending to his military duties in the mornings and his social life in the evenings. Floré was up and about by the third week and went home on the 24th. On the 30th Louie spent the day with him, he dined with the 5th Lancers and had a rowdy evening.

July - Dec 1886

On July the 2nd there was a review in the long valley before the Queen, after the march past they did a sham fight, getting back to camp about 8pm. Robert was up again at 4.30am next day to pack his kit and strike camp., but they marched to the station to find they had a 3 hour wait for the special trains. Robert paid off his men and went home. He was bothered by his back quite a lot, but went to tennis parties, picked the first raspberries & went (with Floré in a donkey chair) to a cricket match at St. Cross. He did more rat hunting but complained that his ferret was no good. He dined with Dr. Richards and spent the evening looking at his microscope.

August 2nd Bank Holiday. "Cut some of the grass with a scythe. Made a couple of picture frames. Killed 14 rats with my ferret & Foster's in the cattle shed. Drove Louie and Floré to a tennis party at the Chichesters."

8th. "Wrote to H. Gahan who is at Bingfield." Another day he took Vida to Sangers Circus matinee. Although often very seedy with his back he spent one whole day with Ransome pulling his engine to pieces & altering the governor pulleys to use with a strap and buckle, he subsequently got up steam & turned a conductor's baton, small vase, pin tray and a stud. On the 27th he spent a day at Southampton & Cowes in the Nash's steam launch. Next day he took Floré, Vida and Emily (the nanny) to Mawgan in Cornwall where is mother, Arthur, Fran and Florie were on holiday. Here they stayed until Sept. 14th, exploring by land and sea, swimming and even here, entertaining friends & going visiting.

They all left Mawgam together, Robert and his family were joined by Arthur and spent a night at Exeter before going home to Winnal. Here there were plums and tomatoes to gather, the latter being hung up in the greenhouse to ripen. While they were away most of the fowls got worms very badly and two hams and a lot of bacon went bad,

Oct 3rd. "Supper at John's - walked home with Dicker curate of Holy Trinity who is going to Tasmaniaas precentor to Hobart Town Cathedral." Robert painted the front gate, had the cellar ceiling plastered and a hole in the roof mended, and made a pantry drawer with dove-tail joints and turned wooden handles, then he made some table legs.

10th. "Heard from Cox & Co that my account is £75 overdrawn - this means either a mistake on their part or on mine of over £100, wrote to them about it.

11th. "Took the 9.15am train and saw Cox about my account. Found that the money had been paid to Floré by mistake. Telegraphed to her. Came home by the 2.15pm train. Heard that there had been a row in the house & that Fanny had given notice."

12th. "Took the 2.30pm train to Abingdon via Newbury, Didcot & Radley and came here to stay for a few days with the Sampsons (Kingston House) found here Mrs. Sampson's sister Miss Cooke & Sir Harry and Lady Freeling. Bad pain came on my back at night. Floré put on some liniment at 5am when I got some rest, but not until after I had thrown her out of bed with my uneasy sleep." They came home on the 18th, Robert with a cold.

20th. "Stayed in bet till 2pm on account of my cold. About 60 people came to tea & Music. Marshall stayed to supper." Robert discovered a gas leak in the dining room chandelier.

Their great friend Liebick (pianist) announced his engagement to Miss Shirley. For the rest of the month Robert was busy as ever. He made a dog whistle, got a game licence , altered the valve of the shower bath, mowed the lawn, made a pair of screw-up candlesticks (but he broke one when they were nearly finished), and a beer barrel stand and enquired about fitting up a circular saw bench & the price of a Trammel for drawing elipses.

Vida was photographed on Nov 4th and that evening Robert took Louie to a concert at the Guildhall where they heard Madame Patey, Mary Davis, Tito Maltai, Beven, Barrington Foote & Pozreanski. Floré who was forever going to the dentist, had some false teeth fitted. On the 10th Robert went to a meeting at the Mission Hall to consider what was to be done with it. In his workshop he started turning the wood for a corner bracket for the Freelings.

17th. "Met Miss James in Jewry St. and brought he home for lunch. Got a horse from Hopkins and rode with her to Dean House. Got a heavy fall on the down below Chesford Head from my horse putting his foot into a small drain, broke 2 of my front teeth and strained my neck. Got home about 7pm." On the 19th he went to the dentist & got his teeth straight.

23rd. "Fitted my large face-plate to my lathe & stopped a rat hole in the dining room with zinc after putting the ferret under the floor. The rat had eaten a large piece out of one of the curtains."

25th. "Stopped some more rat holes. Olivier came to lunch & worked with me at some model engine casting." Robert finished the pillars for his bracket and started on the finials.

After many committee meetings, at a meeting on Dec 2nd the man Gibbwho had been in control of the Mission Hall announced that he had decided to keep the hall in his own occupation, so the scheme came to and end.

16th. "Went to a Primrose League entertainment at the Guildhall and sang one song - I'm not mysellf at all. The entertainment was much too long."

It was cold enough for skating before Xmas and Robert somehow had Winnal Moor flooded for this more than once. On Xmas Eve the Freelings came to stay, & Vida had a children's party and a Xmas tree.

25th. "Morn service and communion at Cathedral. Blasted a stump for Peck and did a little turning in the afternoon."

26th. Morn service at Cathedral and even at St. Lawrence. Very sever snow storm after rain & hail - had to go up to the roof after even service to clear the valley as water was pouring into the spare room."

27th. "Found 8 panes of the greenhouse broken by the snow. Harper covered them with oil cloth, also two trees down in the garden, the jasmin by the back door and the trellis work by the tool house, also the hedge by the wall on the north drive. Cleared away the fallen trees. Marshall and Miss Lampiere called morn and Dean & Mrs Kitchen aft. Practice at 5pm at Ernest Yonge's house and People's Entertainment 8pm. I sang 2 solos and took part in a trio with Marshall & Hodgson. I was very bad in Berkshire Tragedy & the trio. Very poor house."

31st. " Had the moors again flooded - was out on the ice when the Cathedral bells were ringing out the old year. Floré ill in bed with an internal chill."