John gives few details of Christmas celebrations. Family letters from the 1870s show that they had a turkey for dinner, hung mistletoe, gave presents and ate plum cake, but in his 1850s diaries John records only one Christmas present:
Thursday December 23rd 1858
To office. At night rode Joes mare to Uncle Picks. Aunt gave me two white pocket handkerchiefs & a £1 for a Christmas Box Got home about ten
It was not often that all the family could be together, so this must have been a precious time for John’s mother. We have a glimpse of one such occasion in the following terse entries from 1856, which record John’s cold journey to Starbeck station to meet his brother Tom, the drive back in the dark, taking communion together at Boroughbridge church, the walk with the dogs in thick snow and the evening by the fire …
Wednesday December 24th 1856
Went to Office Retd to Breakfast Had a letter from Tom saying I was to meet him at Starbeck at 8.25 tonight. At Noon had a walk up Topcliffe Road At Night Drove to Starbeck to meet Tom Left here at six Got home about half past ten Had some mulled Ale at Starbeck It was very dark
Thursday December 25th 1856
Christmas Day
Went to Office Did the Mail Went to BB Church in the morning Stayed Sacrament Father Tom & I went to Aldbro in the Afternoon After we came back had a walk with the Dogs a mile up Topcliffe Road & back It snowed hard. Dick Hirst & Aunt Bell had tea with us. Sat & talked all the evening
 |
| St James's Square, Boroughbridge (early C20 postcard) |
No comments:
Post a Comment