, ..1.1,.

DECEHBER 1878

Honday, 9th
Vfuen I~oke that morning I little knew what news awaited us. I got to
look out of window at about ~ past 5, the moon was shining brightly and the
snorl \.,ras. white and sparkling. Everything in the sick room, \.,rhich \.,ro.s next
mine, was quiet. At 6 0' clock a servant came ,up and took some glasses out.
At about 7 o(clock T.W. came along the landing and went into the next~room
and then came out. When I went downstairs the boys were round the Upper.,
. Room fire. talking about the sick boy. One said that the bootmansaid he
was dead and that we were going home o~ Wednesday, but this was counted
nothing of. \fuen we went to breakfast T.W. told us before we be'gan that
Knight was dead. Mrs. vlalton did not appear. That morning the examinations
were to begin but we were not called into school till 10 and then we had
quiet employment. Before school the rumour was that we were going home on
Wednesday, the report came from the Soot,Blogs"who said that they were told
, to bring home all the linen. T.W. looked very bad when he came in about 11
o'clock. He said we were not going home on Wednesday and that we should'begin
examinations that afternoon. In the afternoon he brought round something in
an envelop~ and told us to direct them home. They were circulars and much .
washazarded as to the contents. We sat round the fires that evening and chatted
away on the chances of going home. We were rather despondent on what'T.W. had'said
, at 11 o'clock. At reading T.W. said the boys that slept on the Lower Narrow .
landing, the one the boy died on, were to sleep out in.various houses where rooms
had been offered us. Harry and I slept at one of the master's, Kellock~whotook
already 2 boys.during that half, and William Robinson, alias Keplar,who also had
some boys at his house (6 boys) offered to take the 2 Bowrings. SammyBraithwaite,
Gillet, little Bro\.,rn and Ellis went to a gentleman. called Wm. Ro\'mtree, Ellis's
uncle, Young Knight slept with the H~ers in an empty room at the school, whilst
2 others slept at Keplars. After reading we went to get night things from the
Green room. \ie were in high spirits at the, lark \.,re should have going'dovln and
were chatting away when T.W. said we must be' quiet as"Mr. and,Mrs~ Knight had.
arrived, so we departed to the bootroom in one of- the out houses to:warm ourselves
by the fire. \fuen we got 'to the open green in front of the school'we found'
Priestman and BrowT.nwaiting for us with snow balls. After a few rounds we all
agreed to attack the Rowntree fellows, who sleeping in another dir~ction by the
Cambridge hotel, while we slept at Washbeck Lane, were quite out of our lot •.
We met them at the corner in the Filey road and about 12 of us atthcked them.
They fled discharging only one folley, followed by us, who stung them up about
the ears and face. In the middle Kellock appeared. He cried out and told'usto
disperse to our habitations and we made a stampede to the green again vlhen'n
fight ensued between us 4 Kellock'chaps and 10 of Robinsons. We fought all 'the
way dovm to Robinson's gate, where we fought for about 20 minutes, they having
Conyers, 2 Priestmans and Bro\.,rn, all in the 1st eleven, were much the strongest
and defeated us at every charge. At last it was said Kepler \.,ras :coming to the door,
so they made a stampede up a passage to the back door followed by us. On arriving
at Kellock's he met us at the door. "This is a pretty time of night to come in"
. he said. (It was after 10 o'clock) "Tomorrow I'll march you allJ dm.,rn, Robinson's
lot as v/ell", a threat he never carried out though we came in J:ate every night
after\.,rards. It was fearfully cold.
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Tues.,lOthDec.
I v/asawakened by a terrific clap on the wall' by Emmot who slept in the
next room. I dressed and went up to the school. It was dreadfully cold. We went
on with exams. About 11 o'clo~k telegrams came in to T.W., about 5 boys departed
that day atl o'clock and great excitement prevailed. Letters were written and
despatched home, though the exams had begun, ~here was not swotting out of school.
After tea we had "High cock a lorum" in the playroom'and we enjoyed ourselves
immensely, fellows rolled'about'in heaps on :the playroomfloor, the joy at the'
prospect of going home having overcome sorrow, for that afternoon reports ,had
gone about, chiefly from the Green Room and from Sammy who got to know through
Mr. Rowntree, that we are ail going home on Friday. Orators were declaiming on.
this in the washroom and before the school fires, mounting the fender-s or forms'
.as a "rostrum". After reading we outsiders assembled' in the. v/ashroom to warm .
ourselves and chat,and. though ,there was no snowballing much we made a slide down
Keplar's garden path. \Vhen Keplar's lot departed we larked about down Washbeck .
Lane and set some barrels of plasters of paris~ standing before a new house,
rolling dO\in the hill. We accompanied young Conyers to' Miss Woodhead's which
we seranded, and several of the school girls looked out of the window •.

\veds. ,11th Dec.

The funeral ,,~s to take place today and I changed my clothes and put on those
we' were going home in., The funeral w,as very quiet and after the meeting"wejust
stepped up to the grave's mouth, to see the coffin. The grave v/as very badly dug.
\ve went on with examinations that afternoon and that evening had "High cock a lorum"
after reading assembling in the' bootroom and larking away down to Kellock' s. . .
This evening I first saw the pretty Betty that Wilsonand Emmott had spoken of.
Thurs. ,12th Dec.
14 .
This iSI\Jast day. I came up to the school with Emmott and after breakfast
fellows are packing boxes and at nine we go on with exams. These exams were merely
to keep us employed and reckoned nothing •. Some orders,came out at 12. In the
afternoon we were called into the school room and labels were.given out. In the
evening the Narrow' landing was pakhed and.the rulleys came up to take the, luggage •.
In the evening "High. cock a lorum" went on in the playroom v/hile lotteries and
raffles and sweepstakes on the·Music Prize went.on.One fellow sold a book in a
lottery at Id. shares for 7d. and the'winner sold it immediately afterwards for l8d.
an example how the winners profited and the sellers too for'that.'Money was circu-
lating freely for all were pretty flush. I had layed up a'store of grub for the
afternoon and evening. The spirits of everyone were exceedingly high. We assembled
again ±n the bootroom. We made' an awful noise as we went down ,and small slides all over
the place, even when the Keplarians went in. We Kellockians made a descent into the
valley and serenaded several houses and went' very jolly to bed. We assembled together
in Emmott's room before we went to bed and made such a row that the pretty Betty
had to come up.and Emmott chased her downstairs and kissed her. Harry and Wilson
were seized with a plague during the night. Emmott had a slight twinge, fortunately
I espaped.
Fri.,13th Dec.
We got up early and trotted up to the school together at about ~ to 7.
I packed some clothes of mine that had been left in a hamper. I learnt that the
school had ,had an attack of the plague and that at Keplarsnearly all had it,
some very severely. We collected together in the diningroom in excellent spirits
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nnd at a little after 7 we went to prepare to start, somecabs'and a bus took
us down. Harris and I tried to escape~)the Don. Impossible. We tried to get 1st
class but were obliged to keep 2nd. In'our carriage were the 2 Harrises,
Lister, Beck, Howitt, the Don Bernardine, Harry and I. All were going to
Kings Cross except Howit, Harry'and I. Other London fellows filled the
compartments of the carriage, which was engaged. I went and got a lot of
comic papers with one or two London papers, ,we were pretty quiet on departing,
reading and looking at the papers.employed us till after'Malton, now and then
someone turned up and gave us a.bit of a song. We got 3 \"arming pans as it was
20'degrees of frost.and the trees, hedges and wires were covered with hoare ,frost
and looked splendid. We kept pretty much within bounds till York. At York which.
we reached at t past nine, the school svlarmed out to have a stroll. Us London way
fellows kept departing to the refreshment rooms where fellows were dropping· in
and chatting and eating and warming themselves. Hot coffee was in great requisition.
The fireplaces are beautiful, composed of very massive Belgian marble. Fellows were
scattered about, some looking at the book stall, looking at novels and papers,
some were saying goodbye to those departing from York earlier. TheG.H.R. fellows
did not start till after 10. The Hises and Crowley were endeavouring to get the
luggage in place ready to be put out at Finsbury Park. Several were round Christy
examining a rifle he hadbought~ Others were walking up and down the platform
talking and larking about. Harris and I got hold of the vlarming pan man and got.
3 new warming pans into our 'carriage. After departing from York we got merrier
and sang songs, melodious sounds also came from the other. carriages. At Doncaster
there was the usual rush to the Refreshment rooms. We talked of our chances of good
skating, the snow was not on the ground past York but,there was an exceedingly
thick hoare frost which was better, something like 14 degrees of frost. After
Retford w~ had a row in our carriage, a regular faction fight,~ich very much
decomposed Lister who trying to look grnnd and swell in a hood and railway rug
\'lI'apped round him, we illl had rail\"ay rugs shared between us •.There were a lot
of sailors on the train. Harris afterwards said that when arriving at Kings Cross
they were all met by sweethearts. Howitt, Harry and I got out at Newark, after.
saying our farewells. We got a bus and put our ,luggage ,on it rnd departed for
the Midland station. I got out in Castlegate as I wante'd to go to the iJ,:'onmongers
to get a nut for my acme skates, but they had none in then. I'went to see Aunt
Warwick. They were at dinne~. I saw Katie, she,has grovrn very nice looking.
I then went to the M.R. station and talked with Harry and Howitt before the
waiting room fire. We started at i past,l. There was a lot of skating going on
in the railway cuttings. Dean hnd the dogcart met us at Lowdham and we started
for home. On first appearing in sight of horiIe' the sight vias splendid. The sky was a
bluish grey colour. The trees were 'covered withhoare frost, crystals of a size
I had never seen before. The Park Wood andjdistant trees in Epperston~ had a
blue tinge over their whiteness, and the gr~s was not.of so staring a white as if
it had been snow, whilst the gahles and chimneys of the Ranor and the spire of the
church jutted up over the tree tops. Two or!three thin streamsaf smoke told the
neighbourhood of cottages. The walnut avenu~ set off the Manor to perfection.
~nulst in the foreground the Paper mill buildings nestling among its trees and
the brook meandering along through grass meadows 'and overhung with willows,
even the ploughed fields had a bluish tinge :which softened them. Epperstone
had never'looked so well. In the afternoonlI went to make my calls. Father
Ras I!u>t coming home till the next Monday or .:Tuesday.
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Sat. ,14th Dec.
I started at 12 o'clock for Oxton with Farrar 'and Clarke to skate on the pond,
the ice was in good condition. Parkinson, Harry, Taylor and his brother came
later on. \Ye had IISir Roger ll ,on the ice. The sun "'{as shining and made a brilliant
effect on the hoare frost. It froze all day and this frost kept up without .
intermission, and not one degree of thaw till Christmas hight.
Sun. ,15th Dec.
Mrs. Champneys and Teddy came home on Saturday night and were at church.
I \-lent to dinner at Grandmama' s, after dinner I went a \-lalk with grandpapa round
by Lowdham lane and WoodboroughRoad. To the flour mill at the bottom of the Park
of \-lhich Mr. Clipit is tenant, Gr~dpapa sa\-l about some repairs. there and came up
to the Manor for tea. "
Mon.,16th Dec.
Went to the hill puddle to skate and to some missionary meeting and to tea at
the Champneys. Father arrived home tonight.
Tues.,17th Dec.
In the morning we went to Oxton. Taylor caught me up in his trap at Woodbro'
Lane and took me up with Teddy Champneys who was also with him. We caught up
Harry at Calverton Lane end. The ice was splendid. Towards 12 o'clock the Parkyns
and some friends of theirs came on as also, Squire Sherlbrooke and his family. We
dragged one of the Miss Parkyns about the ice.
Weds. ,18th Dec.
Went to the hill pond to Skate.
Thurs. ,19th De c.
Went to skate at Dr. Storers.
Fri.,20th Dec.
Charlie came home from Oakham and we went to skate with him at 4 o'clock
and to a concert at Woodbro' in the evening.
Sat. ,21st Dec.
Father, Charlie, Harry and I skated by lamplight. Skated. with Champneys on
Dr. Storer's pond.
Sun. ,22nd Dec.
Dined with Grandmama and Grandpapa.
Hon. ,23rd Dec.
In the morning skated at Dr. Storers and 'at 2 started for Newark for the
Warwick's party. Got screws for my skates. After the dinner there was singing
and the dancing, 5 men played. Danced with Emily and Katie; but Gertie Branston
left before the last dance which I had engaged with her. Just before the dancing
we had some singing and for a joke Clara and Arthur Warwick played. Clara is 0 years
old and a pretty little girl and was in black velvet. She has her hair cut.short now.
This is the third time I have seen her.
Taues.,24th Dec.
Went to see Cousin William Warwick to take some Christmas presents to the children.
Gertie and Harriet Branston came at 10 and we started 7 of us for Rolleston to Skate.
 5", /8 ?-8
Helped the two Branstons who were not first rate skaters. Katie taught me the
back1.V'ard roll, returned to Newark and then home. On arriving at LO\"ldham station
there was some excitement it being just before Christmas Day.

Christmas Day, 25th Dec.1878

Went to the church in the morning and to skate on the hill pond in the
afternoon. I learnt the figures 3 and 8. Mr. Clark came to dinner at 6 o'clock
and the kids came do\"m to dessert. '. The next 3 days there was a thaw andnothing
much happened.