Diary of Rev Edward Stevens

Thomas Padbury’s horse died last week. His wife called this morning and asked me to write out a petition for her to raise money to get another. I told her I did not think I could do so but would think about it and she might call on me again tomorrow morning. She said they had eight or nine horses die since they had been married. Herbert told me they would kill as many as they could get with overwork and that the carrying around petitions was quite a “trade” with some people who go from village to village and make a dead horse or cow or pig bring in much more money than a live one.

Lucy Padbury, Thomas Padbury’s wife called this morning. I told her I could not write a petition for her as I had been obliged to refuse to do so for others. I told her I had heard her husband overworked his horses and that was the reason he lost them. That as they were both strong hearty people without children they ought to have saved money. That if they had not the means of buying another horse they should give up the idea of keeping one. That they would be much better off without one if they would go to regular work. I gave her 10/- for herself as she said they were very badly off – telling her particularly it was not towards another horse and forbidding her to tell anyone about it.

Several boys – Geydon (2nd), 2 Spicers, John Young, Tay and T. Lines who go to work and were, I presume not at School this afternoon crowded themselves at the back of the Church and began to be disorderly. Charles Barnes removed Geydon with some difficulty before the service commenced, and before going on with the Service I requested him to remove the rest and bring them to the front part of the Church where they could be seen and where they behaved well enough, except that the boy Spicer went to sleep. It was intensely hot.