Diary of Rev Edward Stevens

Visited Charlotte Harris and had some conversation with Eleanor Hone. She said she means her two youngest boys should continue to attend Sunday School and church regularly.

Visited Mary Lively, Fred Manning, John Reason, John Hathaway, Daniel Payne, Mrs Horsman.

John Horsman called and I paid him £1.11.6 for work at school, placing the slate slabs, remains of Elley’s cistern burst by frost, at the school doors and surrounding them with bricks. The old stones were so worn and broken that after rain there was always a pool of water at each.

Bonner, the Relieving Officer called.

Visited old Mr Wells, uncle to Mr John Wells, who is lodging for a few weeks at Mrs Elley’s. He is perfectly deaf, and lame, going with two crutches, but is very cheerful and looks very venerable. I am told he was run over by a carriage in London which caused his lameness.

Rain all day, the congregations being, in consequence, very small. Took Boys’ School morning and afternoon, Mr Elley being away for his holiday.

Miss Maria Dix signified to me her extreme dissatisfaction with the sending of Sally Green to the Lunatic Asylum, so did Miss Sarah. Miss Dix is away. They did not apparently know that I had had anything to do with it but appeared to forget that it was less cruel to deprive a poor lunatic of her liberty than to leave her free to endanger herself and others – and that the constant violation of decency and order could not be tolerated. I afterwards wrote a note to Maria Dix saying that though I was not responsible for placing her in the Lunatic Asylum I was willing to take all responsibility as I thought it important that society should be protected against the recurrence of the scandals she had created and that she should be protected against herself. That she had been guilty of such conduct as, in a sane person, would cause her to be sent to prison, and that it was much better she should be removed by Bonner as she was than that she should be taken before the magistrates by a policeman. That the magistrate who had signed the order for her removal would not have done so without being quite satisfied as to her condition and the necessity for her seclusion. Moreover, I added, the inhabitants of Sibford owed a debt of gratitude to those public officers who had performed an unpleasant task in the kindest possible manner.

Miss M. Dix wrote me a very nice note in reply: for I told her that I felt hurt that she should think I could be guilty of allowing any poor woman of my parish to be treated with harshness and cruelty if it was possible for me to prevent it.