Diary of Rev Edward Stevens

Taught at Boys’ school this morning. Attended choir practice this evening. 30 present.

Some one lifted a portion of coping from the wall in front of the school this evening and laid it down by the side.

Mr Oddie wrote to me (on 29th) and told me that some of the young fellows of the place caught hold of two of his female servants as they were coming from the Methodist Chapel this evening, behaved indecently to them and tried to kiss them. The girls complained to Mrs Oddie and she and her husband are very indignant about it. I told Mr Oddie that before he printed handbills as he proposed, offering a reward for the names of the ill-doers, he had better communicate with the police and endeavour to ascertain whether the girls had give the youths any encouragement. I told him moreover that if one of the girls had been brought up to the church he would be quite justified in not allowing her to go out to the Methodist Chapel on Sunday evening, for that great mischief often resulted from such going out at night. If they wished to be out at night and he desired, he should let them accompany him and his family to their meeting.

On enquiry some two or three weeks afterwards he told me that the tale was a “trumped up one” to a great extent, for that the girls now confessed there was no indecency and one of them at least had sent “her love” to John Lamb, whom she had never spoken to at all. Mr Oddie said of course that the matter was allowed to drop with a caution to the girls.

Very fine, but cold.

Drove Bell to Tadmarton. Called on Mrs Smith at the Rectory, which she is to leave next Thursday, as the new Rector Mr Riddle, Vicar of Rydal, is coming in at the end of the week.

Called on the McDermots at Tadmarton Manor House. Some of the young men about the place have, for the 5th time, pulled off the coping stones on one of the McDermots’ walls. Las year one of them was prosecuted for the offence and got 6 weeks imprisonment at Oxford. Now he has offered a reward for information etc and has had notices put up to that effect. Also a notice that he will turn out all the tenants from his cottages if the name of the offender is not given up. The latter is an unnecessarily harsh and very unwise step. He appears to be very unpopular, and apparently with reason.

Visited school, Mary Lively and Ezra Green.