Diary of Rev Edward Stevens

Rain nearly all day. Mrs S. visited 18 or 20 houses at Sibford Ferris for me.

Very wet all morning and part of afternoon.

Visited John Horsman, Elizabeth Bond (out), Thomas Wilks, Jesse Green, Susan Hunt, Joshua Green, Mary Lively, Joseph Messenger, Thomas Barnes, Sarah Hone, James Hone, Edward Scruby, Sarah Keene, William Hall.

Wrote a note to Walter Mann promising 5/- for Cricket Club towards making ground.

Christmas Day. Bright and frosty. Services as on Sundays.

We were quite alone today, no one being here but Harry, Frank, Rosa and ourselves.

Rain and sleet. Snow at night. A very heavy fall took place in London and S.E. of England especially. The wind was very high. Several shipwrecks took place and many lives were lost. No damage done here, indeed there was no storm at all. The snow fell very quietly.

Buried Sarah Lines at 2 o’clock between the services.

Bell and I visited Mrs Turner and her sister Mrs Harris.

St John Baptist’s day. Divine Service at 9.15 am. Only Frank and Harry there beside myself and the clerk, owing to the snow which was about 8 to 12 inches deep. Rapid thaw set in in evening.

Innocents’ Day. Divine Service at 9.15 am. 5 present besides myself and clerk. Visited James Hone, William Holland and Thomas Aris. Work very slack. Jesse Bishop called and paid the whole of his rent.

Miss Dix gave Sunday School children tea and cake and a Christmas tree this afternoon. She made them a little very kind speech saying she had taught in the Sunday School 25 years.

Mr Oddie would have lent us a good tree, but owing to the snow it could not be brought up the hill.

Sent my name up as original member of the Clergy Pensions Institute together with a cheque for £5. 6. (1/- for Rules). £5. 5 per annum at my age will purchase me a deferred annuity after 65 of £7.9. and it is returnable any time previous with compound interest at 2½ per cent. The address is Clergy Pensions Institution, Arundel House, Temple Station, London W.C. They have £10000 invested and hope to get contributions from wealthy church people to increase pensions so that each retired clergyman may have £200 per annum.

Mrs Elley called this evening with her needlework accounts.

Visited Sarah Hone and John Reason. The half melted snow on the roads is now frozen so that they are very slippery.

Very dangerous travelling owing to the slippery state of the roads.

Visited Misses Dix.

Cricket Club dance at the schoolroom. I went up for an hour between 9 and 10. About 50 persons were present. Mr Joseph Pettipher and Mr Mann had borrowed the room for the purpose.

Frank Lamb called and told me he had made up his mind to go to Canada as he could not get work half his time here. I gave him £ to pay the deposit for his passage to Montreal or Toronto.