Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

My dear Jan, I hop you will do all in your powr to mak your dear mother comfortobell; keep hor well haped both by day and night for it is verey stormey, and let hor hav som win or rom to noresh hor por bodey with, and I will tak car you shall be recompensed for all you do for your dear mother, and I will asur you it is not howt of sit howt of mind, for I rember you all at a thron of grace, both poblek and privat, and I well know that God that I sarv and loov, is a God that both hears and ansers prayer. Wen I hav don my work for theas two chapels I will com hover to see you and I hop to find you all in god helth both in bodey and sowl. Be sur you if anetheng showld hapen befor I com, right emeadeley and I will com emeadelety; and I cowld lik to hear from you: send me a lon leter, and let me now how your going hon in the best thengs. And wen I hav don my work I hentend to go to my dear frends at Polleton and the hoder cirket. I bless the Lord I hav plentey of work, and you know it is the work that I lov and it afords good wages – peas, goy, and lov. This morning I have been releving a por woman: she towld me she had seven cheldren, and thay had won pond of meat sins Kesomas day, and she mad a potatey py on the pond of meat and they had a feas, and I gav hor a shilling to by hor another pond of meeat with for to morow, and I never so a mor thenkfull creater in my lif: I would hav the por in Melkeldfeld [Micklefield] to be thenkfull, for thear is no sich sofers in Melkelfeld. I will asur you it leons me a leson of gratetude, – will we hav fod to heat wil hoders beg from dor to dor – Pras the Lord ho my sowl! for is marses endurs for ever and for ever. Bot I must conclud with my kind loov to all frends, and desirs a entrost in thar prayrs. Pleas to send me word if Mrs Porter is ded, and let me now how my dear gronchild his, and if she can run with hor boney letell hand.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations:

• ER: East Riding
• GM: Greater Manchester
• NR: North Riding
• NY: North Yorkshire
• SY: South Yorkshire
• WR: West Riding
• WY: West Yorkshire

Comment

Comment

This book quotes two letters, and there is mention of them in Everett’s memoir, but whatever happened to the rest? Where’s Polleton?

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Original

Denby dal

My dear bosom frend and beloved wife,

I tak hoap my pen this morning to enform you and my Crestion frends that I am verey hapey in my sowl and I engoy a good stat of helth and I want for no maner of thing that is good. My dear frend Mr. Brook hes bowt me cloth for a toop cot to keep my bodey from the cowld storms for thear is a deall of snow folen in thes contrey, bot the Lord be blest! we have plentey of coils and we keep good firs, and I believe the Lord hes sent me hear. I have plentey of wark hear for thear is a deal of por sofrin Crestions, and my frends gos with me to veset the sik and por, and I feel my sowl verey hapey in my wark; and the best of holl, the Lord is caring on his wark and sowls is saved and believers are santefyed, and baksliders are coming hom to thor father’s hows, and the Lord is poting rens on thur hand and shows on thur feet, and thear is regoising hover the por prodegal. This week I hav been begen for a chapell, and my howld frend the quaker, Mr. Deleson of Hyflats, Mr. Hontres’ father, gav me the grownd, and we shall get a chapell, for it is greatly wanted; and if I am spared till the next week, I am bown to asist them for a chapell at Peneston, so I fole belev I ham in the plas wear the Lord wowld have me be. If I am spared till to morow, Mr. Brook and me is bown to preach at Denby dall.

This morning wen I ros from my bed I found my sowl verey hapey, and my prospects of heven and glorey grows brighter and brighter to the porfect day, and my sowl is kept in porfect peas. I think the Lord is feting me hop hather for som triall or hels for my glores eneretans, bot I ham quit resind to his will. If I hav don my work I shall fall asleep and go to my dear frends that hes gon befor, and sin of redeeming lov for ever and for ever, and tak the kindom and poset for ever, wear storms shall never com.

My dear Jan [his daughter], I hop you will do all in your powr to mak your dear mother comfortobell; keep hor well haped both by day and night for it is verey stormey, and let hor hav som win or rom to noresh hor por bodey with, and I will tak car you shall be recompensed for all you do for your dear mother, and I will asur you it is not howt of sit howt of mind, for I rember you all at a thron of grace, both poblek and privat, and I well know that God that I sarv and loov, is a God that both hears and ansers prayer. Wen I hav don my work for theas two chapels I will com hover to see you and I hop to find you all in god helth both in bodey and sowl. Be sur you if anetheng showld hapen befor I com, right emeadeley and I will com emeadelety; and I cowld lik to hear from you: send me a lon leter, and let me now how your going hon in the best thengs. And wen I hav don my work I hentend to go to my dear frends at Polleton and the hoder cirket. I bless the Lord I hav plentey of work, and you know it is the work that I lov and it afords good wages – peas, goy, and lov. This morning I have been releving a por woman: she towld me she had seven cheldren, and thay had won pond of meat sins Kesomas day, and she mad a potatey py on the pond of meat and they had a feas, and I gav hor a shilling to by hor another pond of meeat with for to morow, and I never so a mor thenkfull creater in my lif: I would hav the por in Melkeldfeld [Micklefield] to be thenkfull, for thear is no sich sofers in Melkelfeld. I will asur you it leons me a leson of gratetude, – will we hav fod to heat wil hoders beg from dor to dor – Pras the Lord ho my sowl! for is marses endurs for ever and for ever. Bot I must conclud with my kind loov to all frends, and desirs a entrost in thar prayrs. Pleas to send me word if Mrs. Porter is ded, and let me now how my dear gronchild his, and if she can run with hor boney letell hand.
Samuel Hicks, Denby dall

818 words.

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• 📌Aberford (2) ·
• Blacksmith (5) ·
• Christmas (15) ·
• Denby Dale (1) ·
• Evangelicalism (7) ·
• Hick, Samuel (1758-1829) (3) ·
• Hunger (9) ·
• Methodism (38) ·
• 📌Micklefield (1) ·
• Nonconformism (47) ·
• 📌Penistone (8), market town and parish in South Yorkshire/the West Riding west of Barnsley ·
• Quakers (14) ·
• St Ricarius Church, Aberford (1) ·
• Yorkshire dialect (20) ·

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