Very cold weather, in the evening Julia and I went to Wootton Bridge, we called at Mrs. H. Williams’s and spent a short time with her, we arrived home about 9 o’clock.
The Diary of Mary Ann Denham
Wootton Bridge 1857 -1859
February 9th, 1858
Tuesday 9th February 1858
February 7th, 1858
Sunday 7th February 1858
Sexagesima Sunday* Julia and I went to Wootton Church, Mr Maddoc it was a delightful sermon,
In the afternoon Mr.G.C. and Miss. J. Brading drank tea with us, after tea we walked into St Thomas’s Church, Newport, arrived home about 9 o’clock.
* No longer officially marked by the Catholic Church, Sexagesima Sunday still shows up in some liturgical calendars. It is the second Sunday before the start of Lent, which makes it the eighth Sunday before Easter. Traditionally, it was the second of three Sundays (Septuagesima is the first and Quinquagesima is the third) of preparation for Lent. Sexagesima literally means “sixtieth,” though it only falls 56 days before Easter.
January 31st, 1858
Sunday 31st January 1858
Very wet weather, in the afternoon Julia went to Wootton Church. In the evening we remained at home.
January 24th, 1858
Sunday 24th January 1858
I and Julia went to Wootton Church. Grandma very ill with the spasms.
In the afternoon Mrs Read sent Grandma a recipe for the prevention of spasms.
In the evening Julia and I went to Newport for some medicine for Grandma.
Mother and I went to Newport, I also went to Shide for Grandma’s interest money.
In the afternoon Julia went to Newport, she arrived home about 7 o’clock.
January 21st, 1858
Thursday 21st January 1858
This evening Julia and I went into Newport to hear Mr. Henry Vincent deliver an oration at the Queens Rooms on the “Social foibles of English Life”. It was very interesting amusing and instructive, the room was very full. Mr. Bing sat in the chair. We enjoyed it very much indeed and arrived home about 1/4 past 11 o’clock – Mr. Christian at the Terrace departed this life one day last week.
January 20th, 1858
Wednesday 20th January 1858
Mother and Julia went to Ryde, they went and saw Miss Harriet Sherwood, Cousin William Uncle and Aunt and arrived home to Wootton Villa about 7 o’clock. I finished my crochet window blind.
January 18th, 1858
Monday 18th January 1858
Mother and I went to Newport. In the evening Julia and I went to Newport to the Queens Rooms. Rev. Dr. Cummings delivered a lecture on the bible. Its objection, general adaptions and chapters. The room was very much crowded. Mr. Hall from Parkhurst took the chair. Mr Ward, Mr. Smith and Mr. Froghatt and others was on the platform. The meeting closed about 9 o’clock.
January 17th, 1858
Sunday 17th January 1858
Julia and I went to Wootton Church – In the evening we went to St Thomas’s Church in Newport. Mr. Connor a very instructive sermon about Paul and his conversion; we arrived home about 9 o’clock.
January 16th, 1858
Saturday 16th January 1858
Julia and I went to Newport. Miss Jane returned from Compton.