In the morning I went up to Mr Burgess’s in order to call him to go to Waldron according to appointment, but while I was a-staying for getting himself ready, Mary Vinal came in there and informed us she was with child by the man to whom she had been twice asked and yesterday forbid, upon which I ordered her to go to Mr Courthope’s to swear the father, which she readily agreed to.
We then proceeded to Waldron and went to Nicholas Attwood’s where we could not agree up our affair upon any other terms than what they offered us the 17th (and what in reality was just). Then Mr Attwood and we set out for. Uckfield where we arrived about 12:40. We dined at the Maiden Head on some mutton chaps… After dinner we laid our affair before Mr Courthope (in order to abide by his arbitration). He adjudged that we must give security to the parish of Waldron to pay them 18d per week so long as the child shall be chargeable to their parish of Waldron, or be by us otherwise provided for, and also to pay the sum of forty shillings in part to defray the expenses of her lying-in. We then applied to Mr Charles Thornton, attorney, to make out a bond, which he did upon the aforesaid terms. Mr Burgess and I signed the same and took up our note that we gave to Mr Bonwick and Mr Attwood the 17th instant.
I found Mary Vinal had, according to her promise, been with Mr Courthope and sworn that the child she was now pregnant of was begot on her by Richard Parkes, husbandman of the parish of Ringmer, upon which I took out a warrant to apprehend the said Parkes.
We came home about 6 o’clock and I immediately went down to Jones’s, there being a public vestry. (notice thereof being given yesterday). It was the unanimous consent of all that as at the vestry; viz., Thomas Turner, Joseph Burgess, Joseph Fuller, Will Piper, Joseph Durrant and Jeremiah French, to give to Thomas Daw, upon condition that he should buy the houses in the parish of Waldron which he has some time been treating for (by reason he then would be an inhabitant of Waldron and clear of our parish, it being a purchase of £55),
| half a tun [ton] of iron | 10.0.0, |
| 1 chaldron coals etc. | 2.0.0, |
| In cash | 8.0.0 |
| 20.0.0, |
and find him the sum of £20, which he is to pay interest for; also for Joseph Burgess to go tomorrow with him to Mrs Browne’s at Pemberry to buy the said house, a fine present for a man that has already about the value of £80. But yet I believe it a very prudent step in the parish, for he being a man with but one leg (and very contrary withal), and his wife being entirely deprived of that great blessing, eyesight, there is great room to suspect there would, one time or other, happen a great charge to the parish, there being a very increasing family. And I doubt the man none of the most prudent ones, he having followed smuggling very much in time past, which I doubt has brought him into a trifling, lazy way of life.
Mr Burgess and I spent on the parish account as under (all of which he paid except 14½d):
| To half the charge of the bond | 0.3.10 |
| To half the dinner, drinking etc. | 0.1.11¼ |
| To half the horses | 0.0.2¾ |
| Ostler | 0.0.1½ |
| Turnpike | 0.0.4 |
| Spent at Waldron | 0.0.7 |
| Mary Vinal’s examination and warrant | 0.2.0 |
| 0.9.0½ |
My wife at home very busy today in putting up the goods for the audit.