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In the morning Master Elphick and his son John brought over my hay. Thomas Davy assisted us in getting of it into the hay-loft. Master Elphick, his son and the postman breakfasted with us. I gave Master Elphick 4/- for bringing over the hay… After dinner Mr Thawyer came in, who ate some cold peas… About 4 o’clock I went down to Joseph Fuller’s and balanced accounts with him and received of him 8/- in full… I stayed and drank tea at Mr Fuller’s, but was sent for home to Mr John Bulcock, Messrs Thomas and Joseph Masfen’s rider, to whom I paid 4.17.0 in full on account of Messrs T. and J. Masfen to this day.

After Mr Bulcock went away, Mr F. Elless and I walked down to the Nursery. My business was to get some money of Edmund Elphick, but could not. Never, never was money so scarce as now. We came home about 8 o’clock. As we went along, we laid 1 lb of gingerbread concerning the length of the church field footway. I laid it was 38 rods, and he that it was not. So accordingly as we came home, we measured it and found it to be 39 rods and 3 feet; so I won this great but innocent wager, a far more prudent one than had it been £100. This day Mr Porter’s daughter was baptized, by the name of Elizabeth

At home all the morning. Dined at home on a piece of pork and peas. After dinner went over to Framfield to haying where we got in all our hay, which was 3 little jobs, or about 2 loads besides hat I ordered to come to my house. Our hayers were Ed Wood, Moses Turner, Mary Elphick and myself. John Elphick carried it. But at the last we had plenty of help come; viz., William Stone, Robert Tyler, David Brooker and Ed Rowles. What I designed to have brought over I had loaded and carried into Master Elphick’s barn. Gave my mother’s maid 6d. Came home about 10 o’clock.

At home all the forenoon. Dined on the remains of the venison pie with some beans and pork. Gave all Roger Vallow’s children a dinner, there being four of them. After dinner I went over to Framfield where we got up in cock the remains of the grass that was in swath. Our hayers were Ed Wood, Moses Turner, Mr Elphick and myself. Drank tea at my mother’s. Came home about 9 o’clock but was wet through a-coming home.

Lucy Mepham breakfasted with us, and after breakfast I went over to Framfield where I hayed all day and carried 3 loads. Dined at my mother’s on some pork, mutton, peas and cold plum pudding… I came home about 9:30. Our hayers were E. Wood, B. Hammond, Mr. Elphick, Mr. Turner and myself. John Elphick carried it. As I went in the morning, I called at Mr French’s, but he was not at home.

My wife and I at church in the morning… Bett Fuller dined with us on a piece of bacon and pork with green peas, a venison pie and batter pudding. After dinner our maid went over to Framfield. My wife and I at church in the afternoon… After churchtime my wife and I went up to Mr Joseph Burgess’s and drank tea there and stayed till between 9 and 10. But I think I never saw children humored more to their ruin than theirs, Mrs Virgoe’s excepted. I this day heard of the loss of Fort St Philip and the whole Island of Minorca after being possessed by the English nation 47 years and after being defended 10 weeks and 1 day (to wit, from the 18^th of April to the 28th of June) by that truly brave and heroic man General Blakeney. At last he was obliged to surrender for want of provision and ammunition. No man, I think, can deserve a brighter character in the annals of fame than this. But, oh, he was, as one may justly say, abandoned by his country, who never sent him any succor! Never did the English nation suffer a greater blot than in this affair, nor, I doubt, a greater blow. Oh, my country, my country! Oh, Albion, Albion! I doubt thou art tottering on the brink of ruin and desolation.

This day Thomas Roase and Catherine Clarke were out asked.

In the morning after breakfast went down to Mr French’s to get him to bring me from Lewes ½ oz cauliflower seed, and when I came there, I found Mr French, his servants and Thomas Fuller a-catching of rats; so I stayed and assisted them about 3 hours, and we caught nearly 20. The method of catching them was by pouring of water into their burrows, which occasioned them immediately to come out, when either the dogs took them or we killed them with our sticks. Just as we had done, Mr John Vine came in. We stayed about ½ an hour and came all away together, Mr Vine and T. Fuller coming, round by our house and only for the sake of a dram.

What a surprising thing it is that a man of Mr Vine’s sense and capacity should so much give way to the unruly dictates of a sensual appetite! Mr Vine, as we came along from Mr French’s, was making several observations with regard to good economy in husbandry. We said that man who went the road a-timber-carrying etc. never hurt his horses if he did not overload them, and he very plainly demonstrated that going with a light load turned out most to the master’s advantage in time; therefore he must of consequence get more money by light loading than heavy. He also observed that the only way to eradicate the weed vulgarly called “kilk” out of the ground was by pulling it up, for was it once permitted to stand to seed, it would be difficult to get it out of the ground because every time it was plowed, and the seed turned up to the surface of the ground, it would then grow. He said he had been credibly informed by gardeners that the seed would lie in the ground 50 years, which he in some respect confirmed by the following instance of his own observation: he sowed a border in one part of his garden with lettuce, some of which he let stand and seed. But he never tilled the border nor did anything to it for 3 years, nor all the time had he any appearance of any young lettuces, as might justly have been expected to spring from the seed that must consequently have shed itself. But at the expiration of 3 years, when they came to till the border again, they had as fine a crop of lettuces as if the border had that year been sown with new seed. He also observed that ground designed to sow wheat on, if it be laid up fallow and exposed to the summer sun and well stirred, it will mend more than a coat of lime and the beat method that can be taken to destroy weeds…

After dinner I went down to Messrs Merrick’s and Rothfield’s for some scythes which were brought from Lewes and left there for me.

In the morning received a letter which came by the post yesterday and which contained Waite’s bill on me, drawn payable to Mr George Kemp of Lewes, and for which Mr Thomas Scrase paid the 6.15.0 I gave him yesterday. This is in full of all accounts due to Mr Waite.

About 9 o’clock I walked over to Framfield and dined at my mother’s on a boiled leg of mutton and a piece of pork. After dinner I went and hope [helped] ‘em hay and sold to Edward Wood the hay or grass in the little field, together with the brushing round the great field, all as it stands, for 4/-. The rain coming on that we could not hay long, my mother and I balanced accounts remains due to me, for which sum my mother gave me her note of hand dated from the 24th of June last and payable on demand, with interest for the same at 4 percent per annum. And also there remains still due to me the money for that parcel of cheese sent her the 3lst of January last, that not being put in this account, which amounted with carriage to 10.2.10. Stayed and drank tea and rode home in the evening… Our hayers were Edward Wood, M. Turner, M. Elphick and myself.