#ALentry: 13 oct 1832

[iredreamer]

Anne Lister’s diaries archive

For anyone who’s interested in seeing and reading (or at least trying to read) the actual Anne Lister’s diaries, the Huddersfield University and the West Yorkshire Archive Service have all her diaries (and other notes and papers). The quality is not always the best (some scans aren’t in HD) and Anne’s handwriting is really really bad at times (I absolutely can’t make out her plain hand)... You can find the Anne Lister’s collection > here & here

^ 5th of January 1834 and 6th of January 1834 (SH:7/ML/E/16/308)

I tried to decode some of the passages just for fun, a couple from 1832 (when Anne was courting Ann Walker), one from 1834 (the day of their reunion) and one from 1838 (their fourth anniversary).

^ October 3, 1832 > Lay awake an hour & a half thinking of Miss Walker. I really do get more & more in love with her not perhaps heightened by the having to wait her answer for the next six months – she has really behaved judiciously for I believe she likes me. (SH:7/ML/E/15/0125)

^ October 13, 1832 > Miss W– looked with a long face on my talking of going – in fact it is plain she likes me. She said what confidence she felt attached to me. I talked of the continent in a style of observation, amusing & rather exciting she lay down & I leaned over her kissing her as usual. After tea got more affectionate but on gently putting my hand up her petticoats she whispered “Don’t” & I desisted – she said I don’t know how she had suffered from it the other night – had not got the better of it yet – she was very tender there – I talked soothingly & affectionately, said how gentle I would be, expressed my anxiety for her health & she said she would go with me to York this month – she always sleeps with Catharine Rawson – goes to her (?) I joked & wanted her to come to me on Monday – “No, not then, it would not do” it would be better when we went to York – to sleep at Tadcaster going & returning. “Oh, oh” thought I, then we must get off – I must get my ordeal over (?) & let her try me & see whether I can make her happy enough or not. (SH:7/ML/E/15/0132)

^ January 6, 1834 > At twelve last night felt her on the amoroso. She thought me asleep and I pretended to be so till my fondness seemed to awake me. Pressed and partly grubblied and held her near me but had on my drawers – in fact I had as much a kiss as possible without absolute contact.(SH:7/ML/E/16/308)

^ February 10, 1838 > Plum pudding today - it struck me it was the tenth - the fourth anniversary of my connection, union (?) with A-. She had remembered to order the pudding yet to me made no allusion to the day. The thing struck me – how odd – said I to myself. (SH:7/ML/E/21/0040)

The code used by Anne (if you wanna decode bits of the diaries)

EDIT: if you’re having trouble navigating the archives.