Great Shelford Mill (acrylic 2024)
As we uncover more of James Nutter’s life, read on to see what September had in store for him.
September starts with James assessing the delivery of new wheat: “New wheat today – some good generally better than expected but great complaint it yields little” (8th Sept). The good quality of the wheat bought from local farmers is a relief but the poor yield is causing concern as this means that the mills might run out of wheat to grind before the next harvest in August 1805.
Another worry is the “very hot and dry” weather and most of all the “water getting very short” (8th Sept) which means that the wheels of the mills might not be able to run the whole day long. In times of drought the two wheels of the Bishop’s mill and the King’s mill had to take turns, one running during the day and the other at night. The same applied to the two mills in Great Shelford which were also part of the business. After a visit to Great Shelford, James notes in his diary: ‘Oil mill off today and continued going day times all week. Flour mill on nights and a little on days” (3rd Sept). This is an example of sharing of renewable energy in early 19th century Cambridge. When water is in short supply, the mills have to alternate their use of it. The mills at Great Shelford produced oil from rapeseed to use in oil lamps (no electricity back then) as well as flour to make bread.
On Thursday 6th September James had a visit from a certain Mr Stewart who offered him the sale of Half Moon Yard. Half Moon Yard was a yard on Quayside and included a number of warehouses. One can forget that, for a long time, Cambridge was an important commercial port. Goods arrived from King’s Lynn on large boats and were then loaded onto smaller barges to be taken further up river. A warehouse on Quayside would have been an interesting prospect for James who notes in his diary that he does need more storage room. However after much thinking and a discussion with his father-in-law, who kindly went to inspect the yard, they both agree, on Monday 10th September, that he should decline the offer: “He [father-in-law] went to look at it and seeing bad condition it is in […] he agreed with me to let it alone”. The yard will be sold later at auction to someone else.
Another important event happens in September: James’ birthday! “My birthday – 41 years old in years […] another year’s catalogue of blessings” (9th Sept.). What does he do on his birthday? As it is Sunday he goes to church (Saint Andrew’s Baptist Church) where he reflects on his own mortality: “dependence and tendency to mortality”. Forty-one years old was a good age in 1804 as many poorer people did not live past their forties. After church James has “a good dinner” with his wife, nine children, father-in-law and the wife of the latter. Then comes “tea” after which he spends more time with his family before writing his diary entry. He also plays the organ between 8 and 9 pm before having a rather late supper. There is no mention of a birthday cake and candles. Such a tradition, it seems, only becomes popular in England during Victorian times. James’ diary entry nevertheless indicates that he had a very satisfying day with his family and male friends who also came to visit around 6pm and smoked pipes with him.
The rest of September is pretty much business as usual and eventless, except for the fact that the weather remains very hot: “dry weather very dusty and water very short” (21 Sept). This is very worrying for the business. October will bring some rain and will prove eventful with the spectacular psychotic episode of James’ dear friend, the Reverend Robert Hall. The diary describes this event in great details. Watch out for this account in our October blog.
Missed the first blog? Read our previous entry here: The Miller of Cambridge: A peek into James Nutter’s Diary – August 1804 – The Museum of Cambridge