The Diary of Mary (Dida) Hastings (b.1863 – d. 1947) (Part Two).

The diary entry covers the period 1880 to 1883 when the family resided at Hill Hall.

[Continued]

It was a huge kitchen – the ceiling reaching above the first floor, along which ran a passage where there was a window opening into it, so that the Lady of bygone days could give her orders
without having to move far from her boudoir. Just below the window was a shelf upon which stood every conceivable utensil in shining copper, some of which I possess. There was as cook, kitchen maid and scullery maid to keep all in order, and very necessary as we sat down every day to our mid-day meal not less than 20 in our dining-room. Papa and Mama had their dining-room for their breakfast and dinner on the other side of the house, a lovely room with a large bow window looking over the Weald of Essex between large elm trees From the kitchen was the scullery and then the larder, and one especially for game only. The gun room was just next to our parents' dining-room, and further along the passage led to the dairy. The pictures in my album out of “Country Life” and photos give a very good illustration of the "Hall" etc

From the lawn, on which stood lovely old cedar trees, a path led on one side to the “Rookery”, carpeted in spring with bluebells, and on the other side first came a large pond. which supplied the house with all the water for domestic purposes, and past this was a dear little wood where the primroses, anemones and violets grew. Here were our swings, and also a lovely seesaw, made with strong upright posts with several bars across for the tinies and older ones. whose delight it was to bump each other off, if they could, and roars of laughter when they did! It was all great fun.

All round these small woods was a path, surrounded by high iron railings which used to keep the deer out that ran about the park, and in our day the cattle. The drinking water was brought in a horse drawn water cart from a well just above the churchyard and stood in an archway leading from the stable yard. brought into the house in cans, and then into filters all about the place. In the beautiful old hall we burnt great logs of wood resting on iron dogs. How I love the smell of burning wood! Old Summers was the odd job man who kept it going. He also cleaned all the household boots and he 1iked telling me he always knew which were my boots, as I was such a clean walker, "just like your Pa!" Sometimes just to tease him, the boys would jump up and down in a muddy puddle, and other times when he brought in logs for the fire, they would lay in wait for him behind the pillars, then pounce out and lasso him! But as he was devoted to us all, he took it in good part.

The hall, of course, was the chief meeting room when the weather was bad and in the winter evenings, when we played games – chess, backgammon and draughts, but only “Snap” with cards, or build houses. Then there was the piano, which gave us so much pleasure, sometimes dancing, and other times stand round Jessie and sing the choruses of all the musical comedies of the day, the Gilbert and Sullivan being our favourites. Sometimes friends and cousins staying with us would sing solos. We were too young and nervous to attempt it then.

The grand staircase led out of the east side of the hall, but we never
used it and the door on the landing was kept locked. It opened into the Chinese room, so called as the walls were papered with hand-painted Chinese paper. The 4 boys al1 slept in this big room. To get to our rooms we all used a small staircase which led from the west passage up to the first floor; some turned to the right and others to the left and along the gallery which looked down into the hall, and on the other side windows opened onto the courtyard. At the end of the gallery was the Chinese room on the right and on the left was my room which Toodie shared with me. With me. Then came a dressing-room and then Queen Elizabeth’s room it was always called, with its beautiful four-posted bed, the curtains, valance, carpet, chair seats and wall-hangings in lovely hand needlework wall-flower shades on cream linen. Then came another dressing-room. All these rooms opened one into the other. Then the door from Queen E's room opened into the north passage, then came on the left the Letter ‘L’ room, so called because of its shape. Then the servants’ staircase which led to the attics and where the clock works were for the clock in the tower over the front door, which was kept in order by a man who came weekly to wind all the clocks in the house. There was a lovely grandfather one which played lovely chimes every quarter of an hour in the hall, but we enjoyed going up with Papa to the attic to listen to the "Tick Tack" and it gave the villagers the correct time every hour!

In the letter "L" room was a huge fireplace of stone left from the olden days, part of a large banqueting hall which ran the whole length of the passage, where there was another grand staircase for that side of the house. On the right was a room with a painting on the walls of the destruction of Sennacherib's army! Further along this passage several bedrooms and the nurseries. The family dining-room led off from the hall on the east side, then a drawing-room and then our schoolroom, with our ancestors, men and women, looking down on us sitting at a table which was a curio, made from a lovely oak tree, which had blown down in a gale: the table was a solid piece of
oak, the whole length and width of the tree and several inches thick.

Family group showing 13 of the 14 children. Mary is sitting on the chair on the far right.

In the drawing room a French window opened out into the rose garden. Above the door near the roof was a large carving in stone of the family coat of arms, and for years bees had settled behind it and had made pounds of honey! But Papa would not have them disturbed. One door of the schoolroom opened into the north passage, and just opposite was the library, and then several small rooms, butler's pantry and storerooms, till one came to the front door. All the windows along all the passages looked out onto the square courtyard
were glazed with very old, coloured glass of the Bowyer-Smyth crests and arms. A conservatory ran right across the yard from the front door to the hall, to spare people having to walk round the long passages.

And now there came a great break in our happy lives. Willie went to an agricultural college in Aspatria, Cumberland, as our parents thought he could then have one of the farms, but he never took to it. His one wish was to go into the army. The dear of Auntie Gyll came to stay with us and no doubt she saw that we girls and boys needed higher education (quite true), so the governesses left. Fee-fee was sent to the mercantile training ship, the "Worcester", as Papa loved the sea and sailors, and the three younger boys went to a good preparatory school in Spikernells, I think. Then Jessie, Toodie, Beatrice and I went to a boarding school in Sussex Square, Brighton. So Kitty and Leila, who never liked lessons stayed at home. So from that time we were only all together again in the holidays. Such a joy!

I forgot to say just before we broke up the happy childhood circle, the four elder girls were prepared for confirmation by our much liked and good Mr. Prance, our vicar. He lived in the village of Stapleford Tawney where his other church was. We had to walk across the fields about a mile to get to the vicarage for instruction. Mr Prance drove us to St. Albans where the confirmation took place. The ceremony made little impression on us, but we felt important, being all in white and long veils over our heads! Our parents and governesses never spoke about religion, but we learnt the commandments and read the bible before lessons every day and were trained in very high principles, which guided us all for our good in after life.

The Rectory at Stapleford Tawney, with the Revd. Prance and family (photo courtesy of Anne Padfield)

The children of Sir William Bowyer Smyth and Eliza Fechnie (nee Malcolm)

Nickname

William Baird born 1859 Willie.
Catherine born 1861 Kittie
Jessie born 1862 Jessie
Mary (author) born 1863 Dida
Eliza born 1864 Toodie
Leila born 1866 Leila
Beatrice born 1867 Beatty } twins
Edward born 1867 Fee-fee }
David Malcolm born 1869 Dee-dee/David
Henry born 1870 Witty/Henry
Frederick born 1871 Dick
Cicely born 1872 Cissy
Wilhelmina born 1875 Minnie/Vilma
Adela born 1878 Wee-wee.

[Mary married William Thomas Hastings on the 9th August 1947. She is buried in the churchyard at Theydon Mount.]