June 1st.-36 persons from Mirfield confirmed at Wakefield. Saturday, June 13.-Trinity flood. This was preceded by a violent storm and lightning.

August 21st.-Died at Kirklees, Sir Samuel Armytage, Bart., aged 52.

Fine harvest weather and a plentiful crop, scanty of apples and nuts.

1748. A new stone wall erected on the north side of the Moor. Locusts in Mirfield and other parts of this kingdom. July 14th.-A great solar eclipse.

1742. August 7th.-An extraordinary Aurora Borealis at Mirfield.

July 9th.-A remarkable whirlwind near the Vicarage. 1750. A violent storm of thunder and lightning at Mirfield. 22nd. A fiery meteor. A hot dry summer at Mirfield. This year has been remarkable for earthquakes and ye A. Borealis.

February 26th.-A violent storm of wind and rain. 1751. A wet summer and late harvest.

1752. January.-A great snow this month for 11 days together.

1753. March.-A great wind for 8 days together. June.-Riots about turnpikes in Yorkshire.

1754. Feb. 26th.-A meteor seen at Mirfield.

April 19. The shock of an earthquake felt at Mirfield, Leeds, York, &c.

A hard frosty winter, a cold sharp spring, a wet summer and a fine autumn.

Chin cough and small-pox in Mirfield.

Eatables of all sorts extravagantly dear in ye spring.

1755. Multitudes of earwigs about the houses in Mirfield and other places. A very wet and cold summer, harvest and

autumn.

Oct. 15th.-Gave tickets to 132 persons to be confirmed at Halifax by Dr. Edward Keen, Bishop of Chester, who confirmed 2,600.

Nov.-Several acres of land in and about Mirfield, rendered too wet and incapable of being sown with wheat this season. 1753. 21 children died of small pox and only 2 of chin cough.

1754. Of ye small-pox and chin cough 11.

1755. Nov. 1st.-A most dreadful and extensive earthquake in Portugal and various parts of Europe.

Several ponds and lakes violently agitated in many parts of England.

1756. Tempests, storms, hurricanes, thunder, lightning, and other Phenomena have never been known so frequent throughout Great Britain as in the winter 1755-6.

Feb. 6th.-Fast day for the earthquakes at Lisbon.

Feb. 14th.-Died Mrs. Eltoff, of Ledstone, Yorkshire, aged 114, she retained her senses till within a few hours of her death. Feb. 28th.-Died G. Wilcock, Bishop of Rochester, &c. May 8th.-Fairs opened in Yorkshire for ye sale of horned cattle, being prohibited for upwards of nine years.

May 18th.-War declared against ye French in London.
May 25th.-War proclaimed against ye French at Leeds.
June 4th.-A most violent storm of hail, &c.

16th. War declared against ye English by the French. 24th.-Much lightning in ye evening, it continued for some time in a continual blaze at Mirfield.

May 28th.-The Port of St. Philips in the Island of Minorca surrendered to the French.

July 5th.-Apple and Plum trees in blossom a second time this year in my garden.

July 22nd.-The Marine Society Instituted in London. The price of wheat began to advance, which occasioned mobs to arise in different parts of ye kingdom.

Oct. 7th. A very extraordinary and extensive hurricane about 1 in the morng.

Nov. 25th.-Died Mr. Thos. Clarke, Rector of Kirkheaton and Swillington, aged 81.

1757. March 14th.-Admiral Byng shot on board ye Monarque.

16th. A great hurricane of wind at Liverpool, Chester, &c., by which much damage was done by sea and land.

19th.-Died in ye Parish of Tadcaster, John Shepherd, aged 109. He had lived in a cave on Bramham Moors many years. Sept.-Riots in several places about the Militia Act.

26th.-A Comet appears about this time.

30th. Died at Bath, David Hartley, M.D. and F.R.S., aged 53.

Sept. 15.-A great riot at Manchester.

Oct. 19th.-Died at Constantinople, Sultan Osman, Grand Signor and Emperor of the Turks.

Seven battles fought by ye King of Prussia this year, besides ye siege of Prague and a great number of skirmishes.

A very droughty hot summer.

All sorts of grain and provisions at an excessive and extravagant price.

1758. Jan. 29th.-Died at Moor Town, near Leeds, James Goodrich, aged 104.

A new workhouse erected and opened in Mirfield, in May. An Act of Parliament obtained, for extending ye navigation of ye river thro' Mirfield to Sowerby Bridge.

Aug. 9th.-A Confirmation at Wakefield by the Bishop of St. Asaph.

22nd. The new Market house for coloured cloth was opened at Leeds.

July 27th.-A great flood about Wigton, in Cumberland. Nov. 26th.-A remarkable meteor seen at Newcastle, &c. Dec. 29th.-A ball of fire seen at Colchester, moving N.E. Dec. 20th.-Died at Ealand, Mr. Rd. Detly, aged 58. this memorable and glorious year we had a plentiful crop, and have seen ye British Flag restored to its Ancient dignity, by being victorious in almost every part of ye world.

1759. A dry Summer and Autumn.

A malignant fever in Mirfield, which continued six years. Jan. 27th.-An Ox was lately, killed at Lowther Hall, which weighed 34 stone and a quarter, and had 19 stone of tallow taken out of him.

July 5th.-A parhelion seen about the setting of the sun at Mirfield.

Sept. 2nd.-Died at Thornhill, Mr. Samuel Sandford, Rector of ye Church.

Nov. 4th.-Died of a singular malady, Mr. Wm. Turner, of Blakehill, aged 46, Mirfield.

Nov. 10th.-An hurrican of wind at Mirfield.

A dry Summer.

Dec. 31st.-A lunar iris observed from my door at the Vicarage Great and glorious conquest made by ye British Troops in America.

1760. Jan. 16th.-A child shot by an accident at Mirfield. A hot droughty summer; there was ye greatest mortality this year in Mirfield that has happened since that of 1681, (?1631), when the plague raged in this parish. Many persons were cut off in their full strength, and some in ye vigour and bloom of their age, by an eruptive epidemical fever, which seized upon me the 5th September, and confined me to my bed for ye space of ye 14 days, my life being in great danger from ye violence of ye distemper.

May 9th.-Died at Hermuth in Silesia, Count Zinzendorff, founder and head of ye Moravian sect. His son consecrated the conventicle at Wellhouse, in Mirfield, 16th March, 1755.

Oct. 25th.-Died K. George 2nd, in the 77th year of his age, and 34th of his reign.

26th.-K. George 3rd proclaimed.

Sep. 19th.-Effect of a most surprising flow of water at Brackenthwaite, in Cumberland.

1761. Jan. 1st.-A dreadful hurricane of wind at the N.W. in ye night.

11th.-Died of a lingering illness, Mr. Joseph Wheeler, Vicar of Dewsbury.

9th. The quarter Sessions appointed to be held at Wakefield were postponed on account of the epidemical distemper raging in that town.

29th.-Died at Mirfield, Mr. Edward Darly, Attorney at Law, aged 34.

April 30th.-(Ascen. Day) I read ye Divine Service and christened 19 children at ye font in Mirfield Ch. before dinner. 1762. Feb. 21st.-Shrove Tuesday. A dreadful tempest of wind and snow p.m., by ye severity of which many persons perished.

July 14th.-A violent storm of thunder, hail, &c., at Kirklees and its environs. The hailstones were as large as pigeon's eggs, measuring three or four inches, by which great damage was done to corn, fruit, and windows. An excessive droughty summer, this month and last ye drought and heat of ye season was so great that several moors and peat mosses took fire and burnt underground for many miles together.

An intense frost began Dec. 23rd, 1762, and continued to Jan. 29th, 1763.

Feb. 10th, 11th, 12th.-A great fall of snow with a severe frost. Mar. 22nd.-Peace proclaimed in London.

May 13th.-Do. at Mirfield.

14th.-A B. of York confirms at Wakefield, and treats ye clergy. 78 persons confirmed from this Parish. Three floods in Mirfield in Christmas-week.

1763. An excessive wet summer.

Turnpike road made through Mirfield.

1764. The river through Mirfield made navigable.

Feb. 26th, 27th.-A great fall of snow.

Mar. 4th. An illumination from E. to S.

April 1st.-A great solar eclipse.

May 11th.-A B. of York's primary visitation of ye clergy. He treats ye clergy.

Oct. 11th.-The Archdeacon's visitation at Wakefield.

1768. The yew tree now growing near the south-east corner of the churchyard was planted by Thos. Sherrd, clerk, 5th Nov., 1673, as appears by an entry in the parish register. The other two (yew trees) are so very ancient that no man living can remember them in a youthful state.

SOME ACCOUNT OF THE PARISH OF MIRFIELD (By Mr. Ismay), TO A FRIEND IN CUMBERLAND.

1755.

MIRFIELD, ager ad ericetum, a manor lying near a heath or moor, as ager eboracensis, Yorkshire. The parish is situated on the sides of two hills, between which a fine river runs through it.

Over the river, which is called Calder, are two bridges, one of them stands on eight wooden piers, and measures above 282 feet in length.

There are three corn mills here, and the same number for pulling of broad cloth, which is manufactured here and in the neighbouring towns. This is a large populous village, and, in general, is well built. It is bounded on the North by the parish of Birstal, to the South by the parishes of Thornhill and Kirkheaton, and to the East by Dewsbury, and to the West by the Parochial Chapelry of Hartshead.

It is about two miles in breadth from W. to E., two and a half miles from N. to S.; and in circumference near eight miles. It is divided into six hamlets, and contains about 3,000 acres of land, viz: 2,000 of arable, 400 of waste or common, and 600 of woodland. Sir George Savile, of Rufford, Notts., Bart., is Lord of the Manor. There is a fair or feast on Ascension Day, held near the Vicarage. The price of provision is variable. Wheat is sold at present for 19s. 6d. per load, i.e. 24 gallons, which is your Cumberland bushel. It is sold at 4s. 6d. statute measure, three of which makes your Wakefield load. Barley is at 20s. per quarter; Oatmeat is £1 3s. 6d. per load. i.e. 5s. per bushel, or 15s. the Cumberland bushel.

The load consists of 9 strokes, containing 36 gall., which is one bushel and a half of your measure. Beef is from 24d. to 3d. per Ib.; mutton and veal about the same price at different seasons of the year; butter from 5d. to 6d., and cheese from 3d. to 4d. per Ib.

The number of houses are about 405, and allowing 5 persons to each house, the number of inhabitants will be 2,175. Land is let in general for about 30s. per acre, taxes included. A roasting pig is sold for 2s.; a turkey and goose at Christmas 2s. 6d. each; a green goose 1s. and 1s. 6d. or 1s. 8d. at the latter end of the harvest; chickens 4d. generally; a hen 7d. and ducks 8d. Agistment or pasture for cows and fat cattle is 35s. or £2. Hay is 24d. or 3d. per stone, or sometimes 6d. Much Clover is grown in the parish and made into hay. There is no copyhold land, but upwards of 40 freeholders in the parish. Day labouring men's wages is 12d., carpenters and masons 1s. 3d. tailors 6d. and their victuals; men servants for husbandry 7d., clothiers 5d., maids about 50s. per annum. There are about 100 pair of looms for weaving of broad cloth, 200 persons employed in making of cloth, 400 in carding, spinning, and preparing wool for the looms, consequently no less than 600 persons are employed in the woollen manufacture carried on in this place.

The Church is not large, but it has two aisles and two galleries, which in the summer season can but just contain ye number of persons that attend divine worship. It was enlarged, and the N. side new built in the year 1666.

It is now 74 feet long and 39 in width. There is a tower steeple 47 feet high, which contains eight musical bells, which