Mary Ann Prout's Diaries
- Her Father
In 1877, the 16-year old Mary Ann Prout was writing in her diary, on 28th March:
"It is Father's birthday today. He is 56 today. Father is coming an old man now."
We have two snatches of Mary Ann's diaries, from 1st February, 1877 to 26th January, 1878 and from 22nd April to 27th August, 1882. Each excerpt fills one small exercise book, beginning and ending abruptly, indicating that they were only part of a continuing saga. What happened to the rest we can only guess, but it is in Mary Ann's diaries that we find what little we know about John James.
He is listed in the 1881 Census as a coal merchant and proprietor of apartments, in Vicarage, St. Agnes, but family lore suggests that he was originally a blacksmith and that would probably have been the trade he followed in Mexico.
The house in Vicarage, a district of St. Agnes, accommodated John James and Nancy, Mary Ann, her brother Thomas Abraham, Nancy's niece, Mary Ellen Pearce (her brother James's daughter), at least one permanent lodger (a doctor) and occasional paying guests, as well as various family visitors when necessary. In many poorer households, whole families of children were crowded into one room, often in one bed, head to tail, or squeezed into any corner which could be found. The departure of a girl into service was often as welcome for the extra space it left as for the fact of at least one fewer mouth to feed.
In the first section of the diary, written when she was 16, Mary Ann seldom refers to either of her parents. We are three weeks into it before John James gets a mention at all.
"Tuesday, 20th February. Rain nearly all day and very stormy. There is a vessel come in over to Peran today. It is wrecked. All lives drowned. It was loaded with coals. What a pity but what it came into our beach. Their lives might have been saved. It is supposed that it is a French vessel. Lots of people went over to see it. Father went over in the morning and Tom (then aged 10) went over in the afternoon with J. Stevens and Mast. J. Curnow. It was called Annie Moro of Grenfeld.
Today there is no quay at Trevaunance, the little cove below St. Agnes, though the remains of one can still be seen. However, from Mary Ann's comments the harbour was functioning in 1877 and the coal John James sold was probably shipped there from Swansea.
Most devout Methodists would have attended chapel at least once on Sundays, and often twice or three times. In her accounts of her own assiduous attendances, Mary Ann faithfully records who preached, who prayed (aloud), who spoke, but John James is never among them. Remembering later Prouts, his descendants, I wonder if he was something of a freethinker.
However, on Friday, 30th March, 1877, Good Friday, the family all attended services, but not together.
"Friday 30th March. Showery weather. It is Good Friday today. Mr Callier preached in the morning. I did not go. In the afternoon Miss Waters came and we went up to Beacon. Mr W.Peters carried on the meeting. It was a very nice meeting. Father went up to Goonown to a Fellowship meeting and Mother went down to Church to a service of song. I went to Chapel in the evening. Mr Warburton preached a nice sermon."
Mary Ann does not often mention her father and mother going anywhere together. However, then as now, there is nothing like a funeral for getting folks together.
"Tuesday, 3rd April, 1877(rainy weather) We are washing today. Mr Stephens buried this afternoon. Father and Mother went to funeral."
A month later John James and Nancy attended another funeral together, and no doubt combined it with some reminiscing over their Mexican days:
"Wednesday, 2nd May D.W. Father, Mother and M.E. (her cousin, Mary Ellen Pearce) went to Mr Scoble's funeral today. They also went to see a man that came home from Mexico last month. The man's name is David Shenoal. They went in Mr Cocking's carriage."
A lecture, which must have greatly interested all the family in view of their own six or seven year sojourn in the country, took place in Goonown schoolroom in January, 1878.
"Monday 21st January. Feast Monday. Mr Rabling gave his lecture on his capture in Mexico this evening in Goonown schoolroom. He stopped to our house."
John James had an interest in shipping, and in the early 1880s, himself invested money in a boat, but the venture seems to have been ill-starred, and there was great relief when he eventually managed to sell his share in 'The Willie'. Mary Ann records:
"April 22nd, 1882 Mother sent a telegram to Truro for Father to meet Mr. Brent at Scorrier and sent Robert's trap to station for them. They went from Scorrier to Perran to see The Willie and then came back here. I do hope he will buy her.
Monday 24th. Mr. Brent came here this evening and brought a Capn. with him. He came from Perran first and then walked here. I believe he has bought three-quarters of The Willie. They did not leave here until after 10 o'clock. Against they got back to Perran the people had gone to bed.
Thursday, 27th Father has a vessel with some coals for him. They are unloading the vessel today.
Sunday 30th. Not so stormy today. Had a letter from Tom. Father walked to Perran this morning to see The Willie and back again against 9 o'clock.
Saturday, 6th May Father came home from Perran this evening. The Willie is not gone out yet.
Sunday, 7th May. The Willie is come in here to Quay tonight. What a good job. Better than we expected. Mr Witchell and two young men from Perran came over in her.
Monday, 8th May. Father has left this evening in The Willie for Padstow.
Wednesday, 10th May. Father came home tonight. Mr Brent has bought three-quarters of The Willie, gave £180 for it. How glad I am that it is sold."
From Mary Ann's obvious relief at knowing that his share of the vessel was safely sold, it is likely that the family finances hung in the balance. There is no further mention of the boat.
Mary Ann and her father appear to have drawn somewhat closer by the second diary, written in 1882 when she was 21.
"Wednesday, 17th May. Father and me went to Truro today. The Buss was very full. I bought a hat, window curtains and several other things. I changed two pairs of ear-rings made with coins for two bracelets into Letchers."
The 'buss' would have been a horse-drawn vehicle. The ear-rings were probably a memento of the years spent in Mexico.
"Thursday, 25th May, 1882. Mr Bennetts walked here this afternoon. He walked from St. Day to Perran and then walked here. He is going to leave for Bolivia on Monday next. We have sent a parcel by him for Johnny (Mary Ann's elder brother). I hope he will get it. He rode home with Uncle Thomas Mitchell. Father and me went up to Goonown tonight and heard a lecture delivered by Rev. Jones on Hugh Latimer and the times in which he lived. A very interesting lecture."
Mr Bennetts pops up again in the diary of Mary Ann's future husband. A fortnight later, on June 7th, Mary Ann records:
"Father is very poorly. Mother went down to doctor's and had a bottle of medicine for him and have put a bag of hot salt on his back."
and on Friday, 9th June, she writes:
"Father still very unwell."
but she is considerably more concerned about her 'Jumbo' (a pet cat or dog), and with reason, as poor Jumbo died that night. John James, however, had recovered enough in a couple of weeks to venture abroad again.
"Friday, 23rd June Father went to Redruth today. Thomas Henry came home with him."
Thomas Henry appears to be one of the numerous cousins, quite possibly a son of Nancy's brother, Thomas Henry Pearce, who was in Mexico. The young Thomas Henry returned to Redruth with John James on 7th July, and John James brought back a Wesleyan hymn book with tunes for Mary Ann, and in the evening they all went to Goonown.
"Father, Mother and me" to hear "the Rev. Telfer deliver a lecture on his visit to Canada, and memories of the falls of Niagara." John James may have been head of the household, but it is not his influence which comes through in the diaries. Reigning over the house at Vicarage, managing husband, children, niece, lodgers and visitors, and keeping an eye on the business, was Nancy.
Next chapter - Her Mother
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