2nd May 1944

Tuesday
Another brilliant warm day.  Called at home, Father seems to be better, but I ‘phoned Dr. Rowland to call to see him sometime. 

Busy all day on Committee matters.  Out at 5 to have tea with Diana, who was very charming.  Afterwards went to Holly Trees.  Poulter told me at great length about a selection of dresses and costumes belonging to the Miss Irwins in Lexden Road.  Dr. Rowland is anxious that the Museum should buy these.  The Miss Irwins and their old brother are now desperately poor, and Rowland wants to help them.  He is wonderfully good in cases of this sort, and takes endless trouble to get money for patients who are genuinely hard up.

Personally I don't see any point in the Museum acquiring any further dresses as there is not the slightest chance of exhibiting the ones which they have already got.  Quite 8 years ago Rowland got us a good selection of stuff from the Bunting family, but this has never yet been unpacked and is no doubt by now eaten by moths.  Nobody at the Museum has ever taken the slightest interest in costume but myself.

Poulter agrees that we don't need any more stuff, but Duncan Clark is very keen.  The Chairman ‘phoned me today about these things, so that I feel for the moment as if I was back in the Museum again.

Spent an hour in the Essex Archaeological Society Library, where of course I have really no right to be, as I am no longer a member of the Society.  Found an interesting reference in the “Essex Review” to the Stonehouse, stating that the drawings of it were preserved in two separate copies of Morant’s “Colchester”, one at Birch Hall and the other at the Royal Institution.  Must enquire about both of these, as they would be most valuable records with the plan and section in Mr. Russell’s Morant, at Kingsford.  Le Stonhous was a medieval stone building that had once stood in Colchester High Street.

While I was there, Poulter was looking at some shelves on the far side of the room and suddenly discovered the file of the Colchester prints, missing from the Muniment Room.  It was well hidden under a stack of books.  Hull must have hidden it there to keep it away from me, as it contained several prints marked “Laver, 1941”, which only he had handled.  Took the file down and replaced it on its shelf in the Muniment Room, and re-arranged the Essex Print Files, which Hull had put in complete disorder.

Boxted at 10.30.  ‘Planes going out, but not so many as last night.  Clouds coming over.