Nicholas Walton senior (1703 – 1795) was appointed as one of the joint Receivers for the Greenwich Hospital’s Northern Estates in 1735, on the recommendation of Colonel George Liddell, to serve alongside Hugh Boag. Walton was born at Blagill in Alston Moor, one of ten children of Nicholas Walton, Vicar of Alston, and his wife Susannah Fetherstonhaugh. At the time of his appointment as Receiver he was working as a colliery viewer, particularly in conjunction with Amos Barnes, and seems to have had connections with Sir Henry Liddell of Ravensworth Castle, Colonel Liddell’s nephew. The Receivers worked from an office at Ravensworth Castle, and Walton lived at Farnacres on the Ravensworth estate. While the Greenwich Hospital estate’s conditions and revenues were being rebuilt after 1735 following the mismanagement of the previous ten years, the Receivers took a “poundage” of 1s in the pound on gross estate receipts. Later this reduced to 6d in the pound. From their poundage, the Receivers were to nominate and pay the court-keepers and bailiffs. During his tenure as Receiver, Walton continued to practice as a colliery viewer; there are at least thirteen written opinions and estimates by him and colleagues dating between 1734 and 1748 in the collections of the Mining Institute. He worked particularly with Amos Barnes. On Nicholas’s retirement in 1759, his son Nicholas Walton junior (1732-1810) took over his post, which he occupied almost until his death, a period of 50 years.
Ian Hancock
