Journal entry – John Grey – 1 Nov 1834

Proposed arrangements of the Dilston Farms - to accompany a place for the consideration of the Commissioners.  



Haugh Farm - Pink -  containing 336 acres

This would make an excellent, compact & most desirable farm, with a powerful threshing machine driven by water, & a turnpike road running along the side from one extremity to the other, passing by the offices in the centre of the farm.  



Newtown Farm - Blue - containing 391 acres

The high part of this farm is necessarily broken into by the Snokoe Woods, but the offices in this arrangement are more central than at present. The whole would have the benefit of a threshing machine by water, whereas at present there is a horse power at the south farm, the good land in the low part at the south farm is most conveniently intersected by public roads for conveying the produce & manure to & from the offices, & the high lands, which is of an inferior description, is of more value, connected with the good land below, than if occupied above.  



The Park Farm - Nursery & Mill Lands, now under Lease, are left uncolored.  

The field called Cow <South> would have been a desirable appendage to the Receivers House, to have kept it in grass, being flush under the windows, instead of being in tillage, & the Miller might have been equally well accommodated by going into the Letchside close <Back> as the Haugh Farm was not at liberty when the Mill was last let, & there seemed to be an objection to accommodate the Receiver’s residence by any addition of land, I did not propose it.  



The Receiver’s Ground - viz - Hall Banks, Dilston Green & <Hog…> Close, all also left uncolored.   

The piece of new road, which, I obtained the Boards permission to make, being much shorter & more level that the old, is painted green, & the old roads to be taken up, are scored across with pink.  This ground is all in grass, a part of it is very steep on the banks of the river, & much shaded by old ash & chestnut trees, which add much to the beauty of the place, but are very injurious to it as pasture ground.   To this I should like to add the four fields, left also uncolored until it shall be decided how they are to be occupied viz  <Round> Heads which is meadow & should not be ploughed.   Between Towns & East & West Bulls Closes, which are now in tillage & in wretched order, leaving <preu…> a part of old Teasdale’s farm. Those I should propose to keep in a course of tillage to obtain turnips & litter for my cows & horses in winter or if thought too much, a part of East Bulls close might be annexed to the adjoining farm Head, dotted with pencil.  The northern boundary of the field called Dilston Green is a ragged wall that had been built without lime, & standing along the ridge of the hill, obstructs the view into the vale, besides being a bad place & an ugly object.  I should therefore propose to be allowed to remove it a short way down the hill, to the situation where the field line is now drawn, which would much improve the appearance of the place by keeping the fence out of sight & laying open the country below.   This would take an acre or perhaps a fraction more, from the Haugh farm & lay it to my grass land, which of course I should willingly pay the rent of.   Leaving it to the Board to fix the rent that I ought to pay for that & the other fields , should I be allowed to occupy those,  by valuation of neutral persons, the average of the Newtown farm, to which it joins, or in any way they may think proper.  



Hall’s Nook - Orange - is let to Mr Birch along with the <houses> I now occupy. 



Hall farm - Yellow - containing 146 acres.  

This is generally very poor land, especially the three fields called the Fell closes and allotment, which are covered with heath & grass of base quality & are not worth cultivating.  This land with a barn, fold yard & as at the Hall farm, might be occupied with equal advantage, as an off farm, for young stock, by the tenant of any of the adjoining farms, who might have capital & inclination to take it.  I should therefore advise that it be advertised separately & left open to all. 



Bridge Haugh & Beds Flat - Lilac - containing <28 or 25>.3.26

I have before stated my objection that from the quality of the soil, & their contiguity to Corbridge Railway, these fields would bring a greater rent, to be occupied as garden ground than as attached to a farm, which objection is confirmed by the offer of Thos. Harle, a substantial Man, who wants no outlay in building, & whose offer would have been still higher if I would have undertaken to indemnify him against loss by floods, but which I consider it much better to avoid.



Long Dales & Doepath - Green containing  30.3.30

This land I consider to be of greater value, as appended to the small farm of Corbridge at the other end of the Bridge, than to any of the Dilston farms. a part of that farm having been sold off to Sir <B> Blackett, left the remainder too small to give occupation to the horses which it is notwithstanding necessary to keep.   The Barn - machine & offices are all calculated for more land than belongs to it, or each than it would have after the addition of these two fields, although to add more at present might exceed the capability of the present tenant, who is however, a good manager.  Should this arrangement not be approved of there will be no difficulty in <letting> them to the New Town farm. 



Plots let on building Lease - Dark yellow - containing 2.0.4

Railway - yellow.  New turnpike from Dilston Bridge to Corbridge. 





To accompany the list of farms now to let



Newlands Haugh farm, as now arranged

Valued at £255 a year.   Fewster offers £247.  This is not an unfair offer, considering that will have to lead to some new Buildings.  But would likely give £250 or 255 by treaty .



Dilston Farms - no offers.



Thornbrough Town Farm.  Valued at 781. High Barns rent 275 = £1056. Scott consents to give

£1060 which I consider a full rent, this a good farm, but burthened with every kind of Tythe & heavily rated to the Poor. 



Newton Hall - The Tenant offers only £230 which is much too low.



Whittle -  valued at £290.  Deduct Tythes  33£ <.… to p… £2> leaves 255 which Spraggon consents to give.



Newlands Mill & Farm. Makepeace Lee offers £128. The Receivers valuation was £130 which he thinks would be a high rent, but he would likely give it.



West Farm -  valued at £212. <Soplich> offers 200£ probably give 210 or 212 by treaty.



Lawsons Farm - Valued at £177.18.0.  Wilkinson’s offer 160£ but now consents to give £180, the Smith’s shop & cottage being included. 



Whittonstall Hill farm - valued at £232. Hunter offered £220 but returned two days after & offered £230. He will no doubt give my valuations £232.



Sproats farm - Harrison took it last year, but refused to sign a Lease finding that he had taken it too high.



High Field - valued at £274.  Hunter offered £260. But sent today to let me know that he would give £270 rather than be put out.  He will give £270. 



Fairle Farm - valued at 248.18.8.  Taylor offers £240.  But will likely give £250 if treated with.



Gray Mare Hill - valued at £123.  Robinson offers £120 and to continue to pay £20 for working the poor seam of coal to supply the <Ba….t>.  He has done so much to improve the farm must have lost so much by it, that I think he should have it at his offer.



Public House & Blacksmiths Shop   The latter is included in Lawsons Farm.  The Public House & <Inn> had better be advertised. He offers £32.10. 



Rawgreen - <Todds> offer £100 which comes very near to a valuation   It is a poor place & will suffer like others in that quarter by losing the carriage of Mr Beaumonts Ore.  He having laid in the Smelting Mill at Dukesfield.



Rowley Head - valued at £121.9.6.  Shield offers £110. I should wish to defer the letting of this poor farm till after the rent day, which may decide whether Thorburn can continue to occupy Gairshield.  Or, to let it for one year as an opportunity may occur of laying them together, or of attaching a part to Rowley Head & a part to Rawgreen & Turf House as the Tenants may offer. 



Langhope - valued at £100.   Milburne offers £90. He has a small property in the neighbourhood, which enables him to pay the rent.  It is so poor a place & so unlikely to command a good tenant, that it may be advisable, probably, to make the most of him.  He may advance a little against his present bode. 



Highwood.  - valued at £203.  Temperley offers £160 - which is too low to be accepted without further trial.  I fear his capital is much exhausted. 



Tedcastle - valued at £75-11-0.  Dickinson offers £74 which I think ought to be accepted.  He has done much for this small farm, which is very inconveniently situated for roads. 



West Land Ends. -  valued at £227.  Mr Lee offers £220.  This farm is rather heavily taxed for roads on which account a reduction of a few pounds sh’d be made.  Mr Lee has continued paying a very high rent, which other farms taken at the same time have been given up & reduced. 



East Land Ends    Valued at £215.  Maughan offers £196.  There would be an advantage in working this & the West Land Ends together. And if not let to Maughan I believe Mr Lee would give £220 for it, or perhaps £450 for the two. 



Rattenraw -   valued at £236.12. Lambert offers £247.0.0.  He is a man of substance & a good tenant , but have some fear that he may draw back, as I am told he added to his intended offer, at the instigation of his wife & daughter, who are attached to the house.



Beamwham -  valued at +£225. Woodman offers £210.  He is a respectable tenant, living upon the adjoining farm of Grindon.  And though the farm may perhaps pay this year, he has always been a loser by it hitherto.  



West Mill Hill’s - valued at £258.  Harle offers £240.  He is a good tenant & has held this farm long at a high rent.  A machine, unfortunately much too expensive for the size of his farm, has been erected upon it, & the covenant for him to purchase it, is an objection, or rather causes a reduction of rent, equivalent to the interest of the purchase.  The Rail way will occupy four Acres of this farm.  Probably he might be induced to give 250£ or 245 exclusive of the land so occupied. 



East Mill Hills. - valued at £344. Longhorn offers £320.  The Rail way will occupy 5 Acres of the best land, & there are some acres of water gravel by the Tyne included in the agreement.   He reckons upon compensation for the land, hitherto by the railway, but would probably give the rent offered, exclusive of this, which I think would be a fair rent.  



Hartburngrainge- South Farm  valued at 213£    Davison offers £160.  Bad as the estate of Hartburngrainge is, I would not recommend to the Commissioners to accept of this offer without further trial.



Do West Farm     Valued at £166.  Brewis offers £130.  This is very low offer, but it is difficult to say what is best to be done with so poor & unproductive a place.  If advertized, I fear it will find few competitors.  If Brewis would advance £10 or 15 upon his offer, it might be well to let him have it.  If not, probably it may be more satisfactory to try the Publick. 



Do. North Farm - valued at £255.10.   Brewis offers £230.  This farm is in creditable condition , & is better than the others, though it contains much bad land.   If the tenant would give £250 I would not advise to change him.



Fourstones. -  valuation, exclusive of land to be occupied by the Rail way & some small Tythes, £520.   Snowball offers, exclusive of Rail way, 510 & would likely give £520.  He is a man of property, likely to pay his rents, though not a very neat farmer.  He complains, probably not without reason, of damage sustained by cows in the land by the Blacksmiths & the keeper of the Public House, & therefore wishes to pay the rent for these tenements that they may be under control.  This arrangement might be adopted or if let to them separately they should be bound not to keep cows & poultry to the annoyance of the tenants. 



Outchester - valued at 773£.  Davison offers £760.  This farm has had a succession of tenants in a few years & it is not in good condition, though it has improved under the present occupier. I consider £760 a fair rent, in its present state.



Scremerston Town Farm - valued at 1341£.  Thomson offers £13** [last 2 digits obscured in fold].   Mr Thomson’s offer was £1260 but I prevailed upon him to amend it, certain that we should not get a better tenant, nor perhaps so high a value as he can afford.  In so large a farm, containing a great deal of poor land, although I took all pains in valuing it to the best of my judgement , yet I am not prepared to say that I can judge of its value so well as the person who occupied it so long.   It is fine that Mr Thomson might advance £20 still rather than remove his family from a place they have so long resided in, but I certainly would not recommend to differ with so good a tenant for so small a sum. 



Inland Pasture Farm - valued at 870£.  Hogarth offers 850.  I would not prevail upon Mr Hogarth to come up to my valuation. He conceives that £800 is as much as the farm would now let for.  Several farms in that part having been lately let at a great reduction.  I think however that he ought to give £860.



John Grey

Dilston Nov 1st 1834