Journal entry – John Grey – 28 Jul 1834

Monday 28th July



Rode to Scremerston & looked over the Farms.  Mr Hogarth had got the Quarry rubbish removed & the banks sloped in, so as to restore the Land to the Field in a condition to be cultivated, but as he was away from home, I have not an opportunity of ascertaining the cost, or of knowing some other matters which I wished to learn from him.  I waited upon Mr Pringle, & expressed surprize & dissatisfaction that he should not have attended the Meeting appointed for receiving the Rents in April at Belford, nor have paid any money or even acknowledged his delinquency ever since - telling him that I could not allow the Hospitals interests to be so trifled with, or myself as their Agent to be treated with such contempt.  He treated my remonstrance with the greatest indifference making such ridiculous excuses as that at one time there was no Wind to Thresh with, his being a Wind Machine, at another time he was engaged in Working his fallows etc, that he was about to sell Wheat & would pay his rent - demanding also certain allowances for repairing his Wind Mill Tower etc. I pressed him to fix a day for making the payment, otherwise I must resort to means at all times unpleasant to secure it, for that I had no idea of allowing him to carry on a wild Speculation of Salmon Fishing among the Rocks at Tynemouth, 60 miles distant, to the neglect of his Farm & the risk of the Hospital.  I could not drive him to fix a day, but warned him that it must not be a distant one, or he must take the consequences. The evening setting in wet, rode to Berwick to sleep.