Letter – Robert Hayton – 27 Apr 1808

							Nenthead 27th. April 1808.

Hon. Masters,

      I was not a little surprised on seeing a Man appointed to my place immediately after Mr. Dodd received your Letter. I will just observe that it is my real opinion (along with Mr. Stagg, & all the people that have known anything about the affair) you would not have consented to my dismissal if you had known the real circumstances of the Case; but make no doubt they have been wrong represented by Mr. Dodd. I hope you will excuse me the expression when I say you are sadly deceived with regard to Mr. Dodd’s conduct. Your business in this Country has got into great confusion, owing to private concerns clashing so much with it. You are perhaps not aware that Mr. Dodd has hold of every thing almost that comes within his reach; Viz. A great share of supplying your mines with Shovels, Cobrakes, Nails, in fact almost every kind of hardware the Mines require: Also a share of G. Powder business with his Brother Jno. (who by the by is not worth the Expenses he runs you to every Year, let alone his Salary, for his chief business at Nenthead is to get money Enter’d for his Shop Goods, Gunp[owde]r &c. & to solicit new orders for these articles,) a share of a Farm, &c. &c. which cannot be fully express’d in the Compass of a Letter.

      He has a very great number of Cottage Houses, rent for which, Cash for Shop Goods for his Son Thos. & Ptnrs., Cash for Shop Goods, G. powder &c for his Bro. Jno. & every other species of Debts they want is enter’d generally on the Month Days, whether the persons have the money so advanced earned under you or not, for I can prove it to a demonstration that there have been persons in your balances at the Year’s End that wou’d not been there if it had not been owing to large advances put in for the Sundry articles named above. Mr. Dodd is also employed by sundry persons to let their farms at so much per £, or otherwise, & it frequently happens that when he enters as Landlord, the Old Tenant is greatly in arrear with his Rent, and let him be ever so infirm, or unsuitable for your business, he is immediately employed, & frequently to the disapp[ointmen]t & injury of many of your best Workmen. I understand that Mr. Dodd has nothing allow’d for Coals & Candles above the 20£ you advanc’d his Salary on that acct. but it is well known by Mr. Stagg, myself and others, that he does not pay for a third of those articles, you will easily imagine who pays for the remainder. I heard him say not above half a Year ago, that he had received some very unpleasant Letters from you, & if you did not let him alone he wou’d give up, & that he cared nothing for you, saying at the same time he could live without you, & further observing if he had a mind to turn himself wholly to the Dean & Chapter, what they wou’d allow him and what he cou’d realise on his own (which must be considerable) he cou’d live very well. I am persuaded you are not so credulous as to believe him when he says that if you don’t discharge me he will quit your business, or if you won’t let him alone he will do it. It is laughable to hear a man talk thus. There are very few men in this poor Country wou’d be fond of giving up 8 or 9 hundred pounds a Year, which is a modest rating of his income. It is also a joke if he endeavour to make you believe that there is no person in this Country so fit for his place as himself, & can render you such imminent [sic] service. The contrary is plain to every discerning Eye; for where a Man at the Head of a public concern has shares of so many private concerns depending for their success upon the public concern; it is impossible it can have justice done it. It remains for me to say that I wou’d have been extremely happy to have served you in my late capacity, or any other, & I must say there is still room especially in the Wood business, for there is very much wanting a steady man to attend to the Delivery of it from the Carriers to see whether they bring the full quantity deliver’d to them at the Woods. Should thank you very kindly for either appointing me to this business or letting me continue in my old place ‘till you come into the Country & have an opportunity of investigating my conduct, when I am persuaded you will find no just ground for my dismissal. 

      I am Dr. Masters, Your very Hble Servt

      Robt. Hayton



I cannot omit naming some more things, that are very injurious to you. Every person in this place are very much astonished that you gave consent to Mr. Dodd doing business for the Dean & Chapter, & As you cannot help thinking that when he is absent from your concerns here (which frequently happens) on the above acct. your business in a certain degree must be neglected. It is so gross thing what I am now going to mention that it is matter of talk for every one. Mr. Stephenson (who married Mr. Dodd’s Daughter) & Jos. Cowper Mr. S. Nephew carried on Shop keeping at Nenthead, but on Mr. S. obtaining the <Surgeoncy> in the Lancashire Militia they gave up that business, 3 or 4 Years ago, & ever since that time Mr. Dodd has been taking money off such of your workmen as owed the above persons to the great injury of you & said workmen. Mr. Dodd keeps one man constantly employ’d in attending his Cows, Horses & working about his Lands, except 2 or 3 Hours in the forenoon (by way of covering the fraud) at any small job belonging you works, which is all you get for 13/ or 14 s per Week. He has also a share of a Bargain along with 6 or 7 men for a number of years, paying so much a Bing out & selling the Ore themselves, which I expect you will not approve. He never scruples to take of the Masons & Joiners from your employ when they have half completed their Day’s labour. Young Dodd has used your Candles & Coals in abundance since he married, having not paid one Shilling for these things.