Affidavit – Thomas Harrison – 3 Apr 1742

Thos. Harrison’s  attest[ation] abt  a piece of Ground  <in dispute> with the Duke of Somerset



Thomas Harrison of Alnwick in the County of Northumb’d Plummer aged Forty Two years and upwards being Sworn & Examined deposeth that he does now know and has for these thirty years last past very well known the close or Parcell of Ground Situate in the parish of Alnwick and commonly called or known by the Name of the Goose Crook Close and that the same is bounded by the Main on the South Wast and North and by the Wide Open Grounds on the East And this Deponent further saith that the dike or fence ACB on the rising Ground of the East Side of the said Goose Crook Close has ever since this Deponent first knew the said Close  Stood where the same now Stands Save and exept that the same Dike or fence did formerly run from C to F and not from C to B as it now does And this Deponent also saith that the said Dike, or fence, ACB was during all the time of this Deponents knowledge of this Close reputed & esteemed to be the Boundary Between the sd Close and the wide open Save and Except as aforesd.  And also this Deponent saith that the Piece of Ground lying between the Runner DE and the Dike ACB was ever since this Deponent knew the sd Close Reputed to be and Enjoyed as part of the sd Close  [The boundary references are shown on a simple plan attached to the affidavit and which is available in the PDF version of this document. It is very similar to that appended to the affidavit given by Thomas Harrison on the same day]



And this Deponent does with the greater certainty depose this because he saith that his father Thomas Harrison did Farm the said Goose Crook Close for the space of Eight Years (Viz: from abt. the year of our Lord 1707 to the year of Lord 1715 and that he this Deponent did very often in that time go to see his fathers Cattle in the sd Close and that the sd Cattle did for the most part during that time Graze on the sd piece of Ground between the said Runner and the sd Dike or fence because that the piece of Ground or part of the Said Close on the west side of the sd Runner was then usually covered with Whins And this Deponent further saith that the then occupier of the Wide open did very frequently during the time that this Deponents sd father so farmed the said Close see this Deponents fathers Cattle depasturing upon the said Peice of Ground betwixt the sd Runner and dike or fence and never offered to impound them nor found Fault wth their goeing and feeding there  And this Deponent further saith that during all the time of his fathers farming of the sd Close there never was any way thro’ or along the sd piece of Ground Between the sd Runner & the sd dike or fence nor more than One Gate belonging to the sd Close which was hung where the Gate at A now is or thereabouts And this Deponent further saith that Fran: Anderson farmed the said Goose Crook Close for Severall Years after this Deponents Father Quitted the possession thereof and that the Said Anderson did at the same time also farm the wide open Grounds and Main and did then Erect & build the Mains House now standing North of the sd piece of Ground for there was no House there before that time  that this Deponent ever knew or heard of and this Deponent in order that   his Deposition may be the better understood craves leave to Referr himself to the plan hereto annexed

      Thomas Harrison



Sworn before me the 3rd of April 1742 At Alnwick in Northumberland    Alex. Brown



January 22nd 1744/5 Sent the Board this day