Journal entry – John Grey – 14 Jun 1834

Saturday 14th



Having got the Cash accounts, including the numerous receipts & payments of all the Rents, brought up to this date and sent off to Greenwich, I rode to Thornbrough Quarry Farm to see if any remedy could be found for the Tenants complaint of a want of water near the House & Offices.  It is certainly ill off in that respect during the summer, & a promise had been made him of sinking for water & fixing a Pump, but the place stands upon a thick bed of Limestone, to sink in which would be expensive & also of doubtful success.  It may however be worthwhile to ascertain by boring first, whether there are any seams containing Water - proceeded to Newtonhall, the Tenant of which sent me an application some days ago, for an abatement of Rent or for leave to quit at May Day next.  In this respect, he is far from being singular. He says that he is losing all his Capital & cannot longer continue to pay his way, but having laid out money in cleaning & improving the land, would be glad to treat upon [terms] conformable to the times.   I told him that the Commissioners would likely accept his surrender of Lease & that he might probably be treated with by private bargain, if on examining the Farm after Harvest, I should find that he had done for it as much as he said. I believe it is true that he has considerably improved its condition.  I then went as far as Whittle, to see whether the water got by boring there was likely to answer the purpose, & on finding that it had not risen higher than at first, determined upon boring a little deeper before proceeding to incur any further expense.  After returning in the evening Mr Robson of Allerwash came & gave me £100 his arrear of Rent.