Journal Entry – John Grey – 19 Feb 1835

Thurs 19 Feb 1835, At noon Mr. Crawhall came as he had appointed but I found him inclined to give very little for Eadsbush on the score of accommodation. He offers to rent it without the Allotments at £25 a year, to purchase it at £700 or to leave the price to be determined by persons mutually appointed by the Commissioners and himself. It was let last year to Curry at £47, altogether & at that time I valued the infield land, No. 1 on the plan at £30 and the poor allotments, No. 2 at £17, the same as offered for them now by two of the Hospital’s tenants, see my journal of yesterday. I am not sure that the plot No.1 will let this year for £30 because the small occupiers in that district depended much for their rents upon their earnings in carrying Ore on Ponies from Mines in the Moors to Mr. Beaumont’s Mill at Dukesfield, which is about to be laid in & the Ore to be conveyed in a direction comeing more in the line of the Railway, & entirely out of their reach. As it would be an accommodation to the poor farms of Rawgreen and Turfhouse to have those allotments and the tenants are willing to give the value of them though I fear their Farms will prove too dear, under the change of Ore carriage, it would be a pity that they should not have them.