Journal entry – John Grey – 25 Nov 1833

Monday 25th. November



Heard from Mr Thomson that he had taken another farm & must leave Chesterhill at May day next & wished to have an arrangement made for his away going Crop, which includes rather more than he is intitled to, though not laid out so intentionally by him. I replied that I regretted losing him for a tenant, but that I could not admit of any infringement of his covenants, or any thing that would prejudice the Hospitals interest by making the entry worse for a succeeding Tenant.  That I should probably have occasion to look over the farm more minutely than I had yet done, before finally concluding the future covenants with his successor, when I doubted not we should settle the account of his Crop satisfactorily, & asking him in the meantime to allow his farm Steward to show the place to anyone viewing it with an intention of becoming an offerer.   



Rode to Whittle & thence to Throckley to examine some Acres of Waste in those farms occasioned by the Pit heaps left from the ancient Colliery workings, which Mr Stephenson expected to have had fenced around, but which has not yet been done.   The injury they cause to the farmer, is in spoiling his Wool by the Sheep continually resorting to them to lie upon , & leaving their manure there instead of on the land.  But besides this they are extremely ugly & as the turnpike road passes through the Estate, which is within six miles of Newcastle, I think it would be well, when inclosing them to plant trees round the outsides of the heaps, just within the fences, & also upon them; wherever by the deposit of rubbish or by the accumulation of soil & weeds from time to time, they have occasion to grow.  This would improve the appearance of the farms & afford shelter for Stock, & on several of them Trees would grow to a considerable size.  The land is not included in the measurement of the South farm so that no allowance can be claimed for these heaps by the Tenant, & Mr Stephenson would rather give a little more for planting round their base, than not have it done.  I called upon Mr Bones urging him to an early payment of his rent, which he promised to make in the course of the week. Examined the state of the School which belongs to the Hospital & a cottage & garden for which no rent has of late been paid, having been occupied by a man who formerly had charge of the plantations, but as that is now unnecessary I told him that he must pay Rent for it in future.  Returned home after dark, & was occupied till a late hour in preparing a detailed list of the farms of which the Leases have expired or been resigned to forward to Greenwich by the mornings Mail.