Journal Entry – William Hooper – 14 May 1833

Tuesday May 14th 1833



Rode to the Smelting Mills and Colliery and superintended the valuation of the Machinery, tools etc, and explained to the Valuators my views of the covenants to guide them in their arrangements, I find it necessary to be watchful to guard the Hospital’s interests, but am much pleased with Mr Storey’s proceeding so far.



Two of the Tenants of Newlands and Whittonstall came to me to-day about the roads, and I arranged with them that the Surveyors of Roads in the Townships should forthwith endeavour to obtain the Magistrates order for the performance of Statute Labour on the whole of the Roads made under the Inclosure Act, and that on obtaining the order the whole of the Tenants should immediately comply therewith, and thereby establish the liability of the Townships to their future repair. On this being accomplished, I undertook to repair the Roads & effectually now, according to the Estimates they had given me, putting the execution of the Work into their hands, and advancing money from time to time, upon their certificate of the number of roads done, and upon the Receiver being satisfied as to the proper execution of the work. – They were again urgent upon me for reduction of rents, and declared the impossibility of going on another year without it: all I could answer was, to call their attention to the many advantages afforded them, and that they ought to consider the sum to be expended in the repair of these roads, as so much drawback of rent.



Mr Stokoe, the Millwright some time since made a demand upon me for Eighteen pounds, some odd shillings for the repair of a Thrashing Machine at Whittonstall Hall Farm, which I did not feel justified in paying, and I took this opportunity of speaking to Mr Edward Hunter on the subject, who says that on taking possession of the farm he found the Trashing Machine in a bad state of repair, and he applied to Mr Wailes who promised him that it should be repaired, and authorized his getting it done: which he did last year, and the present Bill is the result. – I suppose under all the circumstances, I shall be obliged to allow it, but I told the tenant he must settle with the Millwright, as I could admit of no expenditure for Thrashing Machines, and I would make further enquiry into what Mr Wailes said to him on the subject, upon which my future decision must be guided.



I omitted to mention that when at the Smelting Mills to-day, Mr Mulcaster shewed me some dozen volumes of Thomsons Annals of Chemistry, which belonged to the Hospital, and had been purchased for his use, and I took upon myself to give them to Mr Mulcaster, assured that the Commissioners would not have desired me to take these volumes from him.