Journal Entry – William Hooper – 7 Mar 1833

Thursday 7th March 1833



Received the Account of Stock found on Elrington and Westwood farms, which is very unsatisfactory in reference to the arrears; and I caused Bills for the sale to distributed in the neighbourhood.  Rode to Hexham, and saw Mr Ruddock relative to the claims for fencing and for the sums paid to Tenants in compensation – it is evident enough that the Hospital has paid for the fences three times the amount that has been paid by the Trustees in other cases, but the heartless effrontery with which Mr Ruddock attempted to repudiate our claim, and to consider the Hospital as the benefitted party made it very difficult for me to keep my temper; but I did contrive to do so, and as the only chance of getting anything, I determined on limiting the Hospitals’ claim to what was beyond dispute.  I therefore told Mr Ruddock that he should receive a letter from me offering such terms to the Trustees as I felt sure every gentleman amongst them would feel bound to accede to.  On my return I got out an exact statement of the account, and wrote the letter of which I shall send a copy to the Board with my Journal.



I omitted to mention that when I was at Langley Mills on Tuesday, I met Mr Jacob Walton of Alston, who had come there with a view of treating for a part of the Smelting Mills to smelt the Brownley Hill Ores, and I explained to him the many difficulties and objections which occurred to dividing the Buildings, the liability of disputes respecting the Water etc., the almost impossibility of disposing of the Duty ores by such an arrangement, and that under these difficulties the Commissioners were in treaty upon such terms as would protect the Lessees of Mines, and combine the greatest possible share of advantages to all parties.  He however left me a written proposal, and on my return from Hexham to day I found another letter from him stating his conviction that all the precautions I had mentioned would not prevent the Lessees from being injured by a monopoly of the Mills, and that he saw no better way or raising competition than to let him have the portion he had applied for.  I immediately wrote to him, and tried to answer his objections, at the same time informing him that, as I had anticipated when I saw him, the Commissioners had authorized me to accept the offers of Messrs. Wilson and Company, on the condition of their smelting the Lessees Ores upon terms stipulated for, and that these terms had been agreed to.  Received an offer from Messrs. Robson for Allerwash Town Farm.