Letter – Edward Blackett to William Lowes – 20 May 1711

Honest Will

      I rec[eive]d yours of the 17 with the Articles Inclosd which I do by no means approve of for in one of your former Letters you write me that you had sold 160 Trees being part of the wood at Common bank & bryar wood bank & by this article you sell all the Oak Ash & Elme wood that are fit for timber, standing growing & being within the mannor of Ridley between Raven Cragg & bryar wood burne al[ia]s hudsburne being p[ar]t of the Common banks also Ridle[y] Common banks as also all the Oak Ash & Elme Trees fit for timber being upon Bryar wood banks between the way Leading to Plankey & the grounds in the posession of old Simon Wilkinson & besides he to have his Choice of thirty timber trees of Oak Ash or  Elme to be feld & Cutt down in any place or places within the precincts of Willimontswck Domaine, the Shaws Wows al[ia]s woolhouse, burn house, beltingham, & Ridley as also within the North side of Bryar wood feilds in the said County with their & every of their Appurtenances this very article neither should I ever agree to if I should signe such an Articles I should be the greatest blockhead that ever set pen to paper Just now there is a woodmonger from NewCastle with me who pr<oposes> to b[u]y all the wood that I will Dispose of & this summer will go up and view it & bargain for it & tells me that in case I had three times as much he would Either buy it himself or send me a Chapman for it so you see I need not make the least Question of the Disposeing of it as for Ash & Elme will have that wood always sold by it self this not being the time of the year for Cutting Ash wood for that wood ough[t] allways to be cut Either in January or the beginning of February when I sell any Oak will knowe the Certain number of trees that dispose of If I thought we should have had so much to do about bardon Mill I would never have turnd Will Armstrong of w[ha]t his Leas[e] obliges him to he knows the Law will oblige him to make it good, so Inclosd is a letter to him which you may p[er]use seal & Deliver Inclosd is likewise a note to Harry Tulip to order him to suffer Mr Fenwick to Win & Carry away a hundred fother of lime stone you may pay the Clerke for draweing the Articles & shall allow it you, fail not to let me know w[ha]t the very best runts about 5 or 6 years old was sold for at your faire shall have occasion to buy 20 at next Stagshaw faire so fail not to receive moneys of the ten[an]ts ag[ains]t that time I am

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