Letter – Henry Richmond to Thomas Adams – 26 Jul 1772

To Mr. Thos. Adams - Attorney at Law                                                Newcas 26th July 1772

            In Alnwick



	I have received your Letter inclosing the Draft of the intended Deed between Sir Wr Blackett & Lord Crewes Trustees & have shewn the same to one of Sir Wr Blacketts Counsell with whom I consulted before I wrote to Dr. Sharp.

	The plan upon which you have drawn the Draft is not agreeable to what I mentioned in my Letter to Doctor Sharp owing in all likelihood to the Doctor not leaving the Letter with you.  Sir Walter Blackett is advised that a proper Deed should be executed by him & Sir Thos. Wentworth ( who in case he survives Sir Walter will be intitled to the Estate) & Lord Crewes Trustees reciting the Matters in dispute between the parties and that it will be advantageous to have such disputes settled in an amicable manner but as the same cannot Effectively be done without the Aid of parliament the parties are to agree to use their Endeavours to obtain ( the next Session ) An Act for that purpose which shall Contain such Clauses as AB. & CD. (two Councillors one on each Side) shall think proper to empower certain Arbitrators two or 3 Councillors to determine by such Evidence as the parties shall bring before them the precise Bounder Line & whether the Ground in Dispute is or is not part of the one Common or waste or the other and as to allotting or dividing the same it is apprehended that all necessary powers for that purpose will more properly come into the Act which is to enable proper persons to make a Division of the Common or Commons of which the Ground in Dispute shall be deemed & awarded to be a part or parts.  And as both parties must have several old witnesses & it may be advantageous to have some of them examined by the Arbitrators before the Act is obtained I understand a proper Clause may be inserted in the Deed for that purpose empowering the Arbitrators to administer (by consent of parties) oaths to Witnesses and do other necessary Acts & that such Evidence in Case of the Death of such Witnesses before they can be Examined under the Act shall be deemed and accepted by the Arbitrators as Legal Proof & that such Deed so far as the Nature of the several Rights of the parties will admit shall be binding to the parties & their Legal Representatives.

	As I understand the Trustees are to obtain an Act of parliament for other purposes I am informed the necessary Clauses as to this Business might be therein inserted if it would save the parties much Expense in so doing but in that Case as well as what I have proposed above Sir Walter Blackett & Sr. Thos. Wentworth must approve of nay indeed Nominate the same Number of Arbitrators as the Trustees

	When the Out Lines of the Business can be fixed the Deed will soon be settled and I write this to you as the Solicitor for the Trustees as Dr. Sharp has applied to you to act in that Capacity therefore pray Confer with your Clients & let me hear from you 

	P.S.  I think it at present unnecessary to return the Draft you sent.        I am etc   HR