Letter – Henry Richmond to Thomas Maughan – 30 Aug 1768

To Mr Thomas Maughan at Newhouse Weardale                              Newca[stle] 30th Augst 1768

Sir

As it will be necessary to examine some of the Witnesses that were present at the riding the boundary of Weardale Mines by Sir Walter and the Bishops Agents in 1737, I have sent you herewith a Copy of the boundery roll; and desire you will, as soon as you can, collect the testimonies of such of them as you find have a clear remembrance of the riding that part of the Boundary which is between Middleton and Weardale and particularly at Langtihead – and that you will learn whether they remember any discharge given by the Raby family thereabouts, & what passed upon it, and whether they went forwards notwithstanding the discharge, or no. and it will be right to take the most intelligent of these people, that rember any Thing of this matter, upon the spot, on any day that you can fix with them; which will help their Memories as to the Course they took and enable them to speak more clearly to the questions you put to them. I could wish to have ten or a dozen of them examined. The Raby family rode their boundary a few months before Sir Walter and the Bishop: but the Notice they gave of their intention was too short for any body to meet them; so they had no opposition and rode as they pleased within the Bishpps Liberty & threw down the Stowces at Coldberry. I hope you have made a Memorandum of all that passed at this last riding of their’s and of  the discharge you gave them at Langtihead and who was present at the doing it. I am etc    HR