Letter – Henry Richmond to Walter Blackett – 19 Aug 1763

To Sir Wr. Blackett Bert. M.P.                                              Newcastle 19th August 1763

at Wallington 



Sir/ The more I consider Mr Halhead’s proposal the greater the Impropriety of it appears. He wants to determine your large quantity ore, gotten out of a great number of Groves, by prices that have been given for small quantities gotten out of a few freehold Groves in Weardale. One of wch Groves namely Mr Westgarth’s is esteemed of an extraordinary quality; & its Ore has generally, by Mr Westgarth’s own Acct.; been sold at 5s. a Bing higher than any Ore in this Country. The ore of another of these Groves as I mentioned before is esteemed equal to the best of your’s; therefore your worst could never be worth so much. As to the rest of them they are esteemed nearly equal to the general run of your Groves; &, if small dealings could be justly compared with Great, the prices of the Ore of these Groves might be reckoned as the value of your’s. But instances persons who buy small quantities pay hig[h]er than those who buy large ones. And in this Instance, most of these small quantities have been bought by manufactures who, selling their Lead in the retail way & thereby getting better prices for it, venture, & can afford to give higher prices for ore than any purchasers in the large way would or could have given for your large quantity had it been to be sold. As to Mr Halhead saying that if you agree to his proposal, he will produce all the Instances he can of ore sold from the freehold Groves, I think there would have been more Candour in offering you a Liberty of producing Instances also. But  even if the matter was brought to this Issue & this Liberty allowed you wch he can[no]t in reason refuse, still what a delay & what a publication must there of necessity be, by making the Enquiry of his L[or]ds[hi]ps dealings with you! They are too hard, I should think for publick judgement. I am very sure that all men would say that your offer to be determined by Alston Moor dues, which is the only considerable quantity of ore sold in this country & sold also to be smelted into Lead for the same market with your’s, was a most unacceptionable offer especially when they shall learn that the ore is all refineable & the other not.

Mr Maughan was here yesterday but brought nothing material. There was not a sufficient number of Trustees at Ponteland; so the next meeting will be that day 3 weeks, the 7th, September.

P.S. Saturday morning when the Bishop’s & Rector’s dues were paid in kind you bought from year to year; & gave as much for them as any body could give at the prices Lead then sold. I offered, in the late treaty in the Lease for years to make this proportion a rule for the value of the Ore; but Mr Halhead then slighted it. And yet it certainly is the most equitable way of fixing the value of your Ore that can be obtained, I am etc