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To Mr Wm. Alvey Darwin at his Chamber in Grays Inn London Newcastle the 1st March 1762
Sir
On Saturday last I sent you by Fryer Todd the London Carrier a large Box of plate, the contents of which you have on the other side; you will also receive from the said Carrier a small Box wch contains the key of the large one. Sir Walter bid me send this plate to you & said he would write you himself what he would have done with it. You will please to advise either him or me of its coming safe; & pray the Carriage of the same agreeable to the inclosed promisory Note signed by the said Carrier. I have weigh’d this plate as near as our Scales will go but probably a Goldsmith who can weigh the whole at once will make it an ounce or two more than I have done. As to the value of the Silver it will be worth by the ounce as much as Spanish pieces of Eight, the markett price of which you can always see by Lloyds Lists: & this without reckoning anything for workmanship.
As there is still no Likelyhood of getting a renewal of the Lease for years of Weardale mines, I should be glad to know whether Sir Walter when he entered upon the Receipt of the rents & profits of the Trust Estate about the year 1731 & 1732 did lay himself or his representatives under any obligations to renew & keep on Foot all the Leaves of the mines. if any such Agreement or decree was made you will certainly find some traces of it among Mr. Denton’s paper’s. My father say’s he cannot remember certainly whether anything of this sort was done or not.
I have great reason to conclude that a decree was made between the 13 May 1693 & 28 December 1694 in favour of Mr Wharton in the Cause B[isho]p of Durham against Wharton for detaining the L[ea]d Ore & non pay[men]t of the Moor Masters rent. upon account of the injury done the said Moore Master by the B[isho]p’s granting the Lease for years to B[arbar]a Sanderson. I desire you will search for this Decree & send me some little abstract or minute of it if you can procure the same ; for it may be a usefull precedent if a renewall cannot be obtained upon reasonable Terms. I am
Sir Your most hble Serv[an]t Hen Richmond
NB it appears by Mr Darwins Lre of the 23rd March 1762 that the Goldsmiths weighed this Silver plate to 4060 ¾ oz & that the value of it, at the different prices allowed for the same, amounted to £1137.2s.0d.
Ounces Dwts
49 Dishes 2222 10
7 doz & a half of plates 1596 10
2 Mazaz.s or fish plates 55
1 Mounteth or Scallops ring 17 15
2 punch bowls 90 10
4 salts 8 10
6 large spoons 45 10
3 punch Ladles (computed on
account of the wooden Handles as 12
4048 5 at 5s.7 ¾d p oz this post
by Lloyds List
3 Gold cups 35 13 at £3.18s.9d p oz this
post by ditto
A collection of medals foreign coins etc in a small Box seal’d
A collection of 52 Gold rings in a small Box seal’d
P.S. Sir Walter says he would have you take out the small Box marked Medals & keep the same till he either sees you, or gives particular directions about them. But the rings are to go with the plate. You will find these little Boxes, wrapt up in Baze, in the corners of the Square where the punch bowls, plates & Gold cups are put. HR
Copy of the Carriers Note
1762 February the 27th Receiv’d of Sir Walter Blackett Bt. a large Box of plate weighing twenty six stone seven pounds which I promise to deliver to Mr Wm. Alvey Darwin at his Chambers in Grays Inn London in fifteen days from this date He paying me after the rate of two shillings & eleven pence p[er] stone for the carriage of the same.
As witness my Hand Fryer Todd
Witnesses
< page ripped > 26 stone 7lb at 2/- p[er] stone comes to £3.17s.8 1/2d.
