Letter – Henry Richmond to William Darwin – 11 Apr 1769

To Mr Wm Alvey Darwin Greys Inn London                                     Newca[stle] 11th April 1769

Sir

Inclosed are two Bills of Bell Cookson & Cos on Glyn & Hallifax – one for two hundred & Eighty pounds & the other for Four hundred & ninety five pounds – the former is sent you towards discharging the quarterly payments on Sir Wrs Account between 31 of March last & 30 of June next & you will please to send me the usual receipt for it – this sum is according to your former List & is all I can remit at present. I shall endeavour to provide for the Subsequent Quarters according to your new List which I rec[eiv]ed in your Letter of the 4th instant. As  to the other bill for Four hundred & Ninety five pounds it is for Mr Savage’s ½ yrs int[e]r[es]t due from Sir Walter on the 6th of next Month; & till you pay it you will please to place the Bill to my Acco[un]t & advise me of your receipt of it by return of the post.

After what I wrote you about Mr Silvertops Claim I rec[eiv]ed your Letter of the 28th about it, & find you understand that the Lords have the Mines under their respective Freeholds; which is not the Case in Winlaton L[or]ds[hi]p; for the Royalty is undivided throughout the whole Manor, each Lord having only his share whether 3/8 or 1/4 or 1/8 or less under both his own & the other Lords Freeholds, and the same Share under the Commons.

Now this having always, been the Case, Whoever sold Mr Silvertop Ash tree could only sell him, in my Apprehension, a part of the Coal under it, & tho’ such vendor should even have expresssly conveyed all the Coal under that Estate, Yet that would not Convey the undivided Shares or interest of the other Lords; Consequently every Lord of this Manor, of which by the by Mr Silvertop is not one, has I should suppose a right to question him on his Working for Coal. & I think I have heard of Insinuations obtained out of Chancery in similar Cases; but he has prevented that perhaps for the present by his discontinuing working as I wrote you on the 29th ult[im]o. I think As Sir Wr, Sr Edwd, Lord Widdrington & Mr Ridley, who have 15/16 of the Royalty of this Manor, are now all in London some resolution should be come to about this Matter, lest Mr Silvertop should begin again to work for Coal. I believe I have expressed my meaning clearly enough that Mr Silvertop can at most only have such Share of the Coal under Ash tree as the Lord had that Sold it to him or his Ancestor.

To what I wrote you on the 29 Ult[im]o about the Tithe of Wallington etc I have now only to add, what I wrote to Sir Wr, that I had a Letter from Dr Sharp that he would send Sir Wr a Copy of the Appropriation of the Rectory of Hartburn in 1250.

Pray is Mr Rivet, whose opinion you took about the Sando & Greenwich hospital Tenants refusing to do Suit at Hexham Courts, a Man of Eminence in the profession; such as that his opinion would vindicate a procedure at Law against these Abstractors. I am etc    HR



£280  Newcastle Bank 31st March 1769

Twenty five days after Date pay to the order of Mr Hen Richmond Two hundred & Eighty pounds value received. For Bell, Cookson, Carr, Airey & Self    Jos Saint

Pay the Contents to Mr Wm Alvey Darwin or order value in Account    Hen Richmond

To Mesrs Glyn & Hallifax London  No. 25813



£495    Newcastle Bank 31st Mar 1769

Thirty days after Date pay to the order of Mr Hen Richmond Four hundred ninety five pounds value received. For Bell, Cookson, Carr Airey & Self    Jos Saint

Pay the Contents to Mr Wm Alvey Darwin or order value in Account   Hen Richmond

To Messrs Glyn & Hallifax London No 25814