Letter – Henry Richmond to William Darwin – 27 Jun 1764

To Mr William Alvey Darwin                                              Newcas[tle] 27 June 1764

Grays Inn London





Sir                     Inclosed you receive back the State of the case about the mines Quarries and other Royalties in the Freehold Estates in the Regality of Hexham, with such Additions & Observations we have received to us here; and also a copy of the act of Parliament for annexing Hexham to Northumberland.  So that you will prepare the Case to be laid before Council as soon as you can.

I see by comparing a Record or Rental, in the 1st of Edward the 6th (which contains all the particulars of the Townships mentioned in the Grant of the Manor in 1632) with a Survey of the Copy hold or Customary Estates made in 1608 that in that interval many of the particular Copyhold Estates specified in the first must have been sold or infranchised as they are omitted in the Second. Some of them may indeed have changed their names But among those that have been sold I suppose you will find Aldum Shell now called Aydon Shields which belongs to Greenwich Hospital; and is the Estate they expect to find the Leadmine in. It was Copyhold & paid £4.19.s.8d; it is now asserted to be freehold, but still pays £4.19s.4d; and does Suit and Service to Hexham Courts. I should hope that none of the sales of these Estates made by the Crown will predjudice Sir W[alte]r Blacketts claim as Lord of the Manor : because the Total of the Rents of the several copyhold Estates in each Township mentioned in the said Record of Ed[ward] 6th agrees exactly with the values of those Townships specified in the Grant of the Manor in 1632 and that Grant conveys all Tenements and Hereditaments which were then or late members parts or parcels of the Regality of Hexham, which word late I suppose from the expression in the Grant will extend at least as far back as the Time of the Exchange with the ArchB[isho]p of York. & will include almost all the sales made by the Crown.

Sir Walter would have you insert in the case a Query about his Right to work the Quarries in Inclosed copy hold Estates which having never been Exercised, is now called in Question & objected to. The Quarries upon the Comons have been wrought for sale by the Lords, and Leadmines have been wrought by them in Inclosed copy holds without Interruption But the Quarries have never been wrought there but by the copyholders and that only for Buildings and reparations upon the premes. I have inclosed you a case with Mr Fawcetts opinion upon this point; but I hope the Law is not as he tells us it is. However we are not satisfied with what he says. I am etc                                                H R