Letter – Henry Richmond to William Darwin – 3 May 1774

Mr Darwin   No 4 Hatton Street London                                            Newcas 3rd May  1774



Sir

	In this and three other Covers you will receive back the Draft of the Conveyance from Sir Walter Blackett to Mr Selby - also a Copy of two Awards adjusting the Inn grounds & Out grounds of East Ord and also a Copy of Sir Walters purchase of the Threap Colliery from Mr Lisle - Some of the Notes made in the margin of the draft I think should not have been made there & therefore I shall not put my Answers to them there but give you them inclosed on a separate paper according to the pages of the draft.

	To be sure the parcels to be conveyed to Mr Selby being various must appear a little confused to you who do not know the prem[is]es but if you had considered my Letter of the 16th of March last along with the Copy then sent you of Mr George Selby’s boundary & description of the Lands and Coalmines intended to be conveyed & the Alterations made in it by me I think it might have been intelligible that Sir Walter was to convey to Mr Selby his Estate in Unthank with the Mines under the same & one third of the Threap Ground and two fifths of the Colliery under that Threap Ground  and the Mines under the whole Township of East Ord and also two Cottages & a garth in East Ord Town & a Quay in Tweedmouth under the Title he derived from his Lady & that Sir Walter as to all these Estates would convey them in no other Terms nor with any other powers than are contained in the old Deeds - And this Mr Selby has at least tacitly agreed to by proceeding with the Conveyance after this Declaration has been repeatedly made to him - And as to the purchased three fifths of the Colliery in the Threap Ground (of Mr Lisle) Sr Wr is willing to convey them in the Terms of his purchase.

	As to the Questions contained in your Letter about the Boundaries etc I answer that the Boundaries in the Draft seem to be all right when compared with Mr George Selbys Description etc which I sent you a Copy of on the 16 March.

	The Collieries let to the Readheads are not properly Described in their Lease they holding thereby only the Colliery under Sir Walters own Estate in East Ord whereas it was intended they should have the Colliery under the whole Township of East Ord & they have accordingly wrought in Mr Selbys own Share of East Ord Moor which was formerly the Estate of William Cooper - As to what right Sir Walter has to the Coals in other peoples freeholds in East Ord by which I must suppose you mean the Inn Grounds - I cannot say further than you may see by the Deed in 1686 wherein all the Royalties are conveyed and by the Award in 1732 which shews the promiscuous State that the Inn grounds as well as the Moor had been in & the general Belief that Sir Walter is intitled to the Mines - there not having been any Workings nor any Mines that I know of in these Inn grounds - As to Mr Selbys making Satisfaction for damage for working in East Ord it was thought as we had taken Care of Middle Ord that is Sir Walters part of it was not necessary for Sir Walter to stipulate about other peoples damages.  As to the Difficulty you say there is about the words in the particulars for Sale “under the adjoining Estate of East Ord” to wit whether it means the whole Township of East Ord or only Sir Walters Estate therein 

	I think it will vanish when you consider that Sir Walter is to convey all the Mines under the Inn fields & Comon that were the Subject of the Award in 1732 - As to Wastes or Comons there are none but what were then divided Except a small piece which is in Contact with Tweedmouth  & which is no part of the present Conveyance the Township of East Ord being made in the draft of the deed to bounder on that disputed Ground towards the East - And as to your last observation about the Impropriety of having no damage to be paid for Spoil of herbage in the inclosed Grounds of East Ord by working the Mines I think I have accounted for it before - And now that I have given answers to the several Questions in your Letter and have in the Inclosed papers answered the Queries put in the Margins of the draft I cannot help saying I wish you had made these inquires sooner        I am etc  HR