Letter – Henry Richmond to William Robson – 26 Mar 1765

To Mr W[ilia]m Robson at Wallington                                Newcas[tle] 26 March 1765



Sir       Inclosed I return you Mr Douglas’s letter complaining that Mr ord of Longridge threatens, unless an acknowlegem[en]t is paid him, to pull down the bridge that Sir W[alte]r Blackett has built over the  Burn between West Ord & Lane End in the room of the plank; wch I suppose S[i]r W[alte]r had a right to have there. You can judge best of this matter as you know what authority or licence there was for building upon Mr Ords ground.

You say Mr Ords Leave was asked- to be sure that was necessary. Otherwise it would have been a trespass- But now that the bridge is built Mr Ord wants to make his advantage of it, or at least to present a prescription. It is a pity that a p[iec]e of ground & a liberty of building a Bridge, or a part of it, thereon was not purchased & secured to Sir Walter by some writing; For at this rate you may stand a chance of loseing in time not only the Bridge but also the prescription to have even the plank over the Burn, together with the footway to & from it.

As this matter is sett forth in Mr Douglas’s Letter & yours I see no other way but for you to acquaint Sir Walter of it & to get it accommodated in an amicable way. I am etc H R