Letter – John Ellison to Thomas Richard Beaumont – 7 Aug 1799

      Vicarage, Newcastle upon Tyne

August the 7th 1799

Sir,

      We, the undersigned Executors under the will of the late Mr. Newton, have perus’d, & maturely considered, the acc[oun]t remaining unsettled between you and him, sent to his Daughter; & are truly concern’d to hear that you express great dissatisfaction at some of the items of his charge. We freely admit that we have no other documents to produce for the justice of them, than those which Mr. Newton’s ledger, in his own hand-writing, furnish us with: And we are inclined to think it would be a departure from our duty & of that trust which has been repos’d in us, if we deviate farther than justice to you & his family will warrant. We are likewise free to confess that, of ourselves, we are not competent to judge of the propriety of the charges to which you object: and therefore, with a due sense of your kindness, to our departed Friend, & anxious to avoid the least occasion of difference take the liberty of suggesting a mode which <morally> meet this difficulty & give you & us mutual satisfaction; & that is that each party nominate an Architect, in order to determine whether the charges are just, & can or cannot, be justified by the general practices of Men of this profession, in this Country.

      This mode, if adopted, we are led to hope mat remove every present appearance of difference between you and us; And under this hope we have the honor to be, with due respect

      Sir, your very obed.[ien]t h[um]ble Ser[van]ts,

      John Ellison

      Tho[ma[s Harvey



[annotated in JEB’s hand:] J. Ellison & T. Harveys Letter to Col Beaumont 7th August 1799 Hexham Abbey Repairs