Letter – Martin Morrison to Henry Phillpotts – 24 Oct 1820

Revd Henry Phillpotts				Newcastle October 24/1820

College Durham



Sir 	

      On the receipt of your letter of the 20 Inst, I lost no time in transmitting a Copy of it to Col & Mrs Beaumont, & I am directed by them to inform you, that after the most mature consideration upon the subject they are compelled by <pass..fal necessity> to decline the terms you demand for the Tythe Ore of Stanhope. – That they may however not incur the imputation of a <....> of feelings for the Interests of a population depending upon them for employment, and for the continued enjoyment of comforts unparallelled  in other Mining districts, I am authorised to offer you Four Thousand Pounds per Annum for the Tythe Ore of Stanhope during the present Bishop Of Durham’s life, or possession of the See, provided you continue so long Rector of the parish; the payment of this Sum to be made   Quarterly – Viz £1000 on the 10th Decr next, £1000 on the 10th March Follow[in]g and so on during its continuance. 

      Permit me to observe that comparing the smallness of the Expenditure at which the Mines were wrought and the price (£38 pFo[the]r) Lead sold for at the time the Bishop of D[urha]m accepted £4000 per Ann[u]m for his Lot Ore for the two Parishes of Wolsingham & Stanhope with the immense expense at which they are wrought & the price of Lead at present, that the offer now made to you will I should hope leave no ground for imputation that either liberallity or a considerate feeing for the interest of others, have on this occasion been wanting on the part of Col & Mrs Beaumont. permit me further to observe that I cannot admit that Fines p[ai]d to the B[isho]p of Durham for the renewal of Lives for the Mines as at all analogous to the situation of the Rector. – In fact the two situations are quite distinct on this point, and they are only so far concerned together in drawing their Lot & Tithe Ore in the proportion of 1/9th & 1/10th parts, and which in the most favourable point of view for the Rector can only be equal to what the Bishop receives.

      I have Mrs Beaumonts assurance that no allusion of the Sum of £3000 proposed to you was ever mentioned, except confidentially by her, and that it is only an act of justice to suppose her incapable of wishing to excite the ill-will you allude to. With respect to the allusion you make in your letter of the 20th Inst ‘if refusal or suspension on the part of Col Beaum[on]ts Agents of their former Lettings to some of the Miners’ I beg to state that no Lettings whatever have  been made to any of the Miners since the expiration of the year end[in]g the 30th of last month and I feel assured you will be enabled to re call to your recollection that I expressly stated both at our first & second interviews, that the knowledge of your determination on the subject under discussion was desirable, in order that we might be regulated in our proceedings of working the Mines in future; and I again beg to repeat that upon prudential reasons alone, this determination must be adhered to, untill the negotiation is finally settled between you & Col Beaumont. – The intimation you give of other parties who are ready to take your Tythe Ore is a sufficient reason of itself why this determination ought to be adhered to, for to you, it will be obvious, that the immense Capital employed in sustaining those Mines & with an enterprize only limitted by the boundaries of the district, that Col Beaumont must of necessity oppose by every means in his power, an interference of a party, so inimical to his Interests.

      I am etc MM