Letter – Nicholas Walton to Joseph Hilton – 31 May 1774

Mr Joseph Hilton.                               Farnacres 31st May 1774



Mr Hilton

       I am surprised you should so much misunderstand us about Mr Mulcaster as to think he had done wrong in employing Wm Wilson our direction to you being that he was not in future to take any of the Companys or any other Persons Smelters without leave unless there was a necessity and you were told that leave had been given to Wilson which tho' not given in any genteel way we yet thought it proper to take it in the way it was given and to employ him at Langley Mill.

       Our Cash Account we cannot by any means get set right and your Cash Memorandums at Hexham at the Pay are done in such manner as rather to confound us than the contrary Sums being set down as paid which should have been set down as reced and some not set down at all, but there is one thing I should be glad if you could recollect and that is whether Mr Mulcaster was repaid the Money at Hexham which he had advanced on Account to the Smelters etc.  I know you paid him what he advanced to the Ore Carriers amounting, as I remember, to £6.4[s].  If Mr Mulcaster was repaid the Money he had advanced, when at Hexham, he will have received that twice, as he was paid it at Farnacres. The sooner you let us hear from you the more agreable it will be to us.      

       We are etc

               	N W Junr   J S



I observed that in the Account drawn out by Mr Mulcaster of Money Lent you had crossed the Sums he had paid on Account of Ore Carriage and after the casting up of this Account which 

amounted to                         £35.18

as I recollect you wrote as follows   6. 4

                                     29.14 

Not yet pd

   H Smith.       £2.11

   L Charlton.     1. 1.              3.12

                                     26. 2 



this looks as if there had been an intention at least of paying Mr Mulcaster the £26.2- at Hexham.