Letter – Nicholas Walton to Thomas Corbett – 30 Jan 1736

To Thom: Corbett Esqr

      Ravensworth Castle  January 30th 1735/6

Sr

	Last post we wrote you that we intended Sending you a Valuation of Scremmerston, according to Mr Thompsons Survey wch you have as follows.





   A R P

 691-2- 2 Of Arable Land at 1/6 per Acre       £259- 6- 3

  94-2- 7 Of Meadow Land at 8/6 per Acre         40- 3- 3

 162-3- 2 Of Pasture Land at 5s per Acre         40-13- 9

  82- -   Of Links at 2s                          8- 4-

  17- -25 Of Town & Garth at 5s                   4- 6- 3

1880- - 4 Of Moore at 2s Threap ground included 188-   -



2928- -   In all amounts to                    £540-13- 6

To which add Colliery now lett at                50-  -

             Mill                                10-  -



Totall                                         £600-13- 6



	This Estate we think may be lett as above for about £600 & as it is scituated we hope will Lett as we have Valued it, being scituate two miles from a good Corn Markett at Berwick upon Tweed, having Limestone & Coale within it Selfe, the Soile of the Arable & Meadow Land being extroadinary good of it Selfe & a good part of the Moore tolarable good land.

	The Tennants housing in this Estate Except Mr Claverings are Scarce habitable & Consequently must be repaired, & the Hedges upon the whole in very bad repaire in those places where Quicks have been Sett having been Neglected, & little or no Care Taken of them NotwithStanding the Tenants by their Covenants are Obliged to leave both in Tenennantable Repaire, we believe wt is meant by leaving housing & hedges in Tennantable Repaire, can extend to no more than that of their Leaving ‘em in such repaire as they Enter’d upon ‘em & as that is not known they all aledge that they now are so, & consequently as we cannot disprove it, we are afraid the Expence of repairing the whole will fall Upon the Hospitall.

	Upom Mrs Clavrings half is good housing & Shoud such a Tennt offer as woud take the other half, the expence of building such Conveniences as he woud want woud be much Easier than if lett to a number as it now is.  A Substantial Tennt to farm that half will expect a good house & it wth proper housing may Cost £250 but Shoud housing be built for the present Numbr of Tennants cannot be less than £660  We do not propose that the Hospitall Shall be at any expence of hedging.

	The Colliery is now wrought in wt is now called the Stone Coale is a Seam of Coale about 5 Quarters thick but has two beds of Stone in it the one about 8 Inches from the bottom thereof being in some places a foot & in others 14 Inches Thick and the other Stone is about 3 Inches thick and not above 6 Inches from the roofe or top of the Seam the Coals are ill Coloured and foule.  This Seam is about 1 fatham (from the Earths Surface) deep & they are Obliged to Draw their water having no levell or drift to take it away  The Seam dips South East one Yard in Seven or Eight, is troublesome working & Dear Enough of £50 per Ann but we think there is little hazard of keeping her at the present Rent

	There is another Seam of Coale in this Estate wch lyes about 3 Yards above the Stone Coale, wch formerly was wrought to the East of the present workings, & was reckond better Coale but as the dip is so great, is all drown’d to the East; a drift from the See banks, woud free that Seam of water, but the Expence thereof cannot be now assertain’d nor not at all without boring on the Seabanks but as this & Driving a Drift may be a considerable expence, we woud not advise the doing of it, unless the Coales shoud be fit for exportation wch we are assured they are not.  the Same seam of Coale being now wrot at Morton adjoyning Scremerston & a Sample thereof having been Sent to London <..> Markett  When ever the working of this Seam now wrot Ceases, or is near wrot out, then that wch is 9 Yards above may be won as before mentioned, but it’s not all advisable to be done before.

	There is other Methods of winning Collierys, wch might putt in practice at Scremerston where There a Valuable Seam, but there is none that in this part of the world wou’d be tho’t worth working but were there Even a good Seam of Coale, the expence of erecting <Fire> Engines is very great, of our own knowledge it is from £600 to £1200 the first Erection, & from £200 to £400 Expence in keeping annually.

	There is a Fishery in this Estate but is of Little Vallue & we doubt cannot be ever made better, at a Moderate Expence; it is Included in Mrs Clavrings Rent

	The Mill is in bad Repaire, but it may be advisable to doe as little in the repairs thereof as may be till lett upon Lease.

	In this Estate of Scremerston is wt is called the Priors ground now possessed by Mr William Armorer who is desireous of having a Division of it & wt common he is intitled to by Vertue thereof it lyes in Severall Ridges interspersd in Scremerston in field Lands & in that part thereof for wch no hay Tyth is pay’d, being Cover’d by a Modus pd Mr Ord the present possessor of the Tyths of Scremerston, now lett  to Mrs Clavering at £9 per ann & is 12 Acres 1 Rood & 30 Perches  Mr Armorer is also Intitled to, & His Tennt now enjoys by Vertue thereof Six Stents or Pasturage for Six Cows in the Common fields of Scremerston, & he in right of his sd 12 Acres 1 Rood & 30 Perches claims a Five & thirtieth part of the whole Common & Says that Mr Masham of whom he purchased had an Offer from Mr Errington, late recer for the Derwentwater Family of a 38th part wch to us appears a great in consistency as he can only have a right to a proportionable Share of the Common as he has in the Infield Lands the Stents being also Consider’d it woud be the Hospitalls Interest as well as his to Divide upon an equitable footing.

	Lorbottle Tyths has been Some years lett to Mr Fra Anderson One of Duke of Sumersetts Bayliffs att £30 per Ann and a house & Closes in Alnwick att £14:10 but we Observe by a letter from the late Recer Mr Watson that he had lett the Same together to the Sd Mr Anderson at £40 & he yet Complains that he Losses by ‘em upon His shewing that Letter of Mr Watsons & acquainting us of his pretended hardships we were afraid those Tyths etc were Dear, and therefore not willing to quit him of ‘em On any Other Tearms than this, That in Case a Tennt or Tennts offerd to our liking he Shou’d be Cleared of them, & we on Considering it wrote to him to that Effect,  In the Interval before we heard from him we had the Offer of Tennants who Offer £33 for the Tyth & also we hope to lett the land at least on the Same rent & Therefore have wrote Mr Anderson that he is not to be longer Concernd wch we hope the Hospitall will approve of  You will Observe Sr that the Diffrence to the Hospitall will be £7:10 per Ann.

	There is One Mr Robert Marley who Farms in the Neighberhood of Newlands & Whittanstal, wants to buy <Rue> for his hedges wth which if the Directors have no Objection he may be supplyed from the woods at Whittanstall without Detriment to the Tennts there or without Damage to the Estate.  he is willing to pay any price wch we think proper & wou’d take about 40 Fother & Shou’d pay from 9d to Twelve pence per Fother

	Having now given you an Acct of Our Observations on the Severall parts of the Estates we have been at (Except Dilston & Some others wch you will receive the latter end of Next week) Wt remains is giving Answers to Yours of the 3d 6th & 17 Inst.

	In Answer to that of the 3d Inst we Observe the Severall Outgoings Payable out of the Estate, & will take care that the Interest etc Shall be discharged wth Honr to the Hospitall, when Demanded but wt we princapley wanted was any Customary or free farme Rents etc that were payable out of the Estate for Our Guidance, as we find most of ‘em have been payd by the Tennants & Allowed ‘em by the recers when they pay’d their rents.  we have pursued that method & we hope it will be approved of, but if any thing is wrong therein we wou’d be glad to be better Inform’d

	That of the 6th Inst we think we have answer’d except that part thereof relating to Lt George Ramsay [see below] who has petitiond to be housekeeper at Dilston  we have some prospect of a Gentleman takg it but as we are to be there next Tuesday & Wednesday, you will have our further thoughts upon it,

	That of the 17th Inst brought us the Severall Minutes made or taken by the Directors the 14 Inst to wch they may be assured we will pay a Due regard & it gives us very great pleasure that our proceedings so far have Mett wth the Directors approbation & as far as it is in our power, Nothing shall be wanting on our part to doe ‘em Service in the management of this Estate; tho we find a great expence & a great deal of Trouble attends it we are

      Sr Your most Obedient Servts

      Nicholas Walton Hugh Boag



Ps You will receive herewth Our Cash Accot & you will Observe a Ballance in Our faviour the 31 Instant





To the honble the Board of Directors of his Majts Royall Hospital at Greenwich

	The Memorial of George Ramsay Lieutt on the British Establishment of half Pay, now living at Corbridge in Northumberland

Humbly Sheweth

	That there has always been allowed a Housekeeper to the Late Earl of Derwentwater’s House in Northumberland wth an Allowance of Fire for the keeping the Said House Aired, and the Same being possessed wth the said Allowance by one Busby a Roman Catholick, & a Steward to the late Earl Ever since that Estate has been forefited, the said Busby having taken your Memorialist’s House and Small Farm at Corbridge Over his head

	Your Memorialist therefore humbly prays your Honours would be pleased to grant him the Keeping of the Said house in the Room of Said busby whom your Memorialist is Informed is to be discharged, and your honours Memorialist is ready to give good Security for his behaviour in that or any thing Else you are pleased to employ him in.