Letter – Nicholas Walton to William Corbett – 3 Apr 1741

      Ravensworth Castle. April 3rd.  1741

To William Corbett Esqr.



Sir

      We wrote you the 27th January 1735/6 that Mr John Ridley who purchased a bargaine of Timber of Mr Watson & Elstob in Dilston Park were Entituled by their Article to An Allowance of Twenty four Tunns of Timber to be Cutt in Dilston Park in Case it appeared that he had a hard bargaine. To which the Board were pleased to give us for Ans.r by their Minute of the 4 Feb. Following that the said Allowance Shoud not be made till we had throughly Examined into the Value of the Timber he had taken away, & that we were Convinced of the said Allowance being Reasonable. Upon this Sir we made a th[o}ro[ugh] Examination into the Affair, & had an Accot. Inclosed to us by Mr Ridley by which it appeared he had been a Considerable looser; without Charging any thing for his own time or Int[erest] for the Money he had made use of in that Concerne & from that we were throughly Convinced that it woud be reasonable to make him the Allowance above mentioned. and Accordingly gave him to Understand that when Ever the Derwentwater woods were Cutt down he might Expect his Demand. As therefore he apprehends the Whole woods are upon Sale, he has wrote a Letter to us, which you have Inclosed demanding the said Allowance, but  Calls it 30 Tuns instead of 24 which is all he is Intitled to and as not above 35s per Tun instead of £2-0 which he demands. The 35s per Tunn we think a reasonable Allowance but begg leave to Submitt that to the determination of the Board 

      We have this day sent into the Hands of Mr Wood three bills for £1400 in Accot. of the Rents & Profitts of the Derwentwater estate & are Sir 

      Yours &c

      N. Walton H. Boag