Letter – Nicholas Walton to William Corbett – 8 Jun 1739

Rav Castle  June  8.  1739

To William Corbett Esqr



Sir

	We acquainted you the 25 May last that the Court Barron was to be holden at keswick the 30th of that Mo. for admitting the Customary Ten.ts at wch place we attended & found the Tennants much averse to the paymt. of a generall fine having fee’d a Councell to attend on their behalf wch made the busyness very troublesome. This we were appriz’d of & in order that we might be prepared to make a defence we took Mr Simpson with us from Penrith to assist & appear for the Hosp. as Councel he being well acquainted with the Customs of the Manors of Castleridge D[erwentwate]r & Thornthwaite & indeed he managed so well that we hope every thing was done for the benefit & advantage of the Hospitall. Mr Simpson we doe assure you took a great deal of pains & attended 5 days for wch we gave him £3.3- wch is realy less than he deserved however if the board do not think him deserving of more we hope they will approve of what we have done in that respect.

	The Tenants with much adoe produced their Grand Ind[entu]re after demand made by Mr King the Court keeper, not only at the Houses of those who kept it but in open Court, and after reading it in Court we insisted of a Coppy which they agreed to, and it is now we Expect in Mr Simpsons hands  Coppying.  By this Ind.re all the Generall fines Certain & others by Alienation become due Six Months after the Death of Lord or Tennant, so that in strictness we had a right to receive all those fines the day of Assesment, but the Tennants having built upon a Wrong opinion that no fine was due, Came unprovided & pleaded hard for time which we Consented to, & agreed to accept of payment the 11 October next foor all those at Keswick & the 12th at Thornthwaite, which we hope the Board will approve off. The Arbitrary fines are due at the Will of the Lord; but it has been Customary to give six Months after the Assesment for the payment of them, which induced us to make all payable together the 11th & 12th of October next. The whole Arrears of Rent & fines will amount to near £1100, the particulars of which shall be sent you as soon as they Can be done.

	As this Affair has been a very troublesome one, so it has been a Considerable Expence, tho’ we hope the Directors will not think it so, if they will be pleased to Consider that the attendance was five days, & that we were obliged to take more than Ordinary notice of the better Sort of People, Jury &c the whole Expence amounts to £9 – 12 –d which we hope the Board will approve off.

	Some time agoe Mr Francis Anderson of Alnwick Dyed indebted to the Hospitall £53.16.10 upon wch we wrote you that it would be proper for some person to take out administration in order to Secure the Debt, which being referr’d to Mr Radley, wee were advised not to administer, however being advised by Mr Greive Attorney at Law in Alnwick that we had no way of Securing the Hospitall, but by such Administracon we run the hazard of it in our own Names, & we have Since renounced the Administracon to the Duke of Somersetts Agents who has pay’d in the Debt with the Charges of Administracon . Mr Greive has had a great deal of trouble in transacting this Affair therefore we begg leave to recommend it to the Directors to give him two Guineas for his trouble.

      & we ar Sir Yours &c 

      Walton & Boag