Letter – Thomas Errington to Anna Radcliffe – 14 Jun 1722

May it please your Ladyshipe. 			Capheaton June 14th: 1722 



I haue Receiued yors of the 12 of this month new Style, the most of it Relates to one Loraine, and not one word of his Complaints to Sr John Webb truth, I did write your Ladyshipe formerly aboute this man, and Shall now againe giue you an account of him, his Cheife tallant is smoakeing and drinkeing, and has been Runing to and fro vp and downe, and when he was fixt at a place neuer stayd long there, he fell accquainted with mr Geo: Errington who is but an odd Sort of aman, and told him that there was a great many Slaggs and old waist heaps at wood hall Lead mill, which Coll: Radclyffe had a Lease of and was within Six months Expireing, and for which he paid 6£ /ann' Rent, and he told mr Errington that as my Lady Mary Radclyffe was the Colls. Extrix it woud be very proper for him to apply to my Lady Mary and buy those dead heaps and Slaggs, which mr Errington did, and bought them for 50£ which was much better, and he gott as much Iron as was worth 50£ more, and my Lady Mary being very willing to Catch the 50£ in hand, sold Lumping penyworths and if this Loraine had not applyed to mr Errington, and he to my Lady Mary, the Lease the Coll: had woud haue been out in 6: months after, and then those slaggs and dead heaps and all the Iron would haue belonged to your Ladyshipe and my young Lord, which woud haue been worth at least 150£ and if this Loraine and Errington had not medled, I am Senseable noe others woud haue been Concernd, now when they had bought the Slaggs and Dead heaps, then they did not know how to gett the Lead mill at wood hall to smelt them att, but by pretending they woud lay out great Sumes of money in the Lead mynes in Aldston moore, and by that meanes perswaded your Ladyshipe to lett them haue the lead mill for 

Seauen yeares Rent ffree, which was £6/ann, and besides 3 Tunn of wood which was worth 8£, and they haue not aduentured any thing in aldston moore that Signifyes a farthing, nor in my thoughts neuer will to any purpose, but in Short theire Cheife designe was to gett the Lead mill after they had bought the Slaggs and Dead heaps, and now what Loraine wants widdow Browns House for is to keep an ale House in, her husband was a seruant to Coll- Radclyffc for aboute 20 yeare and was a very honest man and farmd £39 a yeare of my Lord and his widd Browne farmes it now and pays her Rent very well, the farme shee farmes is a prety distances from the place where shee liues but has very badd houses vpon it, I cannot Say shee stands in need of Charity tho her husband Browne left her but £3 a yeare, where shee now liues shee keeps an ale house and makes a prety good shift to liue, haueing but one Child and that a boy, I onely leaue your Ladyshipe to Judge what fauour Loraine deserues when he was the occassion of Soe much loss to your Ladyshipe and my Lord, and that his masters does nothing in Aldston moore to any purpose, the few men they Imploy there I am well Infonnd they doe not pay, and Such work as that will neuer Carry on a trade, I can assure your Ladyshipe Loraine tells a very great lye of me of being his Enimye, for you may be assured that if I see any prospect of his masters or of his Carrying on a good trade in Aldston moore in the Lead mynes, noe man liueing shoud be Readier to Encourage them then my Selfe, but I see noe such thing, and in a litle time I shall write your Ladyshipe More aboute this matter, and in case your Ladyshipe will haue me to Turn widd Browne out of her house and put Loraine in it, please to write me two lines to doe it, and it shall be done, shee is willing to pay forty shillings a yeare for the house, and that Rent Since her husband dyed which is three yeare Since, your Ladyshipe please to ask mr. sarsfeild aboute her husband who knew him very well, it is not an vsuall time for any body to Remoue at this Season, Mayday being the Comon time of Remoueing and entering to houses and farmes, I ask your Ladyships pardon for this long letter, but its what is matter of fact, all this faraally are well, and giues theire humble Seruice to your Ladyshipe and Childer, and to the new maryed Cuple to whome they all wish health and hapyness to, I shall pay mr. ffenwicks and waters a Thousand pounds and more, as soon as I am able to Ride abroad, I haue been very ill of an ague euer Since I writt your Ladyshipe my last letter which is twenty day Since, and it is a generall distemper all ouer this Countrey, and I had besides it a Seuere Cold in my bowells which was very dangerous as the Doctors told me, thanke god 1 am Much better, when I say mr. ffenwick and waters the money which I hope will be in aweeke or ten dayes at furthest, then I shall write your Ladyshipe and lett you know what money is in my hand, I can assure your Ladyshipe that money euery day growes Scarser and Scarser, that in a litle time 1 am affraid many Tennants will be Ruined, I send your Ladyshipe a note here Inclosed, I had from mr. Tuck who is agent in the north to the Comissionrs of Inquirey he is now at newcastle, but goes for London on Sunday next, it is a great pity that Estate in yorkshire shoud goe from the famally, being one of the best by farr that belongs to it, at the Rent it is now lett for which is £446 OOs : 04d. /ann besides the advousion of a Church there this Estate has not been aduanced for a aboue a hundred yeares, it woud be a very good thing in your Ladyshipe to gett Sr John Webb to gett Some body to purchase it Some will Certainely gett a very good purchase of it, I cann assure your Ladyshipe, that who euer Infonnes your Ladyshipe they are very much mistaken that meldon and meldon parke are Cheape lett, for your Ladyshipe may depend vpon it the Tennants will not Signe theire Leases till they see how times goes and that trade doe mend, and that is a very demonstration that theire farmes is not Soe Cheap as is Represented to your Ladyshipe, nor neither is there one Lease as yett signd by any Tennants that agreed for tbeire farmes and that is agreat signe they are not Soe Cheape, it was the South Sea that made farmes advance, when Such extrordinry prices was giuen for purchaseing Estates, wee haue gott an abatement of the land Tax for Dilston, the Land in Corbridge, Spindleston and Vttchester, and midleton hall, as for the other parts of the Estate wee haue not gott any abatement on the account of Duble Taxes because the Appeals dayes was ouer before Mr. Radburne writt from London, but hopes next yeare all the ... will be abated, howeuer all the Estate will be one third less this yeare 1722 then it [was] in 1721 being that yeare 3s. in the pound, and this yeare 1722: 2s: in the pound 1 haue [no] more to add at prsent but my humble Seruice to my Lord, and the famally, and I am, 

Yor Ladyshipes most obedient Seruant Tho Errington



Mr. Aynsley the attorney is now at London who will doe your Ladyshipe all Sarvice in his power. 



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