Letter – Thomas Richard Beaumont to Mark Skelton – 11 Jul 1793

										Hexham Abbey

										July 11th 1793

Dear Skelton,

      With respect to the paying the £300 to Elizabeth Laycock, I am certain she can give no security for the Money <per> that of her sisters but Mr.& Mrs. Lee have let her enter into Partnership at York upon the strength of her being able to take her Sisters money and everything is drawn up and signed, & Mrs. Lee wrote to us about the Money. If she takes her own £100 we must let her have £200 & she pay the interest to her sisters & in case of failure we must stand to the Loss I suppose, Mr. & Mrs. Lee never consulted us on the occasion, but as it is done we cannot undo it, the it is by no means by our approbation that the Money is paid.

      I am afraid they will want an engine at Swalwell for the Coals – Particular care should be taken before Mr. Thornton enters that the Chapel may not come under the bishop for if he can lay hold of it he will, and when there comes to be duty done twice a day, and a Clergyman payed by us for attend.[ance] upon it, and burial service performed, without the clergyman being a curate to the parish church, & receiving the surplus fees, a proper agreement should be made also that he should be obliged to teach the Children writing and Accounts & previous to his entry at a fixed price, and as he is to have <boarders> the price should be fixed, & that he should not go away without giving six Months notice, & if we disapprove of him that he must take six Months - , and the description of the Children that he is to teach, that is how many from Poor people that cannot pay much, & that are to come under the Money we give, and the fees for burying & christening should be settled, all these preliminaries should be duly attended to, & his own principles whether he is a party Man, Mr. Elliott talks much about party, one may have the same Ideas as the other – I am very glad they got on so well with the Chimnies. Stanhope mentioned that they had cut down one of his trees, I <said> I was glad of it it was much better than having one too few, but as to that I could say nothing, if it was so, the matter would soon be rectified – Mrs. Beaumont will add a line –

I am Dear Skelton Most sincerely yours

Tho. Rd. Beaumont