Letters – John Erasmus Blackett to Thomas Richard Beaumont – 19 Dec 1797

Colonel Beaumont                                                                      Newcastle  19th Decemr 1797

MP  Bretton    Wakefield  Yorkshire



Dr Sir	

      I am favoured with your letters of the 14th & 15th in consequence of which I have sent Mr Newton a Discharge a Copy of which I enclose, & I likewise sent the same to Mr Bell to be delivered to Mr Newton’s foreman since which I have not heard from him, or Mr Stephenson, as soon as they fix a time for the meeting at the Abbey Mr Ebdon shall be wrote to, & you & Mr Bell shall be informed of the same;  I imagine that Mr Newton will make a charge for all the new timber the iron work & Nails supplied by him, for the Carpenters & joiners wages, for the several journeys of himself and his Son & likewise for the Plans;  An estimate of the materials & workmanship could not be formed, as a considerable part of the Old Timber has been made use of in the building etc.  I do not find f[ro]m Mr Bell that any part of the old timber of the Abbey has been applied by Mr Newton to his own use.  Mr Bell told me that he had not paid any thing to the Plasterers for materials or Workmanship.  After saturday next Smith the foreman will be no longer be employed by Mr Newton as he does not carry on business any longer.

	The new Assessed Taxes give very great dissatisfaction, & are thought to be very unequal, ruinous & oppressive.                             I am etc   J.E.B