Letters – John Erasmus Blackett to Thomas Richard Beaumont – 23 Sep 1796

T R Beaumont Esqr                                                                Newcastle    23d Septr 1796

       Bretton near Wakefield

M.P.                    Yorkshire



Dear Sir!	

      I hope that Mrs Beaumont yourself & Son are well after your Journey etc that you found your little folks perfectly so.

      Your Lead Stewards were with me for Subsistance for the Workmen on tuesday; I strongly recommended to them the most strict attention & economy; the reducing the dead work, as well as expensive workings, as much as possible, untill more promising times and to consult with each other frequently on the letting of the Bargains; I likewise had a good deal of Conversation with Mr Hunter on the subject which Mrs Beaumont mentioned to me, he promised me to observe it, & to be very diligent & attentive to business; I recommended to him & his Sister to behave with propriety & kindness to Mrs Hunter who I understand intends to reside at Hexham.  Mr Crawhall informed me that last week they cut a Floot of Ore in the field between Allenheads House & Mr Carr’s house which promises well & will produce a quantity of Ore at a low rate for a time, but untill it be opened out, they cannot judge whether a good Vein may have connection with it.  No applications have been made to me for Lead altho’ I have acquainted the London Houses that I was ready to treat with them for a quantity, I think that they must come to Markett soon, & indeed considering the long Credit wch we are under a necessity of giving at present it becomes highly necessary that a considerable Sale should be made to enable us to make the several Pays in reasonable time.  The letter that you gave me from Mr Wm Surtees was a complaint that your Agents had of late got the Timber for the Mines from other dealers, altho’ he had usually supplied the Works during the time of the late Sir Walter Blackett, Sir Thomas Blackett etc he certainly had the greatest share of the business, & still continues to have much the larger part, but we always made it a Rule to take some part of the Timber from those Timber dealers that purchased Lead, & Messrs Heymers & Blaylock have for some years past bought pretty large quantities of Lead; I think that Mr Wm Surtees complaint is very unhandsome.  Spark who represents to you the bad management in the Smelting of the Ore, at the same time makes application to be the Mill Clerk at Allan Mill; he was in that capacity before under Hopper & Co & was discharged since which he has been employed in the Isle of Man etc.

                                                  I am etc     J.E.B

P.S.  Mr Straker has been to meet the Bishop of Durham’s Agents on the riding of the Boundary of Wolsingham Parish; a previous measure before any steps could with propriety be taken to assertain the Boundary between the Bishop’s Copyhold, & Lord Burford’s freehold, respecting the Mine that is now working.