Letters – Joseph Richmond to Walter Blackett – 3 Mar 1758

To Sir Wr. Blackett Bt MP. at his house in St James's Street London

Newcastle 3 March 1758

Hon. Sir

	I have repaid Mr Wetherby the £11.1.0, who did not so much as return you thanks for your trouble & loss about his son.

	From the acco[un]t I have about Mr Joseph Peart I am affraid he would be as bad as ever, if he was replaced & where to find a proper person I do not know. I doubt such a one will be difficult to meet with. But till you consider who shall succeed Mr Peart I do beleive Thos. Maughan will conduct matters prudently enough; for I am satisfied he has done all the Business for the last 3 or 4 y[ea]rs in wch time Mr Peart has been of little or no service to you. He has been here & says he has applyed for the place, But I do not know his abilities as a miner, to presume to say any more in his behalf. Mr Harrison Mr Caleb Hunter & Mr Allgood are better judges of his qualifications in that respect. He tells me that by the best calculation he can yet make Mr Peart will be indebted to you about £280 & that he owes besides about £430, but his estate wch is let for upw[ar]ds of £40 a yr will pay all his debts & leave £300 for his familyt & he has ordered it by his Will to be sold for that purpose & appointed `Thos. Maughan  Jno. Peart & Ra. Gibson trustees. Somebody sho[ul]d be appointed to succeed Mr Peart before Mayday, otherwise shall not know what to do with the Farm at Newhouse. Mr Richd. Allgood has been above 30 yrs at Allanheads but whether it is for yo[u]r intrest to remove him I much question, for I doubt they wo[ul]d not get well forward there wth their accts. & reckonings without him, & besides I do not know his circumstances or qualifications as a miner.

	When Math. Curry appeared before the last Comon Council he was asked if he did not think he had behaved ill & contrary to his Oath, at the Guild, to wch he reply'd he did not think he had & as to the Oath he did not regard it, on wch he was disfranchised by the unanimous voice of 24 then present. At the Guild he insulted the Mayor & Magistrates wth very bad language ab[ou]t the Town Moor & encouraging of Foreigners to work within the liberties of the Town & then addressing himself to the Mayor he said. And you Mat Bell who put the Staff into yo[u]r hand, was it not us Freemen, & then turning to the people in the hall s[ai]d now Gent[leme]n is the time to do yourselves Justice, for you are not to expect it otherwise, on wch Mr Peareth & Mr Smith told me they fully expected a Riot. Curry has been endeavouring among the Co[mpanie]s & p[articularly the S[hi]pwrights to raise money to sue out a Mandamus, but I do not find any regard is p[ai]d to his application. 	

	As to the P[er]son th[a]t Mr Lee recomends to be serjeant at Hexham Mr Ord & Mr Ellis both say he is a very idle p[er]son & not fit for it in any respect. If you are advised to serve Ejectm[en]ts on the Kirkheaton tenants please to let it be considered whether the homage jury sho[ul]d not first find the Escheat, wch cannot be done till the head court of the 18 April. 

I am etc   JR