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Arrangements recommended to Colonel and Mrs Beaumont for the future agency and
management of their lead mines
At Weardale
Mr. Emerson Principal Agent £100 salary
Mr. Geo. Crawhall Assistant to Do. £ 60
Mr. Josh. Harrison Clerk or Bookkeeper to Do. £ 50
Inspector of Miners at
Breconsike £ 60
Do. of Miners at distant
places. £ 60
Martin Do. of washing ore at
Breconsike. £ 50
Do. of Do. at distant
places. £ 50
Joseph Potts and John Foster to be discontinued - also George Dixon except he be thought a proper person to be inspector of the Miners at distant places.
At Allenheads
Mr. Crawhall Principal Agent £100 salary
Mr. Wm. Crawhall Clerk or Bookkeeper to Do. £ 50
Inspector of Miners £ 60
Do. of washing ore (the
Same Person as at
Colecleugh £ 25
Mr. John Crawhall to be discontinued.
At Colecleugh
Mr. Joseph Dickinson Principal Agent £ 60
until he be succeeded by Mr. Thos. Dickinson.
Mr. Alec Prothero Clerk or Bookkeeper. £ 50
Mr. Thos. Dickinson Inspector of Miners until
he succeeds Mr. Jos.h
Dickinson. £ 60
Inspector of washing ore,
the same person as at
Allenheads. £ 25
Westgarth Forster and Josh. Dickinson Junr. to be discontinued.
It being the practice at Allenheads to pay £10 per ton for Tontail ore the washers finding Fuel-or 9-10-0 per ton, when Coll. Beaumont finds it, we recommend in future, that it be made a General Rule for the Coll. to find the fuel at all times, likewise that in all future bargains with the workmen no Shifts be allowed at any of the Mines (which has been the practice at some of them) but that all the Deads be removed and cleared away at the Expence of the contracting workmen so that Coll. Beaumont may not be put to any Costs in removing Deads except in the revivial of old workings.
The Principal Agent at each of the three Mines to have the privilege of employing Horses to draw all the Lead Ore, Bouse Ore, Dead work &c from their respective Mines, also for the Carriage of Timber or other Materials, at such rate or price per Shift or otherwise as may from time to time be deemed fair and reasonable, taking into consideration the nature of the work, the price of Hay and Corn and every other circumstance attending it, but such Agent not to have or receive any other privilege advantage or perquisite whatsoever.
No Agent, Clerk, Inspector or other person to have the privilege of nominating a Hireling or Wageman, so as to derive a benefit from any Bargain or contract for raising ore, driving levels or otherwise but such persons only who may contract for that purpose and whose names may be inserted in the Bargain Book at the time of contracting, to be intitled to the benefit or advantage arising from such Bargains.
A general Inspector is also recommended, whose duty it will be to examine the state of the different Mines in the course of working previous to the expiration of such Bargain, so as to determine the proper price to be given at each letting, which letting he must attend he must also point out all such neglect, or other observations may occur to him on such inspection likewise point out such places of Trial for Ore as he may think advisable and view such other places as may be recommended by the Principal Agent, whose duty it will be to point out to him every favourable and encouraging prospect of Trial upon which he must state his opinion in writing, along with every other matter or thing that he may from time to time recommend to be done, to the principal Agent at each mine and also to the Chief Agent C. Blackett Esqr. at Newcastle.
Duty of Principal Agent.
Altho in all well regulated Systems every department should be appropriated to a proper Agent so as that in case of any neglect it may be known on whom the blame should fall, yet such principal Agent must in the present instance take upon himself the whole responsibility, consequently consider himself the inspector of every department within his district, and if any of the assistants neglect to perform their duty, he must acquaint Mr Blackett the Chief Agent therewith, but not discharge or appoint any assistant Clerk or Inspector without the direction of such Chief Agent. He must also apply to the Chief Agent upon all occasions when anything material occurs or is wanting, and observe and execute such orders and directions as he may from time to time receive from him or the general Inspector of the Mines, to whom he must point out from time to time such fresh or neglected places as he may think deserving of a Trial for Ore. He must also prepare a plan delineating the present state of the workings at each Mine in his district, in order that the Inspector of Mines may continue the description of the workings on such plan according to the directions given to him.
An Assistant to the Agent at Weardale is also recommended on account of the Mines there being so extensive and at so great a distance from each other, as to render the undertaking too much for one Agent to pay proper attention to, it will therefore be the duty of such Assistant, to employ his time, in viewing the Mines, Dialling, laying down plans from the Minute Books of the inspecting Miners, keeping Accounts, and doing all such other business as his Principal may from time to time direct.
The Duty of Clerk or Bookkeeper
will be to keep all Accounts necessary at each Mine, and which must be done in the precise form and method that has hitherto been practised - he must also assist in laying down plans and such other employment as the principal agent may direct.
The Duty of the Inspector of Miners.
Every such Inspector is proposed to be selected from the working Miners at one of those Mines over which he is not to be employed as Inspector. He must be capable of taking levels, hatching, and laying down correct plans of the different workings, not merely describing the progress of such workings, but also the dead work done at each place. All which must from time to time be regularly inserted in a plan kept for that purpose in order to shew the progress and state of the workings, which plan the principal Agent must provide and describe and lay down thereon all the workings, as well as all the Drifts and Levels carried on to the present time, and upon which plan so prepared the Inspector of Miners or whom the Agent may appoint must insert at the end of every week (not delaying longer) the progress made in the workings and dead work - and to the intent that recourse may at all times be had to the Memorandum or Minute Book of each such inspector of Miners, a fair Copy thereof must be made and deposited in the office.
It will be required that such Inspector go into all the Mines within his district every day, and take particular care that all the working Miners do their duty that they are properly supplied with Timber, Ropes &c and that no improper or extravagant use be made of any kind of materials necessary for the works, or any wilful waste committed that all the underground Roads be kept in good order that each Mine be kept clear, open, and free from Bouse, as well as all such Deads as are not wanted to pile up in proper places to support the Roof and save the use of Timber.
The Inspector of Miners from the nature of his Business must know, when, where, and for what purposes Horses will be necessary to be employed, he must therefore give directions accordingly to the principal Agent who supplies them, and must also attest all such Bills or demands as such Agent may have upon Coll. Beaumont for any work done by his Horses. He must likewise communicate with the principal Agent from time to time, and give him sufficient notice to prepare and provide materials of all kinds that may be wanted, and inform him of all complaints, neglects, or any other matter of which he does not approve, in order that such grievances may be removed, in the manner that such principal Agent may think proper, and in general he must apply to and follow his directions on all occasions.
The Duty of the Inspecting Washer.
This person should also be selected from the most respectable of the Men actually employed in that branch, and must be fully acquainted with all the various modes of washing ore He should be confined to such an extent, as will allow him to attend the People employed, twice or thrice a day, and particularly at the time the carriers take up the Ore, when, any that may have been improperly washed and covered over with clean ore as a deception will be exposed. It will be his duty to take care that all the ore be clean and perfectly washed, and not to permit any to be taken away to the Smelt Mills that is otherwise. Also to keep an Account of all the ore so to be taken to those Mills, and deliver to the Carrier a note to go along with it, specifying the quantity from each place He must also frequently compare his Account of Ore delivered with the Account kept by the person who receives the same at the different Smelt Mills.
The Receiver of the Ore at the Smelt Mill should not only see that the quantity received corresponds with that specified in the note from the inspecting washer, but if he finds any which he thinks imperfectly washed, he must signify the same, upon the note of the Carrier who brings it, in order to shew the work from which it is brought, of which he must give immediate notice to the principal Agent at that work.
The different Smelt Mills and refinerys are presumed to be in such an approved state of management, as not to require any immediate investigation or alteration except as to the receiver of the Ore, as before observed, and an addition to the Salary of the Agents employed at those places which we beg leave to reccommend may be increased to the undermentioned Sums vizt.
At Blaydon Refinery Mr Robert Mulcaster to 120£
John Mulcaster to 50£
Dukesfield Mr Westgarth to 100£
Allen Mill Mr Wm. Dixon to 50£
Rookhope Mr Thos. Smith to 60£
19th January 1805 James Cockshutt Chas Bowns.
Sir,
We have taken the above written arrangements into consideration and do approve the same, therefore request that you will give the necessary directions for having them carried into full effect, also that you will supply the vacancies and make the removals therein pointed out as soon as can conveniently and with propriety be done, likewise that you will inform the several and respective Agents of the duty stated in such Arrangements and which will be required of them in future and of the Augmentations made to their Salaries.
Tho Rd Beaumont.
Diana Beaumont
London, Jan 23rd 1805
To C. Blackett Esq. Chief Agent at. Newcastle.
This report was included as Appendix 2 in C.J.Hunt’s The Lead Miners of the Northern Pennines (1970) giving its original manuscript source as “From Blackett of Wylam MSS, Northumberland County Record Office” The present source reference is NRO ZBK/C/1/B/1
