Report – James Stuart – 18 Aug 1774

Thursday 18th Aug[us]t

      We returned this morning to Wooley and resumed the survey of that farm, an Account of which is as follows

      Wooley contains 303A. 1R. 26P including 168A. 0R. 23P being the Hospital’s Allotment upon a late Division of Bulbeck Common & is under lease to Martin Swinburn, for 21 Y[ea]rs expiring in 1779, at £58 pAnn. being about 3s/9 ¾ d pAcre altogether. This farm consists of nearly ½ meadow, pasture & woodland; the rest Arable, about 12 Acres of which is in fallow –the pasture in general is rough & some part of it wants draining. About ½ an Acre of the Haugh, in which is a Cottage & the ruins of a mill has been damaged & rendered almost useless by the inundations of the Devil’s Water whose attacks are so sudden & violent as scarce to be resisted. The greatest part of Calf Close which is upwards of 31 Acres, is a wood consisting of some fine thriving Oaks & Ash, we found about 2 Acres of it under the plough, preparing for Tillage, but we recommend the whole to be planted where there are vacant spaces with acorns; the soil & situation being particularly well adapted for the Growth of Timber. In a piece of ground called the Spring and also in the West Field & Low Field are several ordinary Oaks from old Stools; which, being past their growth, we recommend to be taken down & sold.

      The Timber up on this Farm has been lately valued at £791.

      The greatest part of the above Allotment is in Tillage & the remainder rough pasture, but by the appearance of the Crops the soil is very far from good. A new Wall upwards of 100 Roods long has been built this spring on the West Side of the Hexham road which runs thru the above Allotment, the expence of which, including Gates etc has amounted to £40; it is well executed & appears to be a very necessary improvement. The Hospital’s Tenant, before the Division took place occupied the whole of this allotment (except about 47 Acres) as an Incroachment & paid £3 pAnn. Acrage Money for it to Mr Baker Lord of the Manor.

      There is a deep Gill or Hollow between part of the above Allotment & Corbridge Fell of which the D[uke] of Northumberland is Lord; in the bottom of which is a small run of water which forms the Boundary. It seems to us that a stone Wall or some other fence should be put up (giving & taking according to the winding of the Gill) to prevent interpasturage which must otherwise unavoidably happen & that then some plantations may probably be made to advantage on the Bank on the Hospitals side, & we therefore desired the Receivers to give it a further consideration & to endeavour to learn if the Duke will consent to be at ½ the expence.

      The housing on this farm is pretty good & the Farm itself, from the diversity of the

Ground & the disposition of the Wood upon it one of the prettiest we have seen since we left Keswick.

 	From hence we went over to Dilston & having visited some parts of the Lands there

& at Corbridge which will be spoken of more particularly hereafter, we returned, late in the Evening to Hexham.