Witness Deposition – Cuthbert Morgan – 22 Apr 1667

Cuthbert Morgan of Frosterley in the County of Durham yeom[an] aged sixty six years or thereabout sworn & examined saith as followeth



1.To the first Interrogatory this depon[en]t saith that he doth know Isaac Basire one of the Compl[ainan]ts but doth not know the other defend[an]t in this suit And also knoweth Humphrey Wharton William Deacon Godfrey Didsbury and John Evans and hath soe known them for five years last past, but doth not know the other defend[an]ts And also saith that he knoweth the parish of Stanhop for sixty years or thereabout.



2. To the second Interrogatory this depon[en]t saith that he knoweth severall Groves within the said Parish, out of which lead Oare hath bene formerly gotten that is to say Cowes, Rowland Johnsons Grove, Quarrell hill Harnashaw, John Mowbreys Groves, out of all which Oare hath bene gotten, out of some three years agoe, out of others foure years agoe and out of others twelve years agoe.



3. To the third Interrogatory this depon[en]t saith that he this deponent is & hath bene for six years last past a partner at a Grove called Ewetree within the said Rectory and that he & his p[ar]tners have alwaise paid two parts out of ten of all lead Oare gotten at their Grove that is to say a nineth part to the Moore master and a tenth part thereof to the Parson for his tyth And further saith that thirty years agoe he was a workman at the Groves in Bollyhope and that then lot and tyth was in like manner paid at the said Bollyhope Groves to this Depon[en]ts knowledge, And this was alwaies reported to be an ancient custome at those two Groves but whether the like custome be generall through the whole parish he can[n]ot depose.



4. To the fourth Interrogatory this depon[en]t saith that the lot and tyth was accompted for at foure times in the yeare and paid sometimes before the accompt and sometimes after the accompt. And saith that for five years last past ended in August last he & his partners paid their lot and tyth unto Mr William Deacon one of the defend[an]ts & deputy to Mr Wharton the Mooremaster & who then was Farmer under Doctor Basire of the tyth lead Oare within the said p[ar]ish in clean and well washed and dressed Oare and not in rude and unwashed Oare.



5. To the fifth Interrogatory this depon[en]t saith that he and his p[ar]tners never had any deduc[ti]on or abatement out of the said tythe at Ewetree neither for wood rope candles or any thing else although they did demand allowance for the same. And saith that in Sir Arthur Heselriggs time he this depon[en]t was a workman at Ewetree Grove & that the owners or Grovers were at great charges in driving a levell there for two years & an halfe and did demand allowance for their great charges, but could not have any allowance at all made unto them And further saith that long since the Grovers at Bollyhope Grove had wood from Blackbanck & Wolsingham Parke for the use of the same Groves by warrant from the Bishops steward.



To the rest he is not required to be examined.