Witness Deposition – Lancelot Chapman – 22 Apr 1667

Lancelot Chapman of Bucklesdale in the County of Durham yeom[an] aged eighty three years or thereabout Sworn & examined saith as followeth.



1.To the first Interrogatory this depon[en]t saith that he knoweth both the Compl[ainan]ts And also knoweth all the defend[an]ts except John Boulton Cuthbert Watson Thomas Ritson Edward Stout Thomas Burges, & hath known some of them for a longer time & some of them for a shorter time And also knoweth the Parish of Stanhop in this Interr[ogatory] named &  the precincts & tythable places thereof & hath known the same from the time of his youth for he was born in the said parish & lived therein all or most of his life time.



2.To the second Interrogatory this dep[onen]t saith that he doth know divers lead mynes  within the said Rectory out of which lead Oare hath bene formerly gotten namely Whiterake Barkerburn, Langtey head, Stoneysike places & severall other Groves And saith that there hath bene lead Oare gotten out of some of them for long since as he can remember & some of them have been wrought of later times.



3.To the third Interrogatory this depon[en]t saith that he knoweth that there is a custome for the paym[en]t of tyth of lead Oare digged & gotten within the said Rectory to the parson of Stanhop or his Farmers And believeth <…..> the whole p[ar]ish (except the freeholds) but cannot depose the certainty thereof of his own knowledge, but only as unto High Groves wherein he is & hath bene formerly concerned as a partner workman at <….> Groverake in Rookhop



4.To the fourth Interrogatory this depon[en]t saith that the said tyth Oare hath usually bene paid in clean dressed & well washed Oare, & not in rude & unwashed Oare; the same being first accompted for quarterly at the <…> accompt paid <…> at the Groves where they were demanded or sent for by the parson or his Agents.



5. To the fifth Interr[ogatory] this depon[en]t saith that fifty eight yeares agoe and ever since when he was concerned he paid all the tyth lead Oare first a tenth p[ar]t of the whole in kind unto the Parson of Stanhop or his <.....> at all saveing that of late <upon intreaty> Mr Deacon who was then Agent for the Parsons Lessee did give him and his partners some allowance at Ewetree which of right they could not <challenge>, but many <tim..> and saith he <knows not> of any deduc[ti]on at all at other Groves where tyth hath bene formerly paid. But saith that hath heard old men say that they had a custome for allowance, but they had lost it. And <.....> a custome for them to have work from the Bishop for his Lot and two shillings a bing load from the Parson for his tyth, and in particular he heard one Ralph Nattress at a quarter meeting at the Chappell <....> 

the parson but would not pay the same unless he had two shillings for washing it, but whether or noe he got the said two shillings he knoweth not.



6.To the 6th Interr[ogatory] he is not required to be examined.



7.To the seventh Interr[ogatory] the depon[en]t saith that he doth know that since Lammas last the Parson of Stanhop by his servant Mr Thomas White did receive tyth lead Oare in kind at Ewetree without any <………..> the same or otherwise



8-9.To the 8th and 9th Interr[ogatories] he cannot depose



10.To the tenth Interr[ogatory] this depon[en]t saith that Mr Humphrey Wharton by his Agents did receive from him this depon[en]t his tyth or tenth p[ar]t of lead Oare in clean dressed & well washed Oare without <……….> did give him as before he hath deposed And that it hath bene received by the said Mr Wharton Lessee to the Parson, or by the said Mr Whartons Agents for foure or five years last past at Ewetree <…….…> any other but if he has had <not> wrought had any tyth Oare in any other tythable place within the said Rectory he would have paid his tyth to the Parson without any deduction as of right he agreed <..>



11-12.To the 11th & 12th Interr[ogatories] this depon[en]t saith that he cannot further or otherwise depose than what & how he hath predeposed.



13.To the thirteenth Interr[ogatory] this depon[en]t saith that he doth know that there have bene quarterly meetings yearely namely at Alhallowmass Candlemass St Marks day & Lammas at the Chappell in Weredale for ta<……..> the B[isho]ps agents the Parson of Stanhop or his Agents & the Grovers’ touching the lead Oare gotten within the said Parish And further saith that the Method or Manner of accompting was for the Grovers to give <……> what was due to the B[isho]p for his Lot And likeways to the parson or his Agents of what was due to the Parson for his tyth, & saith that some men would have given in one load, some two loads, some three loads, <four as> they had gotten it, And what accompts the Grovers gave in the B[isho]ps Agents & the Parsons Agents did take without exceptions & entered them in their books & further to this Interrogatory he cannot depose some <further> in this interrogatory named.