Witness Deposition – Thomas Greensword – 22 Apr 1667

Thomas Greensword, of Stanhop in Weredale in the County of Durham yeom[an] aged seventy five Years or thereabout sworn & Examined saith as followeth.



1. To the First Interrogatory this depon[en]t saith that he knoweth the Compl[ainan]ts in this suit & alsoe knoweth Humphrey Wharton & the rest of the defend[an]ts < excepting Edward?> Stout & Thomas Burges & hath known the Compl[ainan]t Doctor Basire Five years & upwards & the Compl[ainan]t William Blackett twenty years & the Defend[an]ts <..> past & knoweth alsoe the Rectory and Parish of Stanhop in this Interrogatory named and saith that he was born & lived therein from the time of <his birth>



2. To the second Interrogatory this depon[en]t saith that he knoweth & hath known severall lead Mynes within the said P[ar]ish to wit  Ewetree & Todfeild Rake & alsoe knoweth Harnashaw Grove in which he this depon[en]t wrought for one Mr Nicholson, And alsoe knoweth another lead Myne within the said p[ar]ish namely <Rake> Grove And saith that he hath known lead Oare gotten in each of the said Groves that is to say in the Groves where he wrought for himself & for Mr Nicholson twenty years & upwards and att Harnashaw grove thirty years agoe & upwards.



3. To the third Interrogatory this depon[en]t saith that he doth know a certain custome within the said p[ar]ish & tythable places thereof that the Parson of Stanhop had or might have tyth of all lead Oare gotten within the said p[ar]ish & the Rector his due  for thirty years last past And saith that he verily beleiveth that <Custome .sayeth>  (the freehoulds onely excepted) for that he hath heard his Father (who was an Hundrede & eight years old) often say that the Custome was such aforesaid <…> though



4. To the Fourth Interrogatory this depon[en]t saith that soe <sure> as a quantity of Oare was gotten & well washed & dressed the Grovers did usually send to the Parson just then paid the tyth thereof unto the Parson in dressed & washed Oare out of the whole heap att the Groves and times where & when he this depon[en]t was a workman, & saith <…> that the like custome was through the whole p[ar]ish, the Freehoults excepted.



5. To the Fifth Interrogatory this depon[en]t saith that <never knew> of any subtractions of any charges out of the tythes of lead save for diggeing or getting thereof or other <…..   .…> of the Parson within the said p[ar]ish and saith when he was a workman there was noe allowance att all whilst he was workman there <..> they themselves would have fought for it.



6. To the Sixth Interrogatory he is not required to be examined.



7. To the seventh Interrogatory this depon[en]t saith that he cannot depose.



8.9. To the eighth & ninth Interrogatories he is not required to be examined.



10.11.12. To the tenth Eleventh Twelfth Interrogatories he cannot depose.



13. To the thirteenth Interrogatory this depon[en]t saith that he hath heard that there used to be quarterly meetings att the Chappell in Weredale for br[ing]ing & ju<dg>ing of accompts unto the Moormaster and Parson of all lead Oare gotten by the said Grovers but saith he was never p[re]sent att any such meetings.