Witness Deposition – William Emerson – 8 Oct 1686

William Emerson of Wolsingham in the County of Durham Oar=Carryer aged thirty five years or thereabouts Sworne & examined Saith as followeth



8: To the eighth Interrogatory this Depon[en]t Saith That he hath been an Oar=Carryer for about twelve years, and a Smelter att Scotcheal Mill for four years for the Defend[an]t ending in February last And about four years Since this Depon[en]t brought as an Oarcarryer for the Said Defend[an]t Severall quantities of Lead Oar to the Same Mill Which Oar the Defend[an]t bought in Cumberland out of the Plts [Plaintiffs] liberties, & at the Same Mill, the Same was mixt wrought & Smelted by this Depon[en]t & others to make the Defend[an]ts own Oar runn the better. And this Depon[en]t Saith it is usuall with Owners of Lead Mines to buy Oar at forreign Mines & mix & Smelt the Same with their own Oar, which is found advantageous & makes their own Oar produce more lead, And this Depon[en]t Saith whilst he was a Smelter  they found by experience When a quantity of their Lead Oar was mixt it produced five Piggs Whereas the Same quantity unmixt would not produce above two Piggs of Lead. 



13:20 To the thirteenth & twentieth Interrogatories this Depon[en]t Saith That he was imployed as an Oar Carryer for Sir William Blackett for the Sum[m]er gone six years, & in that time oftentimes Sir William's & the Defend[an]t's Oar=Carriers mett & drove their horses together , and the Agent that Stood to take an Account for the Plt [Plaintiff] of what Oar the Defend[an]t carryed to Darwen Mill this Depon[en]t believes did number Sir William's horses for the Defend[an]ts for that Such Agent Stood on a hill a litle distant from the com[m]on road & could not distinguish which was which, & oftentimes there were above a hundred horses in one of these Drifts, And this Depon[en]t Saith that he hath lived at Wolsingham for three years last past & now doth in the Same house with Thomas Mowbray (the Plts [Plaintiffs] Agent to take an account of what Lead Oar of the Defend[an]ts went that way to Scotcheal Mill and he knows that in Mowbray's absence which was very often his son about four years of age Stood at the door & when horses came by called to his mother that the Oar=horses were gone by & this Depon[en]t hath often been present at Such times & lookt after the Said horses & Saith there were many times more Coal=horses than Oar=horses in Such Drifts Which this Depon[en]t believes were all sett down as the Defend[an]ts Oar horses from his Mines And he Saith that since February in the year One thousand Six hundred Seventy & Six this Depon[en]t hath been imployed at Severall times in Severall years in that time as an Oar=Carrier under Sir William Blackett & at other times for the Defend[an]t, and Severall times carried bought Oar for the Defend[an]t to his Mills & Severall times his own Oar. And the Plts [Plaintiffs] Agents aforesaid did not enquire of this Depon[en]t or his company who they belonged to whence they came or where they went nor took any other Account as this Depon[en]t believes Save the numbering of the Said Drifts of horses

                        			William Emerson