Journal entry – John Grey – 16 Sep 1833

Monday 16th September 1833



Shaw House

Engaged during the morning in answering letters and attending to Business in the Office.  Afterwards rode to Shaw House to examine the interior, of which the Cellar is in bad condition, the flags being much broken up, and one of the apartments upstairs having the floor rotten & in holes.  As the occupier is a Carpenter I think he might perhaps be induced to relay the Floor by the Hospital furnishing the Wood.  The Stables & appurtenances at this place are much better than the Inn itself, & are equal to a larger establishment.  It has been suggested by some Gentlemen in the neighbourhood that this place, being 13 miles from Newcastle on one hand and 13 from Haydon Bridge on the other, would make a much better division of the road as a Posting House, than the present one where the stages are all 20 miles long, taking Haydon Bridge for the second stage, either on the way to Carlisle or Penrith, but I fear our present tenant at Shawhouse, has neither capital nor connection to enable him to try the experiment with any good chance of success.  It appears to me however, that this is the centrical and convenient situation for holding the rent day for those estates lying to the eastward, which are too distant from Haydon Bridge, and whose rents used to be paid at Newcastle, viz Throckley, Whittle, Newtonhall, Thornbrough and Hartburn - about 14 Tenants in all - that by doing so, we should be giving a little assistance to our own Tenant who holds rather a dear farm, consulting the convenience of the Receiver& that part of the Tenantry , and doing something to bring the house into notice.  I then proceeded to Whittle to examine the buildings going on there.  The farm House is covered in & the interior nearly finished.  The Cattle Sheds & Stable are in progress.