Letter – Henry Richmond to Walter Blackett – 28 Feb 1766

To Sir W[alte]r Blackett Baro[ne]t MP in half moon Street

Picadilly London                                                                        Newcas[tle] 28 Febr[uar]y 1766

Hon[ou]rd Sir       Inclosed  I return the case about the Crown of Denmarks Debt; and shall send the original Bill and all the other material papers relating to  this claim by the Fly coach next week; but doubt that an application during the minority of the present King will avail little.

Mr Brown thinks the anonymous Letter does not deserve notice. 

All that I can learn about Thomas Blair is that he was brought up in one of the charity schools in this Town on your subscription & lived afterwards as a stable boy or waiter at Ralph Cook’s; but going to London got into the Wig making business, and now has good employment in it.

As to the Curacy of St. John Lee it is reputed to be worth more than £100 a year. There are two Chapels called St. Oswald’s & St. Mary’s in Bingfield that are nexed to it; and the Curate is to duty every other Sunday at St. John Lee’s, and on the intermediate Sundays at those two chapels, alternately; I have wrote to Mr Bell, but doubt there cannot be any certainty of the annual value of this Curacy unless Mr. Stokoe has left behind him a regular Account of the Income of it. I have given directions for four Kitts of   salmon to be sent. I am etc       HR



Postscript to the above Letter



Since I finished my Letter I have received an answer from Mr Bell that he has learned from Mr

Stokoe’s  Acco[un]ts that                                       £  s  d

St. John Lee’s Curacy is p[er] annum                           29  6  8

St Oswald’s Chapelry is p[er] annum                            32 13  4

St Mary in Bingfield Chapelry p[er] annum                      28 13  4 

                                                              _________



Certain                                                        90 13  4



And that the surplice fees re computed to be worth, comy Annis  6  0  0



And that there is a farm called St John Lee Kirk farm

which has been let for many years to the Curate for

£6.13s.4d a year but is worth  between £12. & £15 a 

year But this farm does not belong to the Curacy & 

therefore ought to be advanced if you let it again 

to the Curate. Suppose you should advance it to 

£8.0s.0d a year The Curate would have out of it about           5  0  0



And then the Annual income of the Curacy wo[ul]d be           101 13  4



 A further postscript to the above Letter to Sir Walter

Near seven o’clock- I have received your Letter by this post and as I have herein sent as particular an acco[un]t of St. John Lee Curacy, both as to the income and Duty as can possibly be obtained I should think the sooner a new Curate is appointed the better for you hold the tithes of the whole Manor upon that condition and till you appoint one I apprehend the income of the Curacy will be under Sequestration and the Church Wardens will appoint or make provision for the cure during the vacancy.