Letter – John Erasmus Blackett to John Trevelyan – 28 May 1780

To Sir John Trevelyan  Barot. MP.                                                      Newcas.  28th May  1780

     Half Moon Street   London



D[ea]r Sir     I was favoured with your Letter of the 15th instant & am glad to find you approve of the Agreement entered into with Mr. Jona[tha]n Sorsbie Jr.  The payments are to be made twelve Months from each other & not six Months as I by mistake informed you   this is a very great Indulgence & must be attended with a Considerable Loss to you but I am satisfied it was the prudent Step to take     I was at Wallington the 22nd at the Rent day     Your Tenants paid better than I expected tho’ they made heavy Complaints & I do understand intend making Application to you to reduce their Rents & the like Application will be made by Tenants of other Estates  _  how far it may be reasonable or advisable to comply with their Request the Times & other Circumstances must determine.   At present Corn & fat Cattle are on the Advance & its thought will be much higher     Wheat sold Yesterday in this Markett from 4/6 to 5s/0 P[er] Bushel & Oats 1/8 to 1s/10d P[er] Bush[e]l     I brought Home with me £1750 on account of Wallington and Longwitton Rents & inclosed you have an Acco[un]t of the Arrears.  Mr. Turner goes this day to Berwick to receive the Rents of the Ord Estate _ he takes <Bowlt> with him to settle some Dispute with respect to the Boundary of the Fishery & at the same Time to make some little Repairs there     As you said you should have occasion for £500 I have enclosed you Bell Cookson & Cos Bill on Castell & Co dated 27th instant at a Months date for that Sum  for which you will please in your next Letter to send me your Receipt.  At the next Meeting of the Commissioners of the Ponteland Turnpike Road I shall mention the Affair to them with respect to the Sum of £156.15.0 which the late Sir Walter Blackett advanced to pay the Expenses of the Renewal of the Act & for which Sum a Bond was given but cannot be found.  I have no doubt on the Evidence of Mr. Brown their Clerk & Mr. Bell of their giving you a Security for the Money.  Sir Thos. Blackett  will be in this Country this Summer & I shall mention the giving his Bond for the whole Sum & Cancelling the other Bonds.

    I observe that you would speak to Mr. Wall in relation to the Schedule of the Deeds in the hands of Mr. Wright     it is very necessary that such a Schedule should be taken as well on your Account as Sir Thomas Blacketts     Mr. Fawcett and Mr. Wilson are paid for this Business & the Matter rests till the Schedule can be procured.  If either of these Gentlemen should drop the Business with respect to the Writings & Deeds (in which they were Engaged for some Days) must be taken up aNew.     I observe you approve of the Advertisement I sent you  _  I assure you it was not taken from Sir John Delavals for I never saw It.  As Mr. Turner send you an Acco[un]t of the Arrears it is unnecessary for me to do it.

     Mr Trevelyan yesterday entered into an Article with Mr. Brown for the Purchase of the Barony of Hepple of the Duke of Portland     he is to Enter upon it at Martin[ma]s next and the Money to be paid the 1st May 1781     he did not inform me what the Purchase Money was to be but said he w[ou]ld write to you fully on the Subject  _  It will be very Difficult & I fear impossible to raise such a Sum against that Time but Mr Trevelyan said the Duke of Portland would he imagined have no Objection to take 5 p[er] C[ent] for the Sum or the greatest part of it.  This Affair will require your serious Consideration both as to raising the Money against the Time & the disposing of your Estates of Longwitton Sweethope Hawick & Ord.  No Questions have been asked for some Time of Mr. Heron or myself with respect to any of them tho’ it is known that Longwitton & Ord are on Sale  _  I fear advertising them would not have the desired Effect.   I am etc  J E B.





                              £500 . 0 . 0                        Newcastle Bank   27 May  1780

                     One Month after date Pay to the Order of John Erasmus 

                  Blackett Esqr.  Five Hundred Pounds    Value received

To Messrs. Castell Whately & Powell                 For Bell Cookson Carr Widdrington & Self  

.                     London                                                                             Jos. Saint

  No. 13393                              Pay the Contents to the Order of Sir 

                                                  John Trevelyan  Barot.  Value in Acc[oun]t

                                                                                     John E. Blackett