Letter – Nicholas Walton to William Corbett – 17 Jan 1742

To William Corbett Esqr				Ravensworth Castle January 17.1741



	We reced the favour of yours of the 7 of January Inst with the Boards Minutes of that date, which we duly regard, & a letter signed by the name of William Johnson comp[laining of Abuses in the Derwentwater Estate to which we beg Leave to give the following Answer.

	In the first place give us leave to promise that we know of no such person as Wm Johnson of East End, or of any such place as Eastend, but we re well acquainted with the Character of this Incendiary, whose real name we apprehend is Willm Lowther, as will appear to you from the inclosed Affidavit of Mr tate & a Letter from the said Lowther to him & one from William Johnson to Mr John Airey, and that you sent us all annexed, by all which it very planely appears Mr Lowther wants Imployment rather than to do the Hospitall service.

	The severall matters sett forth by this Incendiary are so general that we cannot give any particular answer thereto, unless he will shew where those damages are, for with respect to the Infomacion we were to Expect from Mr Tate you see he is an Intire Stranger, and we are pretty confident so are the other persons mentioned in the severall letters. We have sent to Mr Lowthe that we will be glad to be informed of what he knows & that for such discovery as he can make he shall be properly incouraged & when that is done & we have seen the other parties write you more particularly. It is our business and duty most certain, to prevent every abuse & we hope the knowingful World are Satisfyed with our Conduct: we cannot indeed help these idle Insinuations but hope the Board will not from such entertain an ill apprehension, for they may be assured we are Zealous in their interest. With respect to the Bayliffs we are farr from justifying them or conceling from the Board any Abuses, but in justice to them this much we must beg leave to say, that Robert Johnson the one is a man of Fortune and above doing a mean Action & that Abra. Bunting he other altho’ he is not equall in fortune yet we hope he Acts with equall justice, & if his Circumstances in the world will allow him to continue in the Hospitalls service he will be found an Active usefull man.

	One thing Mr Lowther by the name of William Johnson charges upon us & that is [underlined: ‘That Messrs Walton & Boag is blamed for putting some of their friends or Relations  into Business which is reported to be given to Fraud’]. Now Sir from this you will Judge what sort of a man he is, for it is well known that there is not one person concerned in the Estate that have the least relation to us, nor any but those which were by the Board appointed, as will appear by the payment of their sallarys in our Cash Accots.   The Bayliffs Indeed are obliged to have Assistants at the holding of the Courts which are always chosen among the Tennants & for that Service we always gratifye them out of our own Pocketts; but as we said before that neither is nor ever has since we were concernd any Relation of ours been concerned in any thing in the Estate. How farr the Law will Punish persons counterfeiting the names of others we cannot pretend to say, but if persons Guilty of these Crimes are Punishable we hope the Board will order proper punishment for this offence which we are willing to do at our own Expence if the Board will give us Leave so to doe.

	Inclosed herein we send you our Cash Accot. for last Month upon which there remains a Balance, then in our hands sent   6.2 ¾  since which we have sent to Mr Wood the Treasurers Diputy Bills for £547.8.7 ¼ & this day to him <more>  £300 … so that with the payments we have since made there is little in our hands. We likewise Inclose you an Estimate of the Expence of Repairing Dilston Mill as the Board Directed in which we will wait their further orders & we are 

      Sir Yours &c

      Walton & Boag



[The tabulated estimate may be found in the PDF of this document. It is included in the original copy letter volume after the letter to James Wood of 17th January.]