Report – James Stuart – 9 Aug 1774

Tuesday 9th Aug[us]t



      We set out in order to view the Hospital's Allotments and Broad Pool Common & Wark Fell, in the Manor of Wark, about 14 Miles off (attended by Mr Dodd the Bailiff of that Manor) and also the Buteland Estate, being apprehensive, as a general Canvas was going forward in this part of the Country, that if we did not avail ourselves of the Present opportunity, we might be put to difficulties for want of accommodations at Bellingham, the only place in the neighbourhood of the above Farms where we could possibly have any & those very bad ones, And accordingly proceeded, in the first place, to



      Broad Pool Common allotment which contains 570A.2R.4P & is under Lease to Mr

Robert Mallabar for 21 Y[ea]rs expiring in 1791 at 3£.10s.0d pAnn[um] being about 1s/1 1/4d pAcre, It is all rough coarse pasture Ground, wanting draining in many places & great part of it without any other Fence than  a small Ditch merely to ascertain the Boundary it is much to be wished that the whole was encompassed with a Stone Wall, but as it is a large Tract of ground & part of it such as to make it very difficult to build such a Fence upon, it has not been thought advisable to undertake it, especially as the neighbouring are all grazing Farms, & occupied by Herdsmen in the same way, whose business it is to prevent as much as possible interpasturage amongst each other. There is a small Herd's House & Sheepfold on the Hospital's Allotment which stand high & much exposed to the bleak Winds which prevail over this wild part of the Country, we therefore recommend that a plantation of Scotch Firs & other hardy Trees be made near the House & also on such other parts of the Allotment as may be found most proper. The Tenant is desirous of having a Byer built for his use & made application to us for that purpose; we told him that he must make application to the Board, who would probably accommodate him with that convenience, upon his engaging to pay an additional rent in proportion to the expense.

      Wark Fell allotment, consists of 78A.3R.33P & is under Lease to William Todd for 21 Y[ea]rs expiring in 1792, at 25£.10.0 pAnn[um] being about 6s/5d 1/2 pAcre. It makes a very pretty Farm, great part of it already in Tillage and producing good Corn & the rest paring, burning & preparing for the plough. The Housing is new & neat but the Windows much broke & scandalously patcht up with Board, & which disgraces the Building, for which we reprimanded the Tenant & ordered him to get the same repaired immediately. Found  the young Quick Fences overrun & choakt up with weeds, grass etc and directed the Bailiff to get them cleaned & to see that the Tenant keeps them so in future. The above mentioned Housing consists of a Dwelling House, Dairy, Stable, Byer & Barn all built about 4 Y[ea]rs ago, they stand high & want more plantations to screen them from the Winds.

      Having finished our Survey of the above Allotments we proceeded to Bellingham, a few miles off, where we lay; passing within view, as we went along, of Ellinghams Rig,  containing about 3000 Acres of Comon, about 1900 of which are claimed by Sir Lancelot Allgood, as part of his pretended Manor of Shillington.