Journal entry – John Grey – 18 Feb 1835

Wednesday 18th February



After repeated applications to him, the Surveyor of the Gateshead roads came up this morning & went round with me to see the unfinished state in which after getting the public road completed, he had left our private branches in connexion with it, the Water courses not made, the road ends not joined, & the old road through Mr Bensons Field not sufficiently covered with soil to allow of my taking it off his hand.  He professed himself anxious to give me full satisfaction & engaged to send men to finish the work under my direction.  Heard from Mrs Thompson of Glororum, that she will dispense with the repair of the Cottages on that Farm for this year.  Heard from Mr Crawhall that he intended calling on me tomorrow to have some conversation respecting Eadsbush, in consequence of which I determined to ride over to Hexhamshire to examine the Allotments attached to it at present, and endeavour to ascertain what rent could be obtained for them separately, as he does not wish to rent or purchase them.   I called at Rawgreen & Turfhouse, took the tenants with me & walked over all the Allotments.  These are the two Farms to which that description of Moor land would be the most useful & to which also it is the nearest.  The interior Fences consisting of Stone Walls, like too many on these Estates, are entirely in ruins & to rebuild them, would be to imitate the folly that first projected the division of such miserable Land into Fields of Fifteen Acres, as if it would have grown Wheat & Turnips.  The tenants will take the pasture jointly, only requiring the Boundary Fence to be repaired where necessary, & it does not want much, having been better built at first & of necessity rebuilt by the occupiers when it fell, but they only offer £17 for the whole 147 Acres, or little more than 2s/3 1/2d Per Acre.  It is chiefly covered with poor Heath & where it is not, the grass is the coarsest possible.  Having engaged Benson to follow me into that district, we examined such buildings as want repair.  At Salmon Field a regular square of new Farm Offices had been set out, but only in part completed.  We found that by a little pointing & thatchery the old Houses might be made to last for a few years still, & these times offer no encouragement for spending money, merely that the buildings may be square and compact.   At Rowleyhead the same thing occurs, but matters are worse, for the old part is so thoroughly bad that there is a doubt of some it standing over another year.  It must however I suppose take its chance as the Tenant does not wish to have any trouble with building unless he gets a Lease, and that I would not recommend at present, as it is almost certain that by next year Gairshield will be at liberty to be annexed to Rowleyhead, which would make a better farm and save some building.  The rent we fixed at Rowleyhead, for the ensuing year is £110, if approved by the Board.