Journal entry – John Grey – 4 May 1835

Monday 4th May



      Communicated with the Moor Master and several tenants on Hospital business.  Mrs Thomson of Glororum remitted me her rent in full & begged to be allowed to sink a Well & place a pump in it, which she states she omitted to point out to me when there, but considers to be extremely necessary.   Informed her, that I could not sanction any Works the necessity of which I could not judge of, any more than their expense, but if she thought it would be if such advantage as she stated, she had better take the benefit of it, by having it done,  and should give her an undertaking, if I found it useful to the Farm, that it should be taken off her hand by valuation, the same as the Machinery at the end of the Term.

      Had an interview with Mr Bainbridge of Alston, respecting the Mining Agreements, the settlement of the dispute arising from working the Crow Coal etc which is now I think placed on a secure footing.  Mr Bainbridge expressed considerable mortification at the manner in which the Sale of the trifling Tithes at Eshgill had been postponed, after the Conveyance had been prepared, and all things as he thought settled.  Mr Hooper saw that the small income arising from Wool on a high and remote Mountain caused more trouble to collect than it was worth, and could so easily be withheld at any time by a refractory Tenant, that he urged Mr Bainbridge to propose to the Governor & Company to purchase it, which they agreed to, offering a full value for it.  The Deed was prepared and the purchase all but completed when an Order from the Admiralty unexpectedly required it to be postponed.   He has never yet communicated the circumstance to the Company, thinking it a pity, that anything unpleasant should come between them and the Commissioners, seeing that they have so much connection in others matters, and is anxious to know if there is any likelihood of the Conveyance being yet effected.  I promised to bring it again under the consideration of the Board.

      [marginal annotation: ‘Mr <Lucker> reminded the Board that the communication to the Board on the [space left] from Lord de Grey had informed <… drew ….> that the reason of it being postponed’ and ‘<…….> the reason was communicated from the Admiralty postponed this lest it should interfere with a general measure for commuting tithes which was passing through Parliament. <GWL>’]