Letter – Nicholas Walton to William Corbett – 15 Mar 1747

To Willm. Corbett  Esqr                                  Ravensworth Castle  March 15 th 1746/7



Sir        

      We reced. yours with the Boards Minutes of the 7th Inst. and some time before a Letter from Mr Radley touching the sale of the woods in the Derwentwater Estate in answer to which we send you Inclosed a Coppy of the Abstract of the Valluation of the Woods made in the year 1737, with an additional column shewing what we judge each Parcel is lessen’d in value amounting in the whole to nine hundred and eighty Pounds all which we apprehend to be occasioned by their decay in standing, except about £150 occasioned by the Encampm’t of the Army under the Command of Marshall Wade in the time of the Rebellion.

      The Parcels into which it may be proper to divide the Woods for the more Convenient & Advantagieous Sale thereof we think may be as follows vizt.  Keswick may be sold all together in one Parcell, without interfering with the sale of any part of the Northumberland Estates & we suppose the Soonest any purchaser can begin to Cutt will be in the Spring, of the year 1748 & will take at least 5 Years to Cutt the whole.

      Dilston & Thornbrough Woods may best be sold together and will require about 4 Years from the Spring, of the Year 1748 so that none of the other Northumberland Woods can be cutt sooner than the Spring of the Year 1752.

      Highwood & Boathouse Lane Coastley & Longhope will best sell in another Parcell will require about two years vizt. the year 1752 & 1753 And Langley Barrony about 3 years more vizt. 1754, 1755 & 1756  The other small Parcells may be sold without interfering with the Sale of the before mentioned Parcells at any time as a purchaser shall offer.  In this Shape Sir you will be pleas’d to observe the whole will be cutt down in nine years & we suppose the same time wou’d be necessary shou’d the whole be sold together as we apprehend the Consumption of the Country will not take off the Timber to the purposes it is fitt for sooner.  And in either of the Shapes we are of opinion the Money will come into the Hands of the Commissioners of the Hospital at the same time.  Butt we are allso of opinion by Parcelling it out it will sell dearer, as the whole together is too great an Undertaking for people who generally are Dealers in that way; yet in any shape the Sale will be attended with difficulty unless some expedient can be found to make the Purchasers or such as shall offer to purchase easie in the Expence & trouble of bidding.  In the Shape it has been we believe nobody will offer one Farthing & unless the thing can be transacted in the Country subject to approba’n & without Expence to the Bidders we are affraid it will never be sold.

      We are                                Sir you most obedt. Servts. 

                                                             Nichos. Walton  & Hugh Boag



[The tabulated list of trees and values given at this point is the same as for November 1737 – see TNA ADM 66/106 23 Dec 1737 Walton to Corbett-  with the following additional memo:]



We whose names are hereunto subscribed have considered the present Condition of the several Woods in the Derwentwater Estate and are of opinion that since the Valuation made thereof in the year 1737 they have decreased in Value the several Sums in the last Column above mentioned amounting in the whole to nine hundred and eighty Pounds.        

Witness our Hands the 11th March 1746/7

Nichos. Walton

Hugh Boag

Ro. Johnson

Abraham Bunting