Report – James Stuart – 6 Aug 1774

Saturday 6 Aug[us]t



      Set out early this morning and begun our Day's Business with Lipwood well, which lies in the North side of South Tyne near the River. It contains 87A.2R.5P and is in the occupation of Alexander Dobinson's Representatives, under a Lease for 21 Y[ea]rs expiring in 1779, at 56£.10s.0 pAnn[um] being about 12s/11d pAcre. It consists of a small part meadow; the rest is arable, none of which is in fallow, & a few Acres of Turnips. The Ashes & Ashes pasture with upwards of 20 Acres of the West & Low Haughs which lie near the River were spoiled by the great Inundation in Nov[embe]r 1771 being covered with great quantities of Stone Gravel & Sand & tho[ugh] a good deal of the latter has been ploughed in, the Ground is still very considerably impoverished & diminished in value to the Tenant, who had the following allowances made him for the damages he sustained Vizt.



                       £  s  d

For spoil of Ground  121 10  0

Loss of Crop growing  29 15

Corn & Sheep          17 13  2

                    £168 18  2



the Low Haughs, now in wheat, are as Mr Brounton thinks improper for Tillage & should therefore be laid down to grass; and part of Broom Lands should be drained. The Breach thro[ugh] which the water came which did the abovementioned Damage, was made in Lipwood Freehold belonging to Thomas [superscripted: ‘John’] Coats which adjoins the Lands of Lipwood well; he refuses to do the needful to guard against further accidents of the same kind, or even to join the Hospital in the expence of it. how far he may be compellable by Law to do it or, if he is not, how far he may be advisable for the Hospital to do it at their own expence, are matters certainly deserving of consideration.

      The Housing on this Farm is in good condition & there is a Barn almost new having been built about 30 Y[ea]rs ago; but there is the ruin of an old mean building in the front which disgraces the whole & ought to be taken down. Having finished our observations here we entered next upon the adjoining Farm of



      Rattenraw consisting of 180A.0R.27P let as under, Vizt.

                                   Term          Rent

parts	  A R  P                        Yrs   exp     £  s  d

5/29   34 0 10 to Mary Whitelock       6   1779   37  0  0

8/29   48 2 33    Wil.m Stokoes Reprs  71  1782   24  -  -

4/29   24 1 16    John Dobinson   [this and next	

4/29   24 1 16    Matthew Parker  3 share in the	  

4/29   24 1 16    Mr Rd Lambert   same lease]

4/29   24 1 16    John Maughan				

29    180 0 27                                   £61  0  0



Mrs Whitelocks share being about 1£.1s.9d pAnn[um] and the remainder about 3s/3 1/2d . This farm consists of about 50 acres of pasture & meadow the greater part of the former rough & full of broom, & of the latter wet & in want of draining, the Remainder is in Tillage, of which about 10 Acres are in fallow or Turnips.

      The Housing upon this Farm (of which there is a great deal) is very old, mean & in bad condition; the Tenants whose Leases are so near expiring doing nothing more than they can help to keep it up. Would it not be proper to buy in the remainder of the Term of the last mentioned 5 shares; to lett them in such manner as for the whole to expire in 1779; and then to lett the Farm either to one or more Tenants as shall be found most advisable? This would give an Opportunity for putting such of the above Buildings as might be found fit to remain, in thorough repair & of building such for ther conveniences for the incoming Tenants as should be found necessary & proper. We next proceeded to

      Broomhill which contains 12A.1R.0P & is in the occupation of Henry Atkinson under a Lease for 99 Y[ea]rs expiring in 1783 at 5£ pAnn[um] being about 8/2 pAcre. It consists of about 5 Acres of meadow which wants draining & the remainder arable, of which about 1 1/2 Acres is fallow. The housing old & bad. Would it not be proper to buy in the remainder of this Lease also for the abovementioned reasons? We next viewed

      Peelwell which contains 17A.0R.5P & is in the occupation of the said Henry Atkinson under a Lease for 99 Y[ea]rs expiring in 1776 at 5£ per Ann[um] being about 5/10 1/2 per Acre, It contains about 4 Acres meadow & pasture, & the remainder Arable, a small part of which is in Turnips.

      From hence we went upon the Lands of Whitfields Tenement which contains  29A.0R.26P & is in the Occupation of the said Henry Atkinson under a like Lease with the last Farm at 6£ pAnn[um] being about 4s/1d 1/2 pAcre. It consists of about 15 Acres of meadow & the rest arable about 1/2 an Acre of which only is in fallow. That part of <Inner> Haugh which is now in Tillage should be laid down to Grass; great part of this field having been swept away by the floods, and some of it damaged with the Sand. That part of Little Close adjoining to Strother's Close should be drained, as well as the Low Field.

      The Housing upon all the above Leaseholds is very mean & ruinous. We next viewed

      Maggees Lands which contain together 22A.0R.17P and are all (except those in the occupation of Messrs Dawson & Mic[heal] Elliot lett to Tenants at Will, at the rents against each exprest Vizt.



                A R  P      pAnn[um]   pAcre

Henry Atkinson  3 2 16  at  3  3  0    17 6

Will.m Thompson 4 2 22      7  0  0    30 2 1/4

William Wear    2 2 27      2 10  0    18 8 3/4

Miss Dawson     5 3  6      2 10  0     8 7 1/4

Michael Elliot  7 1 26      7 10  0    20 2 3/4



Miss Dawson holds her part under a 99 Y[ea]rs lease expiring in 1783. And the other parcels were under the like Tenure to Peter Paterson who some Y[ea]rs ago was executed for high Treason for obstructing the Militia Laws, the three first mentioned persons who were in possession of the respective parcels against each expressed not having any legal Title to them, as having escheated to the Lords of the Manor, became yearly Tenants to the Hospital about 12 mo[nth]s ago. But Michael Elliot refusing to give up his Claim unless paid a Debt of 30£ which he pretends was due to him from the above Paterson, the proper steps are now taking to compel him thereto.

      Miss Dawson's part is all meadow land; Atkinson's (which is called Strother's Close No1) is pasture & wants draining; the rest of the parcels are chiefly arable; no part in fallow. We proceeded, in the next place, to the 

      Tofts, a small farm containing only 23A.3R.12P, under lease to Matthew Pigg, for 16 Y[ea]rs, expiring in 1779 at 20£ pAnn[um] being about 16/8 pAcre, and now is in the occupation of Edw[ar]d Charlton a Sub Tenant. The whole is in Tillage, about 5 Acres of which is Fallow or Turnips. The Housing is pretty good for the size of the Farm, but greatly neglected by the Tenant; Charlton was therefore directed to get the windows mended

& the other necessary reparations done out of hand. After we had viewed this farm & a part

of Millhill's old Lease which fell in our Way,  we returned to Hexham.

      Sunday 7 Aug[us]t At Hexham