Witness Deposition – Matthew Armstrong – 8 Oct 1686

Mathew Armstrong of Wolsingham in the county of Durham Oar carrier aged one and forty years or thereabouts Sworne and examined Saith as followeth       



13.20  To the thirteenth &  twentieth Interrogatories this Depont. Saith that he hath been several times drinking with Thomas Mowbray the Pl[ain]t[iff]s Agent to take an Account of what Oar was carried through Wolsingham from the the Pl[ain]t[iff]s Mines to his mills And many times whilest they have been drinking together loaden horses have passed by, and this Depont. did at Such times bid him look out and take an Account of what Oar horses passed by, he said what need him for he could count them as they came back; And this Depont. Saith that oftentimes the Oar:carriers will carry through Wolsingham towards  Scotsheal Mills empty horses & then bring all their horses loaden back with coales; And this Depont. Saith that he this Depont. hath driven that way & through Wolsingham towards the Said Mill seven & twenty horses when only fourteen or thereabouts were loaden with Oar & then loaded most of them back with coales Soe that by that Method the Said Mowbray would take noe exact Account in this Depont.s Judgem’t of what number of Oar horses came from the Defend[an]t’s Mines to his Mills for the reason aforesaid for that the Said Mowbray did not question When[ce?] Such horses came. Whither they went. Nor what they carried. And this Depont. Hath carried Lead Oar from Alston Moor through Wolsingham to Newcastle for other persons that the Def[endan]t. And the said Mowbray informed this Depont. that in his absence his wife Supplied his place in taking Such Account as aforesaid. And this Depont. Saith that the Said Mowbray did enquire of this Depont when he was loading his horses in Wolsingham if he was going to the Def[endan]t’s mines and this Depont. informed him noe, thereupon he swore, this Depont. was going to the Def[endan]t’s Mills And this Depont. believes he sett These number of horses to the Def[endan]t’s Account when in truth they did belong to merchants in Newcastle to whom this Same was Carried by this Depont. at that time.														Mathew Armstrong