Goerleigh ^<1>
Nov. 7^th 1825

Dear Sir,

I received your Letter of the 31^st October, just as I was beginning my half yearly Receipt of the taxes, which must plead my apology for not replying to it sooner – having a few leisure Hours to day, I am anxious to answer some of the Questions you propose, before I return home, as my memory will enable me to do so without the Books –

With respect to Arrears – the Sum stated to be due from M^r Paley ^<2> is merely nominal – & to explain this I must state that three of your Farms have not for many years paid Tythes to the Vicar – of this M^r P– was not aware & when his Surveyor charged the Tenants a difficulty arose upon the Subject & Sir Sam^l Whitcomb came to Lacock for the purpose of examining Papers in the Tower, which after all did not throw much Light upon the subject but we found that the Proprietor of the Estates had been in the habit of paying D^r Popham a Sum of £6 · 18 · 0 p^r annum w^ch we thought might have been in lieu of Tythes for such parts of these Farms as were not Abbey Lands – as there appeared no way of ascertaining the thing, M^r Paley relinquished his claim on these farms & Capt Feilding ^<3> desired me to get some professional Friend to say what Sum should be paid by you in the same way as had been done to D^r Popham – This was fixed (after a considerable delay) at £13 · 16 · 0 – In consequence of this Circumstance M^r Paley did not pay his Rent for some Land w^ch he occupied for a few years – The Account is now nearly even & will be debited & credited in the present years Acc^t –

The Arrears from the two Crockers are now, I am happy to say, in a course of payment – they occurr’d during the late distress among the Farmers & these Tenants having little or nothing more than their Stock, I declined seizing while there was a Security for the debt & since the improvement in the times, I have required & they have agreed to pay off the Arrears by Instalments – one at £20 & the other at £10– p^r annum – With respect to the Arrears on the Cottages, some of them occurred so long ago as when M^r Pitt was Steward & others during my time – considering the great number of cottages, I trust you will find them as few as can be expected for Property of that description during so many years – a few Arrears are for Tythes during from M^r Montagu’s Estates, when the Tenants were insolvent – With respect to the Disbursements in last years Account, I cannot speak with accuracy without my Books, but I should think the School cost nearly £300 – & we had a large old House (w^ch would not let) to make into small ones – it cost about £100 – but it completely answered, for I have let the Houses for more than £12– p^r annum –

I assure you that I quite agree in thinking £500 p^r annum out of proportion for Repairs on the amount of the Rent Roll – but it entirely arises from the description of the Property – for I think there are not less than a Hundred Houses to keep in repair & almost all of them old – I have been doing every thing that I judge practicable to reduce the expenditure, but I am sure you will see that with a view either to keep or sell such Property, they must be kept in tenantable repair & to this I strictly confine it – I am happy in being able to clear up all the seeming inaccuracies in the Rent Roll – Cloves Wood was reported to me as “about 10 acres” – but I soon found this to be the measure of half the Underwood w^ch had been cut a short time before I was the Steward & in a Letter to you just after you came of age, I mentioned that I had discovered it to be 20 Acres & requested you to alter the Item in your Book – & when you go to Town, you will probably find that you did so – Blackmore Coppice (grubbed long since) & the Common Land – you will find in the Rent Roll – called Grounds rented by M^r[^s?] Beaven in Melksham.-^<4>

I understand from M^r King ^<5> that there is some little delay in settling the Conveyance of the two largest Purchases, but you are to have Interest from the 11^th of October, so that there is no loss thereby – The Valuation of the Standing Timber is about £266 – I hope in what I have now stated that I have made it tolerably clear, but if otherwise, I shall be happy to do it better as soon as I return home w^ch I expect to do on the 16^th Ins^t – I directed £800 to be paid to Mess^rs Hammerslys ^<6> a few days ago –

I am Dear Sir Y^r obliged Ser^t
W. H. Awdry

1825
November 7

W. H. F. Talbot Esq

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Notes:

1. Archaic spelling of ‘Goerly’, Hampshire.

2. Rev James Paley (1790–1863), Vicar at Lacock.

3. Rear Admiral Charles Feilding (1780–1837), Royal Navy; WHFT’s step-father.

4. Melksham, Wiltshire: market town near Lacock, 2 miles S.

5. Of William Read King & Son, solicitors, London.

6. Hammersley & Company, bankers, London.