Chippenham <1>
19 April 1838
Dear Sir,
I have held the Audits at Lacock this Week & now write to mention that I have remitted Messrs Hammersleys <2> a Draft for £600 on account of the present Years Rents I have still too many Arrears on the last years Book, but hope that I may get several of them paid before you return to Lacock & then to give you the Account & pay in the exact Balance, as usual
I could hardly hope for a good receipt of Cottage Rents, after such a trying Winter as we have had, & I am sorry to say that many of these Tenants have not even made their appearance I must bustle about & see what can be done with them, but it is really difficult to know what to advise with respect to this description of Property at the present time the alteration in the Poor Laws, having so completely cut off the means of paying them with regularity, to many of the Poor & there being such little chance of a weekly saving by themselves, to form a half yearly fund for the Landlord Something, however, must be thought of to prevent this part of your Property becoming more & more depreciated in value & before I see you again, I will endeavour to ascertain from other Parties who are, in some degree, similarly circumstanced, what method they are intending to adopt, in order to meet the difficulty Happily, the Farmers are now generally able to pay their Rents, with punctuality & the amount of the present deficiency is therefore not so much fell but I see that it must be attended to forthwith for the reasons before stated
I saw Lady Elisabeth Feilding <3> on Tuesday at the Abbey & she told me that you had returned to London for some days & that I had better direct to you there, for this Week
You may depend upon my attending to the contents of your last letter I spoke to Mrs Marcant <4>, the other day, upon that subject & the report wch she makes at present is quite satisfactory Wright <5> has not yet discovered any thing about the burning of the Furze
I am Dear Sir Yr obliged Sert
W.H. Awdry
W.H.F. Talbot Esq
31 Sackville Street
Piccadilly
London
Notes:
1. Chippenham, Wiltshire: largest town near Lacock, 3 miles N.
2. Hammersley & Company, bankers, London.
3. Lady Elisabeth Theresa Feilding, nιe Fox Strangways, first m Talbot (17731846), WHFTs mother.
4. Probably a misspelling of Mrs Marchant. [See Doc. No: 03660].
5. Probably James Wright, footman to the Talbots & Constable for Lacock.