Chippenham ^<1>
30^th Nov^r 1826

Dear Sir /

Presuming from your Message thro’ M^r Darley,^<2> that you are likely to remain some time in Paris – I trouble you with a few Questions which I have to ask at present – first with respect to the half acre of Land on Bowden Hill ^<3>, which was sold at the Auction, subject to there being a Life upon it – I beg to acquaint you that I have enquired & find that the Person is living & about Seventy years of Age – M^r Bruges of Seend^<4> who was the Purchaser, desires me to say that he shall be happy to complete the Purchase upon being allowed the fair Value for this Life & if you should accede to this Proposal, I will get M^r Darley to fix a Sum – I thought (when I wrote after the Auction) that the Lease would be void, in consequence of its being mentioned in the Life Book “under a Covenant to build” – but upon speaking to my Solicitor upon the Subject he says if we have rec^d the Quit Rents it would not be void & such has been the case – If you prefer keeping the Ground, I have nothing to do but return the Deposit Money, as agreed upon at the Auction –

The next thing I have to mention, is respecting the Farm rented by the late John Curnish – His Son, who was always living upon the Farm, having applied to me to rent it, I thought it desirable to have it valued, as it had not been looked over for many years – & I obtained a considerable advance by doing so after the death of Farmer Edwards – Upon the present occasion the case is as follows – The Estate was, during the late War, let for £307 – after the Peace reduced to £260, & is now valued at £282 – This Sum the Farmer thinks too high, having a great deal of poor Land w^ch wants draining & he has requested me to say that he will give £270 & expend £12– p^r annum in draining – I am rather inclined to recommend acceding to his offer, as I know the Farm not to be an eligible one to let – but this Man having been brought up in it, will probably give more than a Stranger & he has Property, w^ch is so essential for Tenants in these times – If you should agree to his Offer, I will take care to keep him to his covenant as to draining

Since the last Audit, I have paid the £300– to Captⁿ Feildings ^<5> Acc^t, as usual & have remitted £700– to Mess^rs Hammersleys ^<6> – I am sorry to say that I have considerable difficulty at this time in getting some of the Cottage Rents paid, from so many of the Poor being out of employ & in a few cases I fear I must resort to a seizure of their little furniture for payment – but as I am aware that you would wish this avoided as much as possible, I shall give as much time as prudence will allow –

I remain Dear Sir Y^r obliged & obed^t Ser^t
W. H. Awdry

W. H. F. Talbot Esq
Poste Restante
Paris

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Notes:

1. Chippenham, Wiltshire: largest town near Lacock, 3 miles N.

2. John Darley, architect & surveyor, Chippenham.

3. Bowden Hill, Wiltshire, 1 mi SE of Lacock.

4. Thomas Bruges of Seend (d. 1835); JP, Melksham banker, landowner, surveyor and mathematician. For reasons yet to be determined, in his will Thomas bequeathed a sum of money to Mary Anna Fry (b 1793) spinster sister of the photographic pioneer Peter Wickens Fry (1795-1860).

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

6. Hammersley & Company, bankers, London.