25 Feb 1790. LETTER ABOUT BUILDING WORK AT SOULBY AND HARTLEY. Bundle 62, Doc 3. 33 cm x 20.5 cm. Red seal and hole where it was torn open. Thos. HAMILTON 25th. Feby. 1790 abt. Hartley Castle & Soulby Buildg. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Mr OLDMAN Eden Hall Cumberland ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wharton Feb 25th 1790 Sir I recived yours and last Thursday and Friday we cut down and cross cut all the ash wood that wood be wanted for the building at Hartley castel and soulby, and I went over to soulby and set out the foundation of Joseph RAILTON House so that he may cut it at his leisure KITCHEN has got a great deel of Stones quarred for soulby Building and when I was at Soulby I told the leeders they might begin to leed when they thought proper I have not seen William DAWSON since he was down at Penrith so that I do not know wheather he has let the getting of the stones out of the old Castel or not, John RAILTON thinks that throughs for the castel building will come best and cheepest from Ladfoot Farm in some part of the Rigs, I have made all the inquiry I can a boot the slate which I told you of but I understand it is quite a new quare theirfor no one can tell how they will stand the weather their prise is 30s the rood and near as good to leed as from the fells end, I have orderd the fir for footing Beems and siles and the Oak if I do not hear from you a gain shall be cut down in due season for spars &c we did not fix what sort of door steads was to be in stable and bire and little door in threshing loft wheather Oak Cheeks, or free stone, you menchoned some thing a boot reeds instead of Laths for ceelling I never see a ceeling done with them in this part, the coman prise for ceelings is in this part is 12 pence per yard and the workman finds Laths nails Lime and Hair and workmanship you wanted to know the sise of the Castel within its sise is 35 foot by 25 but I wood only floor it 17 foot wide and stud it of by the Lowest Rib in the maner hear discribed it wood safe a great number of yards of floor and the old ceeling Joysts and old laths wod do it and that part of the floor wood be of no value it draws in to such a peek, from your [ ] Humbel Servant [signed] Thos HAMILTON [Drawing of an isosceles triangle with an obtuse angle at the top; each corner at the base cut off with a line labelled “stud”]