1790 08 09 : Letter about dispute over Bleatarn Common

Update on Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 12:09AM by Petra Mitchinson

09 Aug 1790. LETTER ABOUT DISPUTE OVER BLEATARN COMMON. Bundle 62, Doc 37. 29 cm x 18.5 cm, folded in half to make four pages. One page blank. Red seal with corresponding hole where it was torn open with loss of some writing. Mr. HARRISON Langton 9th. Augst. 1790 ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mr. OLDMAN Edenhall ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Sir Langton 9th. Augst. 1790 I am not so uncharitable as to convert all Mr. WARDs ill natured expressions into censoriousness. I know he glories in venting illiberal Ideas for the sake of raising laughter, and has so much accustomed himself to this kind of Brutality as not to pay any deference to the most valuable thing in this world, character. But in the present instance he takes ye Com[ ] for Bln. Com: for Two Knaves and one Fool [ ] One Knave and two fools, the first opportunity that presents itself I mean cooly to tell Mr. Sheriff he suspects us every man of being one or the other. I pitty him. I forgive him. His proposal for the introduction of an Atty. on the part of L MUSGRAVE is a fresh insult on our honest intentions, and deserves to be reprobated with contempt, and sent to Jericho. The aggrieved Party have a right to inspect and take copies of every transaction of the ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Commrs. relative to the disputed Ground. And such a fair advantage of preventing fraud in the Commrs. ou’t to satisfie an honest Man. If Mr. OLDMAN has a wish for the sake of vindicating his own conduct, to have an Atty. on the part of L MUSGRAVE, he has my concurrence but upon no other grounds whatever. I rejoice in your seizing the first opportunity to vindicate yourself & thank you for stating your conversation. I hope time will convince the world, tho perhaps not Mr. WARD that we can judge like honest men and that we dare assert our opinions in defiance of all his threats of Law I am now going to Appleby to learn of my unthinking Friends at the castle when the Meeting is to be and for the present shall with the joint compts. of this family to Mr. & Mrs. OLDMAN subscribe myself Mr. OLDMANs Sincere Friend The 3d. Meeting for Bleatarn [signed] Thos. HARRISON common is to be on Wednesday the 1st. day of September