Bundle mainly relating to the Manor of Blennerhasset and to Mrs Margaret Salkeld...

1 "Court Book for Blennerhasset and Upmanby" 1769 - 1785

2 Manor of Blennerhasset and Upmanby- Court Book, 1794-97, 1812-69

Full roll for 1794-97, few entries for 1812-69

At back:

Manor of Plumbland: surrender and admittance

(1 only) 1869

3 Notebook marked "Manor of Blennerhasset" - rental with notes on whether or not each tenant has, or has not, enfranchised; field names and acreages, tenant by tenant, 1808

4 Notebook labelled "Lord's Rent for Bassenthwaite Blennerhasset A[r]kleby Oughterside Plumbland Bewaldeth and Whitrigg", with Threapland's 1869 on flyleaf; Lord's Rent account, in date order of payment (date, name, for where, rent paid); for all the Lawson manors, despite the label on front, 1868 - 1912, 1924

Lord's Rents list (Blennerhasset), c. 1800

Sheriff Aid or Dashwood rental (do.), with notes on recent payments since the late 18th cent., ending "It would be much better if the Township of Blennerhasset would purchase them at 20 years purchase"; sent as letter to Mr George Dawson, Dawson Place, Whitehaven, by hand, 1827

Three admittances (two of them tenantright), 1763, 1782, 1785

Schedule of "Bunting's Deeds" (covers 1611-1615) i.e. Tolson, w/m 1796

Two letters and rough pedigree of Thomas Benson (admitted 1807) and descent since - from Alan Benson, Papcastle ("Pap Castle"), 1859

5. Certified copy Will and Codicil of William Charlton of Hesleyside, Northumberland, Esq.; proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 22nd March 1797, copy certified by Robert Mounsey, 25 Sept., 1797

Estate in Simonburn and Elsdon parishes (Northumberland), and in Torpenhow, Allhallows, Bolton, Upmanby, Blennerhasset, Whitehall, Bothel, Kirkland [p. Allhallows]

6. Land Tax redemption certificate - to Jeremiah Waine of Kendal, gent., for 8s. 3d. tax due from his house and its land in Blennerhasset (John Noble, tenant), redeemed for £15. 2s. 6d.

Dated at Cockbridge, 22 June 1799

7. Certified copy of limited administration of the goods of the late Charles, Earl of Middleton, whose will was dated at "St Germain's on Laye" on 7 July 1719 (copy on p.6-7 hereof), This copy of the Limited Admon (P.C.C., 3 March 1812) is certified by Joseph Parker and by "Isaac Railton, Clerk to Mr Mounsey" [c.1812]

This Limited Admon. recites (pages 1-4) the Salkeld mortgage of 3 Aug. 1686 for £2,100 (Sir Francis Salkeld of Whitehall, knight, and Thomas his son and heir, to Mary Stanley of Howton, Ches., spinster - their whole estate (components named, with tenants' names), including "all that Park Wood or Wood Ground commonly called .. Torpenhow or Torpenhow Park" (occupied by "William Beley and John Wearian" [spellings sic]) and "all that Park Wood or Wood Ground commonly called .. Bole Park or Bothell Park" (occupied by "John Stamper and others"), also house and land at Cockbridge, another house with walk mill at Cockbridge, Torpenhow Mill (water corn mill), Blennerhasset Mill (do.), and (page 2) "all that the Capital Messuage or Mansion House of Whitehall .. in Upmanby aforesaid"; and recites the assignment of the mortgage to Charles, Earl of Middleton, Principal Secretary of State, on 19 Jan. 1687/8; and that (p. 4) Administration was

8. Granted for Charles, Lord Middleton because his will was signed but omitted to name an executor; that the Admon. was granted to his son John Lord Middleton in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in March 1727; and recites further deed for half the real estate (Henry Darell of Callhill, Kent, Esq., to James Fenwick Esq., 3 July 1793); and that William John Charlton of Hesleyside (Northumberland) Esq. is now by various conveyances become entitled to the freehold of the other half but lacks a legal representative (p.5) from Lord Middleton's side to make title: whence this present further Limited Admon.

9. Contemporary copy of mortgage for £1000 (John Hodgson the elder of Blennerhasset gent., to Joseph Steel of Cockermouth gent. and Joseph Hudleston of Maryport merchant, Executors of the late John Bowe of Cockermouth tanner), reciting that the present mortgagor has inherited the debt from his deceased son John, whose bond to the said John Bowe was dated 16 June 1808, and which bond had for surety him the present mortgagor (i.e. John the father) - the several houses, buildings, orchards and gardens at Blennerhasset, and the 86 acres of land that go with them (occupied by John the father and by John his grandson, and by (blank)), together with all .. woods, timber, trees; no tofts or garths mentioned, 16 Feb. 1816 [copy c.1816, watermarked 1813]

10. Concerning George Dawson of Dawson Place in Whitehaven, Esq.:-

Schedule of deeds of the Blennerhasset and Bothel estate of the late John Hodgson father and son, sold by the son's trustees to Mr George Dawson, 1817

Relating to the following:

c.m. and t. = customary house and its land;

Manor's name following.

Estate: Westgate Tenement (c.m. & t., Blennerhasset and Upmanby, rent 13s.0d.)

Previous owner and date sold to: Hodgson

Deeds' dates: 1797

Estate: Coalhole Close (4-acre parcel at Bothel)

Previous owner and date sold to: Smithson, 1802

Deeds' dates: 1795 - 1802

Estate: Bothel Parks or The Parks (close at Bothel, area 18a. 3r. 0p.)

Previous owner and date sold to: Tom Reed of Baggrow and others, 1802

Deeds' dates: 1802

Estate: Houses and lands at Blennerhasset exchanged with Sir Wilfrid Lawson

Previous owner and date sold to: See col. 1

Deeds' dates: Exchange 20 Oct. 1803

Estate: Houses and lands at Blennerhasset exchanged with Sir Wilfrid Lawson formerly, Martha Peel's

Previous owner and date sold to: See col. 1

Deeds' dates: 1805

Estate: Houses and lands at Blennerhasset exchanged with Sir Wilfrid Lawson formerly Jeremiah Wane's (of Kendal); and before him, of Charles Smithson (died 1772), sold by Wane 1805

Previous owner and date sold to: See col. 1

Deeds' dates: 1772 - 1805

Estate: Houses and lands at Blennerhasset exchanged with Sir Wilfrid Lawson late Charlton's: re Blennerhasset Farm and Blennerhasset Tithes. These deeds include the copy will and codicil of William Charlton and the copy 1816 Hodgson mortgage, above

Previous owner and date sold to: Charlton and others, 1809, for £6600

Deeds' dates: 1796 - 1816

Estate: John Hodgson, bankrupt: 1816 exchange (his father John party thereto)

Deeds' dates: 1816

Estate: John Hodgson Creditors' Trustees Hodgson jun., 1817 to George Dawson of Whitehaven merchant and others, for £11,614, 24-25 Feb. 1817

Deeds' dates: 1817

11 Schedule of deeds and court rolls relating to Blennerhasset and Upmanby and to Baggrow, [originally made] c. 1820

12 Hodgson to Dawson: legal correspondence (2), lawbills (3), 1817 - 1831

13 Admittance ("Manor of Harby Brow otherwise Upmanby") - William, son of the late William Brown Esq., to "customary and tenantright" house and its land called Leesrigg, cust. fineable rent 11s.0d., fine £11, composition for heriot £3; signed by John Dixon, steward, July 1825

14 Schedule of the deeds and papers of James Bell of Farlam, yeo., as mortgagor to John Brown of the City of Carlisle, ironmonger, for £500 in Nov. 1825 (John Maughan also party), 1787-1825, with signed undertaking at end by John Brown to keep safe and re-deliver the deeds, unless fire or accident befall; estate nowhere named, Nov. 1825

15 Survey of the Blennerhasset estate lately sold by Hodgson to Dawson - whole estate (see above), with fields numbered and named, and previous owner's name and acreage of each; includes No. 9, Coal Hill (Hodgson jun.); 4, Old Kiln (Wain's); No. 6 Fitts (Wain's); No. 35 Garth (Charlton); No. 2 Plantation in Wheat Close; Nos. 1, 33 each "Croft" (Hodgson jun. and Charlton respectively); Nos. 21-22, New Close (Hodgson jun.) watermark 1814 [c. 1817]

16 Survey of the Blennerhasset estate lately sold by Hodgson to Dawson, same estate; ties the same numbers to "No. on Plan" [no plan now with them]; dates of a few enfranchisements added, watermark 1845

17 Agreement (William John Charlton of Hesleyside, Northumberland, Esq., to George Dawson of Whitehaven, merchant) reciting G.D.'s contract (27 March 1829) to purchase from W.J.C. for £300 the manorial rights of the Manor of Blennerhasset (the royalties of W.J.C.'s estates there, and the seignory rents fine and heriots from the house and lands there of "John or Christopher Benson", all excepted), with provision for purchase of the minerals of Benson's said estate "in the same way as others had heretofore been enfranchised" if Benson agreed to buy their enfranchisement, or (if the Bensons declined) to buy the lord's rights at valuation; and reciting that the Bensons did indeed decline - now names their two "umpires" for the valuation, John Norman of Kirkandrews on Eden gent. and Richard Atkinson of Bassenthwaite gent., with power to them, if unable to agree on their award, to name a third man to settle it; award to be made by 1 Sept. next, 1829

18 Contemporary copy release of covenant to produce court rolls and deeds of title of William John Charlton Esq. to the Manors of Baggrow and Blennerhasset in his deed of 6 parts (Charlton to Wilfrid Lawson Esq.) dated 2 June 1821, consequent on W.J.C.'s recent Manor of Blennerhasset to George Dawson, to whom the said W.J.C. has lately delivered the said manorial rolls and records, which George Dawson by covenant today promises to produce to Wilfrid Lawson - Wilfrid Lawson of Brayton Esq., to William John Charlton of Hesleyside, Northumberland, Esq., for 5s.0d., schedule of the court rolls and title deeds on pages 3-5 herein (1769-1797, wholly enfranchisements and the two court-books), 1830

19 Lease for 9 years (John Dawson of Whitehaven, merchant, to John and Daniel Youdale of Islekirk p. [Westward] yeoman) for £340 p.a. - house and farm at Blennerhasset with land also in Bothel (total 242 acres), presently occupied by Martin Pirt; excepting the cottages and garden now occupied by Thomas Watson, and all minerals, timber, and trees, and all rights to work the minerals or fell the trees, and to replant and fence them to keep off cattle; repairing, draining, and husbandry clauses; lessees not to plough or till "the Close called Bothel Park", nor any meadow land in this present lease; the husbandry clause occupy pages 4-7 of this copy, 1844

20 "Minutes of result of investigation as to manorial rights" in the Manor of Blennerhasset, 1859

As to the make-up of the various estates, the manor's acreage and boundaries ("assumed" to be "co-extensive" with the Township) and court rolls ("only to 1769 .. and no Court appears to have been held since the 18th Oct. 1797"); discusses the deeds to hand, farm by farm, particularly any customary parts of each, and any sellings-off; schedule (p.10) of Lord's rents, and of Sheriff's Aid or Dashwood Rents as in 1785 (p. 10); Schedule of the whole Manor - estate's owners (one by one), field numbers on Plan A, fields' names, acreages, remarks (e.g. how acquired, tenure, rent), acreage of any customary part of each estate (This Schedule begins on p. 11, and continues to p. 17 with Summary table on p. 18). Page 18 ends, "With the view of more clearly defining the several Estates comprised within the Manor and ... [their] extent and devolution [since] their Enfranchisement down to the purchase of the Manor by the late Mr Dawson, this [item] has been prepared".

21 Copy of Opinion of Mr Robert Moon as to the title to the Manor of Blennerhasset; 1860