Folios 318-319. Report of the committee appointed on 15 April 1844 by the guardians...

Folios 318-319. Report of the committee appointed on 15 April 1844 by the guardians of the Bromsgrove Poor Law Union, to report on the Poor Law Commission's communication about Felix Griffin's letter of 9 March 1844.

The report says that when the guardians bought the land for the workhouse, the north side which bordered Griffin's land was very irregular and they came to a 'give and take' arrangement with him to straighten it. The workhouse governor who was involved in the building work says that, contrary to what Griffin claims, no stakes were moved. Griffin is also claiming for damage from trespass, estimated at £2 15s by Messrs Creswell and Green; the guardians had an estimate of 5s from Mr Webb, surgeon [surveyor]. The committee has recommended that an offer be made of £2 15s, but Griffin has refused to accept this without the payment of £3 1s for rent. As regards the latter, workmen used a shed on Griffin's land to store barrows and tools, the foreman of the contractors, Mr Nicks, lived in part of one his houses, and the clerk of works, Mr Harman, stayed in their house. The question of the 1s per week rent only arose when there was a dispute between the parties. Harman testified in 1838 that when he arrived he found four wheelbarrows, three shovels, two pikes, seven riddles and seven stone hammers in the shed. Nothing was said about payment until they left, when Mrs Griffin [Sarah Griffin] said that she would get recompense for the damage one way or another. Nicks testified at the same time that he paid weekly for his lodgings with the Griffins. The committee concludes that the offer of £2 15s is reasonable and that there is no reason to pay rent for the shed.

[This document appears to be the enclosure for folio 316 in this volume].

Paper Number: 7150/B/1844.

See also Paper Number: Paper Number: 3266/B/1844.

Poor Law Union Number 526.

Counties: Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.