Short title: Eyre v Smedley. Plaintiffs: Thomas Eyre, John Abell and Hardinge....

Short title: Eyre v Smedley.

Plaintiffs: Thomas Eyre, John Abell and Hardinge.

Defendants: Edward Smedley senior and Edward Smedley junior, Edward Needham, George Smedley, John Smedley and Adam Needham.

Documents: depositions concerning the customs of stowes [stowe a machine for drawing tubs of ore from the mine] in Wirksworth, Derbyshire.

Deponents for plaintiffs: Alice Spenser, wife of John Spenser of Matlock, miner, aged 49 deposed that she is the aunt of Adam Needham. She offered advice to her nephew concerning the run-up to the case. She was present at the hall in Wirksworth, she observed Katherine Smedley, wife of Edward Smedley, exclaim against one of her husband's opponents who was giving evidence at a barmote occusing him of lying. She asked Katherine, 'why doe you soe raile against the poore boy' [why do you so rail against the poor boy]. She refers to her nephew as a child and John Abell as a 'troublesome man [who] believed any body'. Certain men's testimonies were inadmissable because they were 'forsworne'; Robert Spenser of Wirksworth, miner, aged 46; Anthony Lowe of Bonsall, miner, aged 56, deposed that the custom is that if a partner takes away a stowe from a mine in which he had a share and sets it up on a new work then all of his partners in the previous work become partners to him again; William Twigg of Youlgreave, miner, aged 46; Abraham Briddon of Elton, miner, aged 21; Mary Calow of Bonsall, widow, aged around 40, deposed that her husband and son in law had had a conflict over testimonies given at the barmote last summer; William Harding of Bonsall, husbandman, aged 22 years and more; Anne Wilson, wife of John Wilson of Bonsall, husbandman, aged 37, deposed that she 'used to goe much to the pietroft on caveing' [used to go much to the pietroft on caving [pitcroft ?] and there she saw the stowes in question on the plaintiff's works and then later on the defendant's; Clemence Boam of Bonsall, spinster, aged 23; Edward Henstocke of Riber, miner, aged 29; John Spencer of Matlock, miner, aged 38; Anthony Bowden of Matlock, miner, aged 30; Anthony Greensmith of Bonsall, miner, aged 22; Edward Bradshawe of Bonsall, miner, aged 62.

Deponents for defendants: Edmund Ford of Wirksworth, gentleman, aged 39; Henry Hawley of Bonsall, miner, aged 40 years and more; George Adams of Matlock, yeoman, aged 35; George Smedley of Bonsall, miner, aged 22; Francis Columbell of Riber, miner, aged 56; John Smedley of Bonsall, miner, aged 21; Edward Smedley of Bonsall, miner, aged 27; William Smedley of Bonsall, miner, aged 17; Henry Shawe of Bonsall, miner, aged 34; Richard Calow of Bonsall, miner, aged 25; James Chadwick of Bonsall, miner, aged 20; Thomas Parker of Matlock, miner, aged 50; John White of Bonsall, miner, aged 30; Henry Lees of Bonsall, miner, aged 27; Henry Wigley of Matlock, yeoman, aged 25.