Short title: Attorney General of the Duchy of Lancaster v Milne. Plaintiffs: Attorney...

DL 4/112/12

1669

Short title: Attorney General of the Duchy of Lancaster v Milne.

Plaintiffs: Attorney General [at the relation of Lord Willoughby of Parham, William Dickinson, John Roberts and William Cherry].

Defendants: William Milne, John Tarratt, John Berisford, John Bullock, John Calton, Adam Eyre, Richard Jenkinson, Edward Parkes, Edward Botham, Edward Hitcheson, Ralph Hague, John Adams, Isaac Badden; William Ball, Francis Cockin, Thomas Roose senior, Thomas Roose junior, John Twigg, William Langdon, William Walwin, William Hawley, Humphrey Smedley, John Bowden, Samuel Clowes, John Belleclough, Matthew Belleclough, Henry Newton, William Hayne, John Ball, Thomas Clarke, George Alcock, Roger Walker, Thomas Robinson and George Hawley.

Documents: depositions concerning Elton, Derbyshire.

Deponents for defendants: John Adams of Elton, miner, aged 37, deposed that various rich lead mines have been drowned with water for the past 20 years. The miners attempted to draw the area with engines but failed. Richard Blackwall, Edward Gettings and William Poltter had a sough dug which delivered itself forth at the base of the hill at Gratten. About 9 years ago ownership of the sough passed to Mr Whitfield after the previous owners failed to pay their share of costs in the enterprise; Thomas Burroughes of Elton, miner aged 72; Henry Buxton of Allport, gentleman, aged 60; John Twigg of Gratton, miner, aged 46, deposed that he has shares in a number of mines in 'Elton Field' and in 3 meares in Rath Rake; Matthew Wright of Middleton-by-Youlgreave, miner, aged 40; William Hawley of Elton, miner, aged 68; George Abernathy of Elton, gentleman, aged 50, deposed that the miners pay 1/4 of their produce to the soughmast. At the same in Haddenfields and Dovegang the miners were working on piece rates as copers. The Elton miners retain their property rights over the mines in spite of the introduction of new technology. Their loss of control is effected gradually in piecemeal fashion as they sell their mineshares; Edward Wheatcroft of Wirksworth, carpenter, aged 53, deposed that Blackwall and others attempted to drain the mines with engines and failed around 13 years ago. John Whitfield 'was taken into partnershipp and society wth Mr Smyth' [was taken into partnership and society with Mr Smith] and others to Sough Rath Rake where a number of groves and meers were purchased for the partnership; Thomas Carrington, formerly sworn; Ralph Hagg of Elton, miner, aged 40, deposed that since the construction of the mine sough he has gotten his share of five hundred loads of lead ore; William Crees of Derby, gentleman, aged 36, deposed that he was an accountant on the mines and that Whitfield spent some £4000 on draining the mines including £571 5s over the period 1663-1664; Frances, wife of George, of Abernathy, aged 42, deposed that she was the wife of John Briddon who died in 1655. She was witness to an agreement signed concerning the mines that year. [She signed her own name]; Henry Hawley of Youlgreave, miner, aged 26; Jonn Adams, formerly examined; William Twigg of Youlgreave, miner, aged 50, deposed that he has multiple parts of groves within the liberty. He put his name to the agreement to give soughmasters 1/2 of their ore if the mine was drained but the 4 rakes meeres at Hagues founder and several other mines have not been drained because Abernathy gave orders that the adit was to be driven higher than planned because of the hardness of the rock; William Gilman of Gratton, miner, aged 25; Thomas Roger of Birchall, miner, aged 57.

These depositions contain a reference to T'Owd Man, the collective spirit of earlier miners.

This catalogue entry was created by Dr Hannah Robb and Professor Andy Wood, in a trial of the potential reuse of academic research notes, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council in 2017-2018

Not Public Record(s)

English

Open Document, Open Description