1. John Jones of Ruckley Grange esq 2. Elizabeth Earp of Cosford widow and William...

1. John Jones of Ruckley Grange esq

2. Elizabeth Earp of Cosford widow and William Earp of Cosford farmer

Counterpart agreement to let a farm with mansion house, cottages and buildings at Cosford in the parishes of Donnington and Albrighton (late Mr William Earp, now Elizabeth Earp). Timber and minerals reserved and the exclusive right to all sport. Rent £922. A further £20 for every acre of land in certain specified fields broken up or sown with hemp, flax or rape or mown twice in a year for hay or fodder. Tenant to pay all taxes, except land tax, tithe rent charge and landlord's property tax. Covenant for repair, the tenant being allowed timber in the rough, bricks, tiles and lime at the kilns. The lands are to be managed in husbandlike manner, the gutters and watercourses scoured at least once a year; all hay, clover, fodder, straw, dung, compost and manure used on the farm or left at the end of the term, and 1/3rd of the corn sown on a fallow and 1/2 of that sown on a brush, with the tithe of it, to be left for Jones without compensation. The following course of tillage is to be used - 1st year winter corn 2nd year fallowed and sown with turnips to be eaten on the premises, 3rd year barley and at the same time laid down with a sufficient quantity of the best clover and rye grass seed and not to be broken up again before the second Michaelmas seedness at soonest after; the ground to be well manured. At the Michaelmas seedness preceeding the determination of this agreement, no more than 105 acres shall be sown with winter corn and that upon clean clover leys of the first or second years growth or upon lands well summer fallowed, and not after turnipps or other crops. On the first of November, the tenant shall hay up all the clover and on 1 January after the meadow and pasture land and shall not graze them. The succeeding tenant is to be permitted to enter at any time after 1 November preceeding the determination of the lease

The tenant agrees to preserve the quick-setts and timber trees and preserve the game. During the term, 70 waggon loads of well burnt clod lime or other manure as approved by Jones, are to be purchased and drawn to the farm and spread. The tenant is to perform 4 days carriage for Jones as required, for carriage of coal or as he shall think fit.

Jones agrees that after the expiration of the term, the tenant shall have room in part of the outbuildings and folds and a convenient piece of land for thrashing out her corn and grain, tying up her cattle and spending her hay and fodder on the premises until 1 May next, with liberty of fencing and cotting all winter corn as she shall have sown and liberty of stacking it in the rickyard and threshing it in the barn until 1 May next after the harvest, provided she leave the whole of the straw and chaff and 1/3rd of the corn sown on a fallow and 1/2 of the corn sown on a brush, with the tithe, for the benefit of Jones. Jones shall pay her for the clover sown at the spring seedness next preceeding the determination of the agreement the price it cost in the market when bought, provided the lands have been properly hayed up. The tenant has the right to take rabbits with ferrets between 1 November and 1 March each year. She is to be paid £10 p.a. for trespass to from and at the stone quarries

The agreement is for one year and from year to year, determinable at the end of any year at 6 months notice

Schedule of lands:-

As S.R.O.1267/35, with these differences

11. Waste as Cosford Mill, omitted

14 and 15 omitted

25 omitted

27 Part of Ley Hill meadow, only 1.2.7

29 Omitted

31 and 43 Omitted

32 Omitted

33 Remainder of meadow, now 1.2.5

34 Remainder of Ley Hill meadow 1.3.33

35 Omitted

45 and 46 Omitted

50, 51 and 52 Omitted

54 Omitted

55 Omitted

57-60 Omitted

Half brook omitted

Signatures of Elizabeth Earp, William Earp,

Witness: Charles Spence, Tong, Shiffnal