Document 73, John Donkin's Reply to Interrogatories, 12 January 1787, p 1
| 162 | ||||
| In Chancery | ||||
| A Deposition & Examn of a Witness Produced Sworn & Examd upon | ||||
| Interries to him Administered in a Certain Cause depending & at Issue in the High | ||||
| Cot of Chancery wherein Henry Errington Esqr is Complt & Gawen Aynsley John | ||||
| Tweddell & Bacon William Westell are the Defts taken on the pt of ye sd Complt at | ||||
| the Hs of Mr Loftus Inn Keeper in Newcastle upon tyne the 12th Jany 1787 by virtue | ||||
| of a Commn Issued out of the sd Cot hearg date at Westmt the 16th Novr in the 27th yr | ||||
| of the Reign of his Majesty King Geo the third directed to Wm Wilson Esqr Wm Wilkinson | ||||
| Gent & Chrisp Fawcett & [Robt?] Hopper Williamson Esqrs any three or two of them To Examine | ||||
| Witnesses as will on the pt of ye sd Complt as on the pt of ye Defts retble in Eight | ||||
| Days of St Hilary next Ensuing. | ||||
| John Donkin of Sandoe in the Co of Northland Gent aged 59 yrs beg sworn & Examd Deposeth as follows | ||||
| First Interry To the first Interry saith he knows and hath known all the parties in the Title of ye Interries | ||||
| named for sevl years- | ||||
| Third To the Third Interry saith he hath been employed by the Complt as his Land Steward and also | ||||
| as his Princl Agent in his Lead Mines for near 20yrs last past & hath chiefly resided at Sandhoe | ||||
| Hexham in the County of Northumd during that period & hath reced from ye sd Complt or been allowed | ||||
| by him for such this Deponts Services to the Amot of 100L yrly or thereabout & freqtly to a much greater | ||||
| Amot & that by such his residence and Employmt this Depont has been privy to & well knows all or | ||||
| most of the transactns that have passed & Happened respectg the late Bridge near Hexham in ye | ||||
| pleadgs of this Cause mentd and also ye sevl sums of money from time to time pd for and on Acct of | ||||
| the sd Bridge by this Complt & also the benefits wch have arisen from the Complt Horses & Carriages | ||||
| x being employed in Carryg on ye Works of the sd Bridge & the advantages wch have arisen from the Complt | ||||
| beg the owner of the property out of wch the stones Sand & Gravel or a gt pt therof were found & provided | ||||
| for the erecting ye sd Bridge & makg ye roads thereto as in ye pleadgs of this Cause mentd And saith he the sd | ||||
| Depont by ye order of the Complts Actually pd for & on the Accot of ye necessary Disbursemts wch from time to | ||||
| time were occasioned by Building or erecting ye sd Bridge sevl sums of money Amotg in ye whole to the sum | ||||
| of 5579L 19s – 10d ¼ & for the purchase of ye Grod & makg ye road to ye Bridge the sum of 388L 18s 11d ½ | ||||
| & saith that many Horses Carts & Carriages wch belonged to ye Complt were drivg ye building & | ||||
| Erecting ye sd Bridge employed for that purpose & that wch was so done by such Horses & Carts mus[t] | ||||
| in case the same had been Hired & paid for by the Complt have Amotd in ye whole to ye sum of | ||||
| 291-3-9 for making ye sd Road to the sum of 19-4-0 & saith that there were got from time to | ||||
| time for erectg & building ye sd Bridge out of ye Grd & Quarries wch belgd to ye Complt 6449 Fothers* | ||||
| stone for wch the Complt must have pd if such stones had been purchased the sum of 3d p fother wch as the | ||||
| Deponent Computes the same amots to ye sum of £80-12-3 And the sd Depont Saith that from his Long | ||||
| x residce at Sandoe afsd he knew where the best Materials for the makg & erectg ye sd Bridge & ye | ||||
| makg ye sd Road were to be found & also at wt prices or rates the same might be got & carried and | ||||
| also wrought up & also wt it was usual to pay for ye Daily Labour of Masons & labourers and that | ||||
| as Mr Smeaton the Architect employed in planning and formg ye sd Bridge & erecting ye same [supposd?] | ||||
| of great pt of ye work being done by ye Day not liking to trust such work to be done by ye peace[*] | ||||
| or by Night esply ye work done under the water ye sd Mr Smeaton Applied to & Desired this Depo[nt] | ||||
| to take the Charge of Carryg on such works as afsd & that in Compliance wth such request so made | ||||
| this Depont He & also his son & also Anor pson who was then Clk to this Depont at this Depon[ts] | ||||
| request did all of them freqtly & some of them almost constantly Attend at the place where such | ||||
| 1 | ||||
Note: Donkin's Reply to Interrogatories p 1
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Transcribed by KS and CTW