Document 73 p 9
| 166 | ||||
| George Weatherby of ye Town & Co. of Newcastle upon Tyne | ||||
| Gent. Aged. 34 yrs. and upwds. beg. produced Sworn & Examd. on the pt. | ||||
| of the Defts deposeth as follows | ||||
| First To the first Interry saith he hath known all the Defts in the Title of these Interries | ||||
| named for sevl. yrs. & that he doth not know the Complt in the Title of the sd Interries | ||||
| Eight To the Eight Interry Saith that in the beginning of ye yr. 1770 he this Dept. [went?] | ||||
| Clk. to Mr. John French then of Newcastle upon Tyne Gent. & since deced who was then | ||||
| Deputy Clk of the peace of the Co of Northd. & hath Continued since that time to act as Clk for | ||||
| the Clk of the peace of ye sd Co for the time beg. & in that Capacity he this Dept. hath had free | ||||
| Access to all the sd County Books wch. were kept by the sd. Clk of the peace for the time beg | ||||
| And Saith that in the latter end of the yr. 1771 & soon aftr. the grt. flood wch. happened upon | ||||
| the River Tyne in the Mo. of Novr. in that yr. Accots. Arrived at the office of ye sd Mr. French | ||||
| of the fall of a Bridge wch. had then lately been Built across the River Tyne near | ||||
| Hexham in ye Co. of Northd. & that in Conseqce. of such Advice Surveyors were sent to vi[ew] | ||||
| the Ruins of the sd Bridge who afterwds. made [yre.?] report to ye Justices of the peace for ye | ||||
| same Co. respectg. the state of ye same Bridge And that thereupon advertisemts. were by the | ||||
| Order of ye sd. Justices of the peace inserted in the Newcastle News papers Desiring that | ||||
| proposals might be given in to ye sd. Justices by any pson willing to undertake the | ||||
| rebuildg. of the same Bridge & saith that some time in the Mo. of novr. 1774 proposals were | ||||
| made to the sd. Justices of the peace for ye same Co. of Northd. at an Adjournmt. of ye Mich | ||||
| Sessions by Thomas Laybourne & Lowinger Maddison for buildg a Bridge a Cross the River | ||||
| Tyne near Hexham for the sum of £5000 and also the benefit of all the materials wch might | ||||
| be gotten or arisen from ye Ruins of ye sd. Bridge so thrown down by the grt. flood | ||||
| in Novr. 1771 & Arles of Agreemt. were for that purpose entered into betn. certain of the | ||||
| Justices of the peace for the sd. Co of Northd. & the sd. Thos. Laybourn & Lowinger Maddison | ||||
| & the sd. Thos Laybourn & Lowinger Maddison did in pursuance of such Agreemt. begin to build | ||||
| a Bridge a Cross the river Tyne near Hexham near the place where the Ruins of the former | ||||
| Bridge then Stood & that in the begg. of ye yr. 1775 the sd. Thos Laybourn havg. become insolvent he | ||||
| this Dept. was sent by the sd. Mr. French then Deputy Clk of the peace for ye same Co to take | ||||
| a Bill of Sale of all the materials belog. to ye sd. Thomas Laybourn & Lowinger Maddison | ||||
| & collected and prepared by them for the purpose of buildg. ye sd. Bridge And that a Bill | ||||
| of Sale of all the sd. Materials was Accordingly made by the said Thomas Layborn & Lowinger | ||||
| Maddison to this Depont. in Trust for sd. Co. for ye sum of £2300. And Saith that advertismts. | ||||
| havg been inserted in the Newcastle News papers in the Mo. of March 1775 requestg. proposals | ||||
| for ye Buildg. of ye sd Bridge & no proposals being made in Conseqce. of such Advertismts. the Justices of ye peace | ||||
| for ye sd. Co. of Northd at the Next Easter Sessions holden for ye Same Co made an order that ye sd. Bridge shod be | ||||
| Built by Days Work at ye Expence of ye sd Co. under ye Direction of Mr Wooler an Eminent Engineer & Mr. | ||||
| Pickirnell then Bridge Surveyor to ye sd Co & a Committee of ye sd Justices of ye peace was then apptd | ||||
| any three of whom were empowered to act in any Matter respg. the Buildg ye sd Bridge And this Dept. | ||||
| Saith that he this Dept. did afterwds enter or cause to be entered in the Sessions Book of ye sd Co. | ||||
| Sevl. orders from ye sd Justices of the peace for ye paymt. of various Sums of money to divers psons | ||||
| for Materials & Work in & abot. buildg. ye sd Bidge amotg. in ye whole to ye Sum of £4000. | ||||
| & upwds. & saith that in the Mo. of Decr. 1776 Advertismts. were again inserted by the order of ye | ||||
| sd. Justices of ye peace for proposals to be given in for buildg. a Bridge across the river Tyne | ||||
| near Hexham at ye Quar Sessions to be holden in Janry. 1777 for ye sd Co of Northd. & that at | ||||
| an Adjournmt. of ye sd. Sessions held on ye 6 Febry. 1777 ye Complt sent a proposal in Writing | ||||
| for buildg sd Bridge for the sum of £5700 & also all the Materials then remaing from ye Bridge | ||||
| so begun to be built by the sd. Thos. Laybourn & Lowinger Maddison as afsd. And that at ye sd | ||||
| agent | ||||
| time a proposal was made by Mr Donkin |
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| & making a Road from ye sd. proposed Bridge to communicate with the Alemouth [Turnpike?] | ||||
| Road & it was then also agreed that a Bond shod. be given by the Complt to some of ye Justices | ||||
| in the penalty of £9100 for buildg ye sd Bridge & makg ye Road by ye Complt & for maintg the | ||||
| same Bridge & Road respively for ye space of 7 yrs. from ye time when ye sd Bridge shod be Certified | ||||
| by two or three of the sd. Justices to be compleated and Saith that he this Dept. did Accordgly. prepare | ||||
| Certain Articles of agreemt. for that purpose betn. ye Complt & the Defts & saith that he this Dept. betn the | ||||
| time of holdg. ye Sessions for ye sd. Co. of Northd. at Mich. 1777 to ye Sessions holdn. for ye Same Co. in Jany 1781 did by ye | ||||
| directions of ye Justices of the peace for ye same Co. make out orders from ye sd Justices to ye Treasr of ye sd. Co for | ||||
| the paymn. of various Sums of money to ye Complt on accot. of Buildg ye sd Bidge at Hexm & makg ye same Road in pursnce | ||||
| of his sd Agreemt. amotg on ye Whole to ye Sum of £6100. And this Dept Saith that he hath heard that ye sd. Bridge was compld. | ||||
| by the Complt in the begg. of ye yr. 1771* & that ye same Bridge was thrown down in ye Mo. of March 1782 And saith that as to | ||||
| the sd. matters & things inquired after by this Interry this Dept. cannot wth.certainty or of his own Knowledge Depose | ||||
| George Weatherby | ||||
| Taken & sworn on ye day & yr. & at the place first above Mentd. before us | ||||
| Wm. Wilson, Wm. Wilkinson, Chr. Fawcett, Rt. Hopper Williamson | ||||
| [?]* | ||||
| 5 | ||||
Note: Replies to Interrogatories, George Weatherby
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| An entry outlined like this has a note which may be seen by hovering over it. |
Transcribed by RMS and CTW