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Archiver > DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY > 2001-08 > 0996783855


From: Graham Clark <>
Subject: [D-G LIST] Birtwhistle - Gatehouse of Fleet
Date: Thu, 02 Aug 2001 21:24:15 +0100


Dear Listers,

Here is a second letter that may be of interest as it contains payments made
to a number of local contractors etc.

Names - BIRTWHISTLE, KIRKPATRICK, DAVIDSON, CARSON, DUMIKEN, TAIT, PAYNE,
COWAN, NISH, GORDON, CAIRNS, MURRAY


The accounts revolve around the Birtwhistle family who I understand owned a
cotton mill and other property in the Gatehouse and Kirkcudbright areas and
the letter accompanying the accounts talks of the poverty and destructive
weather of the time.

One thing I would like help with is that in this letter, and another I will
post soon, the Captain Birtwhistle (in the next letter he is a Major) is not
referred to by first name and as a result I have been unable to work out who
he is! Can anyone help with that point? From the second letter he is a
nephew of the famous Alexander Birtwhistle of Dumfries but beyond that ...

Anyway, hope this is of interest!

Regards,

Graham Clark
**************

Letter addressed to:

Henry Alcock Esquire
Skipton
Yorkshire

Content:



Abstract Slate of Cash Intromissions, James Kirkpatrick
Gatehouse of fleet, with Messrs. Birtwhistle from Whit. 1835, to Whit. 1836

To Amount of Rent collected from Sundries
from Whitsunday 1835 to Whitsunday 1836
as ¶ Rent cash Book-------------------£194"8"10

To received from Messrs. J. Davidson & Co.
one years Rent of Cotton Mills
due Whitsunday 1836--------------------£40"-"- £234 8 10

Cr.

By Sundry Expences paid viz.
Voluntary Assessment for the Poor £1"16"8
Labourers Wages------------------- 1" 2"8
John Carson & J. Dumiken Slaters Accts. 4"13"-
Jos. Tait & Andw Payne Glaziers Accts. 2"15"6
Alex Cowan & Geo. Nish Joiners Accts. 2"16"5
W.B.J. Gordon Esq Insurance Acct. 11"5"-
John Cairns Mason Acct -"12"-
Alexr Murray Esq Feu duty 3"8"10
Slates £3"5/- Lime 19/6,Locks&Hinges 10/3 4"14"9
Bricks, Laths, Hair, Sand, Wood, &ca 1"19"-
J. Kirkpatrick One years salary 20" -"-
ditto Allowance for incidental exps 2"- "- 57 3 10

Balance £177 5 "

Nov. 1836 3 By paid W.B.J. Gordon Esq Kirkcudbt
half share of the above balance per=
=taining to John Birtwhistle of Barharrow £88"12"6

By paid by order of Capt. Birtwhistle to
his mother in Kirkcudbright as auth-
orized by Henry Alcock Esq, Skipton £30"-"-

4 By paid Henry Alcock Esq Skipton in
full of the half share of balance per+
taining to the Trustees of the late W.
Birtwhistle Esquire £58"12"6 £177 5 "

Ja. Kirkpatrick


Gatehouse of Fleet 4th. Nov. 1836

Henry Alcock Esq

Dear Sir,

I hereto prefix Abstract slate of my
Cash Intromissions for year ended at Whitsunday last, and
I herein enclose a Bank Letter of credit in your favour for
£58"12"6 which with £30"-" paid by order to Captain Birt=
=whistles mother, is in full of neat half share of the balance per=
=taining to the Trustees of the late William Birtwhistle Esq.
I would have remitted you sooner but Messrs. Davidson
& Co. would not until a few days ago pay the rent of the Mills
and that because they had not got their promised Lease, it how=
=ever has now been framed by Mr. Gordon and I, so
as to be satisfactory and I expect will be able to
forward you it in a few days for your signature.
I am happy to inform you that Messrs. Davidson & Co.
is working the Mills with great spirit and with
much apparent benefit to themselves both in Spinning and
Weaving, they contemplate lighting the Mills with Gas against
another season. Mr. Davidson however has been very unfor=
=tunate with his family since he came here having lost both
his wife and only child (a fine boy) in the month of March last,
his own health too was greatly injured by the circumstance but
is now much better. This looks to be a very severe winter
for the poor, and if it be so it will be next to impossible
to get even a moiety of the rents collected, and as the ten=
=ements are nearly all so very frail I am afraid the roofs
will suffer if there be many storms of wind, the covers are
already so patched and accessible to the storm that every
great wind never fails to do much damage. The crops here are
much below average and considerable portion of what is,
is not as yet got into the stackyard. I will thank you to
acknowledge receipt of the enclosed, and I remain Dear Sir
Yours truly
Ja. Kirkpatrick


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