3 May 1804: Settlement of an absurdly modest legal bill from Joseph Bentley of Bradford
William Cudworth. 1895. Old Bradford lawyers. The Bradford antiquary, Vol. 2. Bradford: The Bradford Historical and Antiquarian Society. Get it:
.Excerpt
From Joseph Bentley’s day book
Mr Patchet, Blake Carr in Thornton, Halifax
31st September, 1803, attending you with Act of Parliament for inclosing Thornton Common. Copy of an award of Allotment of Common allotted to Abraham Knowles. Journey to your house. Notice to fair copies to John Wright. Not use a way in your land. Also a notice that two copies not to divert the water running under your covered way, from the well in his lands to the well in your lands, and to make foul the water. Ducks or pigs, etc……. £0 10s 6d [£55.19 in 2020]
3rd May, 1804, received 10/6 J.B.
To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.
Abbreviations:
- ER: East Riding
- GM: Greater Manchester
- NR: North Riding
- NY: North Yorkshire
- SY: South Yorkshire
- WR: West Riding
- WY: West Yorkshire
Comment
Comment
The price is wrong, September has 30 days, Thornton has never formed part of Halifax, and this is surely an obscure joke. Re Joseph Bentley, Cudworth says that “his wife survived him and was the last person in Bradford to use a sedan chair.” See also his relative Brian Bentley, the Halifax Poet.
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Original
From Joseph Bentley’s day book
Mr Patchet, Blake Carr in Thornton, Halifax
31st September, 1803, attending you with Act of Parliament for inclosing Thornton Common. Copy of an award of Allotment of Common allotted to Abraham Knowles. Journey to your house. Notice to fair copies to John Wright. Not use a way in your land. Also a notice that two copies not to divert the water running under your covered way, from the well in his lands to the well in your lands, and to make foul the water. Ducks or pigs, etc……. £0 10s 6d [£55.19 in 2020]
3rd May, 1804, received 10/6 J.B.
109 words.
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