A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



Joseph Greenfield being very infirm and unable to do 

 work humbly requests the superannuation allowance. 

 4/6 per week granted. 



Robert Haddrick requests Joseph Greenfield's shop in 

 the Square. Granted. 



Robert Siddoway's Note requests a shop in the Square. 

 Rejected, the shop not being suitable. 



Joseph Wright requests a stock of his own. Desired 

 to produce his Register. 



John Oliver requests to be superannuated. Granted 

 to have 7/- a week. 



John Ayre being 63 years old. A report being pre- 

 valent that he is going to marry a foreigner It is 

 ordered that in the event of his superannuation this 

 Committee consider nothing for this wife or in the 

 event of his Death the widow so left will not be 

 intitled to relief from the Poor Box. 



Women frequently figure in the court : — Mary 

 Wright is reprimanded for not cleaning the chapel 

 thoroughly ; ^' Margaret Ayre was put into the 

 court for scandal, and the arbitrators agreed that 

 in all such cases the defendant, although a widow, 

 must pay the court's charges ; *° Mary Brew- 

 house requests that her son may be bound to 

 patten-ring making.^' Heavy fines were exacted 

 from any transgressing the laws which affected 

 the successful working of the mill. 



Thomas Evans', John Evans', and William Evans' 

 stock having been found incorrect, on being weighed 

 by the Governors They are judged guilty of borrow- 

 ing and lending contrary to Law 51 verse 10 and 2. 

 They are therefore ordered to be mulcted 8/- per 

 verse 5, to be collected by 6 J. per week for the Benefit 

 of Winlaton Poor." 



Contracts between those workmen who em- 

 ployed hammermen were also drawn up in this 

 court, I 5J. being the usual weekly wage.'*' 



But the principle of popular government does 

 not always work smoothly; in 1704, Sir Am- 

 brose Crowley was forced to dismiss the com- 

 mittee of aggrievances and gives his reasons for 

 his action in an order which throws considerable 

 light on the founder's requirements in his co- 

 workers : — 



And I do appoint to chuse six new Committee men 

 and do order that you see they be chosen in a fair way 

 and not such that by their evil practices are not Qualli- 

 fied ; and that the odd Waremen choose 3 and the 

 Nailers 3 and recomend to them to chuse Men of good 

 principle of a Quiet and sober temper to such I shall 

 always give a due regard to what they write, and my 

 workmen will find all matters of agrievance redressed, 

 but if they chuse men of Turbulent spirits that will 

 set forth Agrievances and there is none, its but reason- 

 able to think that it will much lesson their complaints 

 of real Agrievances and quite overthro my good designe 

 to have all my People's Agrievances fairly laid before 



'' Crowley MS. Newcastle-upon-Tyne Free Library, 

 18 March, 1807, Account 6330. 



" Ibid. 10 Feb. 1813, Account 6638. 

 " Ibid. 6 Jan. 1808, Account 6372. 

 " Ibid. 18 Oct. 1809, Account 6465. 

 " Ibid. 24 Dec. 18 14. 



me, and then I will never be wanting to do them jus- 

 tice. I would have you consider the Trust you have 

 taken upon you, its no less than to hear all my peoples 

 Agrievances and to lay them before me, without Favour 

 or affection, Illwill or hatred, you must not be afraid 

 to write against any of my clerks if they in any way 

 abuse my people or do not in all LawfuU Hours give 

 their attendance and duly dispatch every Reckoner and 

 chearfully in their due course. I also recommend to 

 you to use your best Indeavours to keep my people 

 Quiet and Peaceable and show them a good example 

 and shun the pernicious advice of that base and wicked 

 fellow Za Goodwin, who always was the promoter of 

 Villany and the overthrow of all that was good. I 

 also recommend to you when you see any of my People 

 agrieved that you complain first to the Council, if they 

 do not relieve you then write to me.** 



But the power of general supervision of the 

 mills, whether at Winlaton or Swalwell, was 

 vested in a grand council, which sat at Swalwell, 

 and held weekly meetings. Their business was 



to hear and Determine all Requests complaints or 

 appeals of workmen with true regard for my orders 

 favouring the just and careful and in no respect to en- 

 courage the persons who are guilty of the breach of 

 Law 48, particularly verse 2 and order 57. 



The utmost care was taken that the meetings 

 should be decorous. Swearing, cursing, giving 

 any man the lie, challenging anyone, using pro- 

 voking language, interrupting, talking of any 

 thing foreign to the subject, were finable offences, 

 'every joke or jest' cost the perpetrator id. ; as 

 a rule the fines went to the fund for the poor, 

 but the fines for misbehaviour at council meet- 

 ings were divided equally among the other mem- 

 bers of the council.^' In order to prevent waste 

 of time by too frequent applications to the council 

 at Swalwell, a committee was appointed by the 

 head of the firm to manage the Winlaton mill. 

 They met each day, read the letters, settled the 

 business of the day ; all matters were decided by 

 the votes of the Committee ; in case of equality of 

 voting the member of the committee, who was 

 also a member of the council, had the casting vote. 

 All action taken by the committee was to be laid 

 before the council at Swalwell, who had a sus- 

 pensive power, until the views of the head of the 

 firm could be ascertained.^^ Any workman could 

 be suspended by the action of the governors, the 

 council, the committee of survey, or the committee 

 of aggrievances, but a minute of the proceedings 

 had to be sent to Crowley to be endorsed or 

 countermanded.'" 



The system of payment was somewhat com- 

 plicated. A newcomer had to enter into a bond 

 for a considerable amount before the tools and 

 materials necessary for his work were advanced 



"Council Direction, E.N. verse II 15, 26 Dec. 

 1704 ; apparently copied from another MS. 

 '*' Law Book, Law 83, verse 3, fol. 130. 

 " Ibid. Law 44, verses 7-18, fols. JS", 7S^- 

 " Ibid. Law 53, verse 20, fol. 51a. 



184 



