224 ACCOUNTS OF JOHN BAGSHAW OF ABNEY GRANGE. 



of ^44 from Mr. Ashton for 2,699 horse-loads of ore. The 

 lead-mining was at its most prosperous point early in the 

 eighteenth century. The Eyam parish registers contain an 

 account of how the sudden increase of the mining royalties 

 made the Eyam living extremely valuable, so that there was 

 an unseemly squabble amongst the rival candidates for the 

 living. John Bagshaw was not content with carrying lead ore 

 for other people, but soon became a shareholder in mines 

 on his own account. "January 25th, 1717, John Bagshaw 

 bought a 96th-part of Little Pasture Grove of Mr. Thomas 

 Longson of Little Longstone at the price of £6% 10s. 3d." He 

 also held a 64th-part of the Highcliff mine near Eyam, and the 

 account-book contains minute accounts of the ore received, 

 calculated in the peculiar local measure — loads and dishes — 

 wherein 8 dishes = 1 load. The price of a load seems to vary 

 from; 175. to 25.?. 



(e) The largest items under farm produce are : 



£ s. d. 



Wool 



Oats 



Hay 



And there are smaller sums for skins 

 and straw. Oats was certainly the common crop in the High 

 Peak. Abney Grange is more than 1,000 feet above the sea, 

 and would probably never be fruitful for wheat. 



(/) The Bagshaws always seem able to lend their money 

 out on interest. Several pages of the account-book are filled 

 with details of the loans ; most of the money is lent to neigh- 

 bours. The details of one case in 1727 show interest at the 

 rate of about 5 per cent., e.g., a loan of ^5 produces 5*. per 

 year. 



is) The Bagshaws paid their rent to two landlords — 

 ,£21 ys. 6d. to Mr. Eyre, of Hassop, for the farm at Abney 

 Grange, and £7 5s. to Mr. Bradshaw, of Abney, for the land 

 in Bretton Clough. The agreement, dated 1723, by which the 

 farm was leased by Mr. Thomas Eyre to John Bagshaw for 



7o5 

 440 



290 



butter and cheese, meal 



