834 Notes on Bamburgh and Blanchland, by W. Dickson. 



the widow of William Forster, for her life. She afterwards 

 married William, Lord Stawell ; and is mentioned in Lord 

 Crewe's will as then enjoying this £350 a-year (a.d. 1720). 



By deed, dated 15th and 16th May, 1709 (enrolled in 

 Chancery), in consideration of this sum, the manor and castle 

 of Bamburgh, the towns of Shoreston and Sunderland, the 

 Friars, cell of Bamburgh and tithes, Fleetham, the manor of 

 Blanchland, with the monastery and the rectory of Shotley, 

 and all the lands which belonged to Sir William Forster, 

 Knight, William Forster and Ferdinando Forster, in the 

 county of Northumberland ; and also the fishings in the 

 Tweed, the manor and lands of Thornton, Edmund Hills, 

 and other their lands in the county of Durham, were con- 

 veyed to Trustees, upon trust for Lord Crewe, his heirs and 

 assignees for ever, as the purchaser thereof. 



After payment of all debts and charges, there remained 

 over for Lady Crewe and her nephew as binding, the sum of 

 £1028. 15s. 7d. only. 



Thus it appears, that Sir William Forster and his sons, 

 William and Ferdinando, had run through all these fine estates 

 by reckless extravagance, and that in a very short space of 

 time. Law proceedings began about 1701, and all the 

 estates were sold before 1709 was out ; thus proving con- 

 clusively that the estates were never forfeited by the rebellion 

 of 1715, but sold in due course of law to pay debts, by order 

 of the Court of Chancery ; and that when the rebel general 

 committed the act of treason by joining in the rebellion, all 

 his lands had been sold six years before to pay his debts, and 

 he had not an acre left to bless himself with at the time he 

 joined the Pretender in 1715. 



I may also note that the manor of Styford, that beautiful 

 estate on the banks of the river Tyne, was part of the estate 

 of William Forster ; and in August, 1708, it was sold to 

 William Bacon, Esq., of Staward-le-Peel, for £6500, and this 

 money was also applied towards the payment of his debts. 



Wm. Dickson, F.S.A. 



Alnwick, 24th June, 1872. 



