TALBOT3655

Chippenham ¹
19 April 1838

Dear Sir,

I have held the Audits at Lacock this Week – & now write to mention that I have remitted Mess^rs Hammersleys ² a Draft for £600 – on account of the present Year’s Rents – I have still too many Arrears on the last years Book, but hope that I may get several of them paid before you return to Lacock & then to give you the Account & pay in the exact Balance, as usual –

I could hardly hope for a good receipt of Cottage Rents, after such a trying Winter as we have had, & I am sorry to say that many of these Tenants have not even made their appearance – I must bustle about & see what can be done with them, but it is really difficult to know what to advise with respect to this description of Property at the present time – the alteration in the Poor Laws, having so completely cut off the means of paying them with regularity, to many of the Poor & there being such little chance of a weekly saving by themselves, to form a half yearly fund for the Landlord – Something, however, must be thought of to prevent this part of your Property becoming more & more depreciated in value & before I see you again, I will endeavour to ascertain from other Parties who are, in some degree, similarly circumstanced, what method they are intending to adopt, in order to meet the difficulty – Happily, the Farmers are now generally able to pay their Rents, with punctuality – & the amount of the present deficiency is therefore not so much fell – but I see that it must be attended to forthwith – for the reasons before stated –

I saw Lady Elisabeth Feilding ³ on Tuesday at the Abbey & she told me that you had returned to London for some days & that I had better direct to you there, for this Week –

You may depend upon my attending to the contents of your last letter – I spoke to M^rs Marcant ⁴, the other day, upon that subject & the report w^ch she makes at present is quite satisfactory – Wright ⁵ has not yet discovered any thing about the burning of the Furze –

I am Dear Sir Y^r obliged Ser^t
W.H. Awdry

W.H.F. Talbot Esq
31 Sackville Street
Piccadilly
London