Letter 1208

[fol. 115] Sr Upm’r Mar 6 1707/8 According to my promise I went to Orset this week, & took a good view of the Ditch, both that which Culverwell hath made, & that which remains unmade. And think it manifestly in the comon Lane or Lords Wast. I could not perceive any footsteps of a Ditch in that place, but What he hath dug is plainly fresh or Virgin Earth. His Ditch is as larg as any ( I guess near 4 feet over) & many Poles long it will be if he proceeds. He hath made already 20 or 30 Pole of it, & if you order him to leave the rest till undone till next winter, you may satisfy your self from your own view, when you can cence; wch I would persuade you to do when the ways & wea- ther are better. Many Bushes grow all along the Lane where the Ditch is now made, but not many in the other part. I objected to ye Ld of the Mannour, That you were Ld of your Manr, as well as he of his, & cons- quently yt you had a right to half the Lane. He confessed you were Ld, as well as he; but denied yt you (whose Manr was wthout Tenant, court or but only a single Farm) had any Right at all to the Pasture Bushes, Wasts, Strays, or any other priviledges of the Lanes. He saith that this is his undoubted Right all the parish over, & that it is all yt none in the parish can, with his Lave, turn on any Cattle, but Bushes, or pretend any other pri- viledge in the Lanes (except Passage) That there are divers other such like Mannrs in Orset & Horndon as yours, particularly the very next Farm to yours, & a bigger; but yt they neither can, nor do pretend at all to any of the wast; or if they did they should be served all one as he requires of you. That he desireth peace and amity, especially with you, whose character he hath heard of, & hath a great respect for: but he is forced to make these demands upon you, to prevent incroachments upon his Mannour, to save his Bushes in the Lanes wch are very profitable to him, &c This is the sum of our Conference the merits of which I leave to you. If I can be any further serviceable to you in this or any other matter, you have greatly obliged me to be therein Your most faithfull humble servt My humble service Wm Derham to yr Lady.