Letter

Samuel Wood to Sir John Trevor, MP (Cannon Row, Westminster): has received letters and the copy of Mr Bradshaw's report and the Committee's order and will attend the Committee at Shrewsbury; is now going to Shropshire to visit his daughter who is sick and likely to die; they still have no minister in Gresford and cannot find anyone whom they think recipient and 'the prime of the parish' will regard as suitable; a Mr Foxe whom they had sought is now settled at Lydney in the Forest of Dean, but their late vicar was still hoping he might be allowed to return despite writer's telling him to the contrary; this man's wife was 'the great putter of him on for the place because she is loath to depart from these parts where her children were born'; '… the Commanders who quartered their men here were Captain Ward, a Londoner as was said, and Major Phillips of Colonel Loftus' Regiment but they were not so much in fault as their neighbours and Constables who out of envy or ill will were earnest in pressing them to it. But they are all gone and the charge was but a night for some and another night for other. Game and the troublesomeness of some of them was more that the charge. I hope we shall hear no more for the Constables dare not come near me since I discovered it how it was. Castle's men came not near us'; reports that the vicar of Chirk and his son had been forced to read some papers in church by the Cavaliers but that they only did so out of fear as the garrison was so near 'and they in the power of it and of Brynkinallt house on the other side and almost continual rendezvous on the green by their door and quartering in their house …'; writer's dealings with one Jones 'an idle and debauched person' who had fraudulently tried to sell his lands to recipient and also with Jones' brother-in-law, Boult, who on the whole is a good tenant except that 'in the midst of these lawless times' he had failed to collect the tolls due in Marford and was trying to say the writer should be responsible for collecting them, which he had refused to agree to because he had 'many times offered him to procure him a warrant from the Committee for taking the toll and a guard of soldiers too for his aid and yet he is so averse he will not harken unto it nor accept either the warrant or guard but pretends that if he demanded it he shall be killed so the toll is lost … but I have this day pressed him again because of the great fair at Wrexham [on] 12 March when always great toll was used to be paid and told him plainly that though he wilfully neglected and lost the toll yet his rent must be paid and that I would never meddle with it otherwise than thus to arm him and to procure him assistance and thereupon we fell out bitterly …'; had spoken to Sir William Meredith's steward about the lease of a house for Mr John Gr', as requested by him; has founf many things wanting [at Plas Teg] that were on the inventory including 'a Turkey carpet and one of the hangings put into the Castle at Conwy though there be a rent carpet laid up instead of it to make up the number and Mrs Vaughan who well knew them as she said was at the choosing of them'; comments on the inactivity of the subcommissioners in the area but hopes Captain Hatch will manage to speed things up; all recipient's low-lying lands except Cae Newydd are still unlet as writer was hoping for an increase in price; Colonel Aldersey and Mr J. Eyton would both like recipient to write to them; the sequestrators in Flintshire have demanded writer pays the chief rent and arrears on Lord Derby's lands.

Please order documents using the alternative reference number (where provided).