L30/11/301/27

Letter from Charles H Ware, Gray's Inn, to Amabel, Baroness Lucas. [Typed transcript.]

25 Apr 1799

From: 1799 To: 1799

Madam, Mr Firmin is now in town and if it should not be inconvenient to your Ladyship to receive us about half past one o'clock on Saturday his account will then have been examined and be ready for signature. I have taken the liberty of naming half past one that I may be enabled to attend Lady Grantham between twelve and one on the same day according to an appointment; but if any other hour will be more suitable to your Ladyship you will be pleased to inform me. The Essex and Suffolk land tax contracts (except as to the land tax payable for a small piece of meadow near Colchester) having been completed before Lady Day the first instalment of stock must be transferred before the 1st of May to the Commissioners for the reduction of the national debt. The contracts are four in number and shall be produced to your Ladyship on Saturday. Three of the contracts, being those compleated [sic] before Lady Day, stipulate for the transfer of £8147 18s 10 3/4d. The fourth contract compleated [sic] since Lady Day stipulates for the transfer of £36 13s 4d for the land tax of the small meadow above mentioned. I have desired Messrs Hoare & Co. to procure a power of attorney to enable them to make the transfer and on Saturday your Ladyship may execute it and sign a written order directing Messrs Hoare & Co. to transfer a moiety, as you originally intended, to cover 8 of the 16 instalments, or a larger or smaller proportion as your ladyship may think proper. In London the Commissioners oblige the purchaser or redeemer of the land tax to declare his option as to the fund at the time of the contract; but in Essex the Commissioners have allowed the redeemers the liberty of transferring in either the reduced or consolidated 3%s without any previous declaration. The reduced is ye best fund for the may transfer, but as your Ladyship's stock is not considerable in that fund, I submit that it will be advisable to transfer 1/16th only, being one instalment, at present and on or before the 1st of August to transfer from the consols as well as upon the Essex and Suffolk contracts as upon the Leicestershire & Westminster contracts; as your Ladyship knows that the consols will then has the same advantage which the reduced anns. have now. The sum to be paid for insurance at the Hand in Hand Fire Office for a seven years insurance duty will be £76 0s 4d. No other Act passed in the last session of Parliament imposing duties on windows than the Act the effect of which your ladyship saw on Monday last. I have the honour to be, Madam, your Ladyship's obliged and faithful humble servant, Chas. H Ware.

item

Ware, Charles H,
Lucas, Amabel, Baroness,
Firmin,
Robinson, Mary Jemima,
Hoare & Co,
Hand in Hand Fire Office

estates correspondence, Land Tax, Window Tax, Essex, Suffolk, Colchester, stocks, redemption Land Tax, Leicestershire, Westminster, insurance