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Document 45, Letter from Mr Errington to Mr Aynsley, 22 September 1783, p 1

89
Sir
I take the Liberty to address this Letter to you as Chairman
and entreat the favour of you to communicate the Contents of it to the
Magistrates assembled at Quarter Sessions. It not being in my
Power to wait upon them in Person I take this Method of saying a
few words upon the Subject of my Undertaking and my agreement with
the County. I meant to have begg’d the patience of the Gentlemen
of the Grand Jury at the Adjournment of Sessions held in the Assize
Week to have mention’d what had occurr’d to me on that Subject had
the Circumstances of either of those meetings afforded me an opportunity
but the one being discharged, and the other adjourn’d, without my receiving
any Notice of either, those opportunities were lost, and the Meeting held
the ensuing day upon other Business gave me indeed time to make
known the nature of my Proposition but appear’d too much hurried
to attend to any thing further on the Subject. Sir I can’t help observing
that the great unwillingness in many Gentlemen to enter upon the
Business at all, surpris’d me a good deal. I came not to ask any
Favours, & it was well known that I had undertaken the Journey on
Purpose to meet the County, and take their Sense upon a Proposition I
intended to make at the ensuing Sessions. I flatter myself I need
not say, that no Disrespect was by this step meant to the Magistrates,
many of whom I have the honour to be well known to, and entertain
the highest Esteem for, my true Meaning Sir was to take the Sense of
as many Gentlemen of the County as possible, which no other time
afforded so good an opportunity to do as the Week of Assizes.
One part of this Transaction between the County & [me?] I [??]
to explain was my application to Parliament. I find [I am?]
blam’d by many for the Manner of conducting that Business as
well as the form in which the Bill was drawn; I need not here
recapitulate all that pass’d at Midsummer Sessions 1782, I believe
we are so far agreed, as that it was with the Consent of the Bench
that application was to be made to Parliament for the mutual relief
for the County & myself, but that I was to be the Sole Petitioner, being
the aggriev’d party, & that certainly no opposition would be

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Transcribed by CTW and KS