Tue 14 Oct 1783
General Half Yearly Meeting at Swan Inn, Stroud. Tonnage £734 7s 9d to be used to pay off debts.
Messrs Grazebrook allowed to pay tonnage of 2 barges for another 6 months, £50. An additional 1s per ton for copper, brass and tin. Account to be produced to Committee.
No advertising of fishery. Tickets at 10s each to angle for a year.
Letter to Messrs Lane and Jepson and their reply. Account not yet delivered. Committee's surprise at their not taking notice of it and desire that they will immediately send it to Committee.
2s per ton for tonnage and wharfage of all copper, brass and tin in future imported in Wallbridge except brought in by Messrs Grazebrook's barges.
Richard Owen Cambridge has complained of damages caused by canal. Committee to settle with him.
Agreement with Company of Proprietors of Thames & Severn Canal for land marked out for canal through wharf at Wallbridge confirmed.
Public roads on towing paths of Stroud canal (except where roads are turned along path in lieu of road cut off by canal) to be absolutely stopped and gates locked one day in every year. Public notice in Gloucester Journal.
Considerable loss to coal company by laying on stock of coals to prevent price being enhanced and thus encourage sale to increase tonnage on canal. 2s per ton on 200 tons allowance, out of tonnage for ensuing half year.
At a General half yearly Meeting of the Proprietors of the Stroudwater Navigation held this 14^th Day of October 1783 at the Swan Inn in the Town of Stroud
Edward Harford Esq^r in the Chair.
The Minutes of the last Meeting were Read and Confirm'd.
The several Books and Accounts were produced respecting the affairs of the Company, and examined and Confirm'd.
Ordered that the Money Rece'd from Tonnage from the last General Meeting to this Day amounting to the Sum of Seven hundred and Thirty four pounds Seven Shillings & Nine pence be paid into the Treasurers hands and applied towards payment of the respective Debts.
The Committee have in Conformity with the Order of the last General Meeting Agree'd with Ben^n Grazebrook & Co for the Tonnage of their two Barges for Six Months ending this Day, for the Sum of Fifty Pounds. ~~ Agree'd with them for a further term of Six Months from this Day, for the Sum of Fifty Pounds, and likewise one Shilling per Ton for all Copper, Brass and Tin which may be brought up, over and above the said Sum of Fifty Pounds ~~ an Account of the particulars of the whole Tonnage of the two Barges to be produced to the Committee and they to Report the same at the next General Meeting.
The Committee Reported that they Judged it prudent to decline Advertising the Fishery, from the enquiry they had made of the disposition of the People who had proposed to take it, and thought it more advisable to Isue out Tickets at 10^s each empowering the purchaser to Angle for a Year, as the surest plan of securing the Fishery till its Value be better ascertained.
Our Clerk produced a Copy of a Letter wrote to Mess^rs Lane and Jepson, and likewise their Reply respecting their Account not being delivered. The same not being produced, Ordered that our Clerk do inform them that we are much surprised at their not taking any notice of it since that time, and to desire that they will immediately send it to the Committee.
Resolved that two Shillings per Ton be taken for the Tonnage and Wharfage of all Copper, Brass and Tin which may in future be imported to Walbridge (except what is brought by Mess^rs Grazebrook and Co's Barges).
It having been Reported that Rich^d Owen Cambridge Esq^r has made a Complaint of Damages occasioned by the Canal, We do hereby empower the Committee to settle the same with M^r Cambridge.
The Committee Reported an agreement made the 30^th Day of July last with the Company of Proprietors of the Thames & Severn Canal for the Land as mark'd out for the said Canal through the Wharf at Walbridge. We do hereby Confirm the said agreement.
Ordered that the Public Roads on the Towing Paths of the Stroudwater Canal (except where the Roads are turn'd along the said Path in lieu of any Road cut off by means of the Canal) be absolutely stoped and the Gates locked one Day in every Year, and that Public Notice of the same be given in the Glocester Journal in order to preserved the Right of the Company.
It having been Reported that the Coal Company have sustained a considerable loss by laying in Stock of Coals to prevent the price being enhanced, and by that means to encourage a sale for the purpose of increasing the Tonnage of the Canal, Ordered that they be made an allowance of two Shillings per Ton on Two hundred Tons, to be paid out of the Tonnage of the ensuing half year.
