Wed 23 Nov 1831
Special Meeting. Letter of 19 November from Mr Holden of Exchequer Loan Office. By shutting gates of Whitminster Lock Stroud Canal Company intercepted the supply of water to the G&B Canal agreed by mill owners, not interrupted since 1829. Guidance needed on cause of this proceeding.
Committee not competent to give satisfactory reply without opinion of General Meeting of Proprietors. Should a supply of water be granted, mill owners interested in furnishing supply should remunerate Proprietors of canal for such permission. Any future proposition for allowing supply to proceed from mill owners, either alone or in conjunction with Gloucester & Berkeley Canal Committee.
Letter from Clerk, Mr Hawker, to Mr Holden. Closing lock gates solely for keeping up level of Bristol Road pound to proper height to prevent its fluctuating. Committee not aware that keeping lock gates open any necessary connection with supply of water. Mr Purnell has given written notice to Committee not to take water from brook but for own supply. Committee not competent to give answer without submitting same to General Meeting of Proprietors. Taking of water point of highest consideration. Some specific proposition should be made with a plan of the works, as a preliminary, should come from the mill owners as well as from the Gloucester & Berkeley Canal Company.
At a Special Meeting of the Committee of the Stroudwater Navigation held at Paul Hawkins Fisher's Esq^r on Wednesday the 23rd day of November 1831
Present: M^r P H Fisher, M^r Jos Fisher, M^r S Fisher, M^R Croome, M^r Grazebrook, M^r Geo Wathen, M^r Cosham.
Read the Minutes of the Committee meeting of the 28^th Ult and the Reply of the Gloucester & Berkeley Canal Committee dated 3^rd inst^t to the letter of our Clerk, as directed at that meeting.
Read and considered the Communication under the date of the 19^th inst^t from M^r Holden of the Exchequer Loan Office, a copy of which follows, viz:
"Sir
In consequence of the Stroud Canal Comp's having by shutting the Gates of Whitminster Lock interupted the supply of Water to the Gloster & Berkeley Canal, as agreed to be furnished by the Mill Owners of the Stroud River, altho' that supply has not been interrupted by the Strod Canal Company since July 1829; I am directed by the Exchequer Loan Commissioners to request you would have the goodness to inform me for their Guidance, the cause of this proceeding, and how far the Stroud Canal Company will be disposed to concur in such supply supposing all other parties interested to permit its continuance.
As the Board is to meet next Thursday, your answer previous to that day would much oblige,
Sir, Your Most Obedient Servant
W^m Holden
To M^r Geo Hawker
Clerk of the Stroud Canal Comp^y
Stroud
Gloctershire"
Resolved that the Committee do not feel themselves competent to give a satisfactory reply to M^r Holden without the opinion & sanction of a General Meeting of Proprietors.
That they are of opinion that if a supply of water should be granted, the Mill owners interests in furnishing the supply shou'd remunerate (?) the proprietors of the Canal for such permission:
And that therefore the Committee should require any future proposition for allowing the supply to proceed from the Millowners rather alone or in conjunction with the Gloucester & Berkeley Canal Committee.
Ordered that our Clerk do write and forward the following Letter as a reply to M^r Holden.
"Sir
The Committee of the Stroudwater Nav^n Comp^y having met this Morning, your communication of the 19^th Inst^t was laid before them. With respect to your request to be informed of the cause of shutting the gates of the Whitminster Lock "whereby the supply of Water to the Gloster & Berkeley Canal from the Brook was intercepted", the Committee are apprehensive that you (?) not have been made acquainted with the communications which have taken place between them & the Committee of the G&B C. C^o on the same subject. For in reply to a question of similar impact through their Clerk, under the date of the 25^th Ult, I was directed to inform them (which I did on the 29^th Ult) the cause of that proceeding; and the Committee had pleasure in having their explanation acknowledged by the G&B C C^o with expressions of "great satisfaction". But I am directed to say that the order for closing the Lock Gates as formerly, was made solely for the purpose of keeping the level of the pound called the Bristol Road pound to its proper height & to prevent its fluctuating (as it had then lately done) with that of the pound below. This proceeding appeared to the Committee & still appears absolutely necessary; as it also appeared to the General Meeting of Proprietors on the 27^th Ult. The effect of this order in obstructing the supply of Water to the G&B Canal from the Brook, was not then, however, in the minds of the Committee for in fact they were not aware that their Lock Gates being kept open, had any necessary connection with the supply of Water. The Committee of the G&B Canal C^o have since been informed by me (as probably you know) that M^r Purnell has given written Notice to the Stroudwater Committee not to take any water from the Brook but for their own supply until He (M^r Purnell) should address the Committee again. With respect to your request to be informed, "how far the Strod Canal Compy will be disposed to concur in such supply, supposing all other Parties agree", I am directed to inform you that the Committee do not feel themselves competent to give you a satisfactory anwer without submitting the same to a General Meeting of Proprietors.
But I am directed to add as it must be widout (?) that the mode of taking the Water will be a point of the highest consideration with them the Committee suggest the propriety of some specific proposition being made accompanied with a plan of the Works, as a preliminary. And further, that a supply cannot be allowed by the Stroudwater C^o without consent of the Millowners & as M^R Purnell has given the Committee some expectation that he will communicate with them again on the subject, the Committee would suggest that any further proposition for a consideration of the question should move to them, from the Millowners interested in the supply of the Water, as well as from the G&B Canal C^o.
I am, etc, Geo Hawker"
