Mon 20 May 1844
Letter from Mr Shearman regarding proceedings of Committee of Canal Proprietors and requesting subscription to general fund for promotion of Improvements in Canals. £1 per mile subscribed. Request for copy of statement submitted to Board of Trade.
Jas Byatt’s explanations of false account of tonnage. Tonnage 4s 7d to be received with fine of 10s only.
Stoppage at Whitsuntide serious inconvenience to Mr Biddle as he would be obliged to pay demurrage of £5 a day. Stoppage should not take place.
Bond entered into by Mr Charles Hawker and his sureties, Mr Joseph Hawker and Mr William Fryer, for £500.
Mr Wathen has written to Messrs Dorringtons, Parliamentary Agents re Bill.
Letter from Mr Rob Davies regarding bridge near his house and removing rubble taken from canal lying in his field. Rubble removed.
Mr P H Fisher and Mr Hughes having resigned from committee, general meeting to be called to choose other members.
Letter from Mr Mason tendering resignation as Clerk to Company accepted. To quit service of Company on 24 June. To be paid salary and money in lieu of rent and £7 10s for next quarter’s rent. Advertisement for successor to Mr Mason, with a salary £80 a year and house at Chippenham Platt, to be placed in Glocester Journal, Gloucestershire Chronicle andMidland Counties Herald.
4 dozen port wine, 2 dozen sherry, 2 dozen Bucellas ordered from Messrs Martin Washbourn.
At a Meeting of the Committee of the Stroudwater Navigation held at the Committee Room at Walbridge on Monday the 20th day of May 1844
Present: M^r G H A Beard, M^r Fred^k Eycott, M^r Dan^l Watts, M^r Jn^o Holbrow, M^r W^m H Wood Chairman, M^r Jn^o Gurney, M^r Will^m Fryer, M^rGeo Wathen, M^r Rich^d Martin.
The Minutes of the last meeting having been read over, M^r Hawker produced a letter received from M^r Shearman regarding the proceedings of the Committee of Canal Proprietors sitting at Osborne's Hotel and also requesting a subscription to a general Fund for the promotion of Improvements in Canals.
Ordered that a sum of One pound per Mile, according to the length of our Canal be subscribed towards such Fund and that M^r Hawker be directed to write to M^r Shearman accordingly and request him to forward from time to time any report of the proceedings that may take place.
Ordered that M^r Hawker should request a copy of the statement which had been submitted to the Board of Trade.
Ja^s Byatt who had been written to regarding the false account of Tonnage rendered by him on the 23rd April last and in consideration of the explanation rendered by him,
Ordered that the Tonnage of 4/7 be recovered with a Fine of Ten shillings only.
M^r Hawker reported that having heard from M^r Biddle that the Stoppage at Whitsuntide would be of serious inconvenience to him as he would be obliged to pay demurrage at the rate of £5 a day, he had in consequence seen some of the Members of the Committee who had ordered that the stoppage should not take place.
Ordered that such Stoppage should not take place at Whitsuntide.
M^r Warman's application at the last Meeting having been considered ordered that our Clerk do write him the letter now submitted to this Meeting.
The Sub Committee appointed at the last Committee Meeting regarding Organ's House reported that they had made some progress in the matter, but that for the present some part of the work had been suspended in consequence of a communication from M^r Mason that he intended tendering his resignation.
M^r Mason reported that he had not yet prepared his Stock Book but he produced his labour book which was examined.
M^r Gurney produced a Bond entered into by M^r Charles Hawker and his Sureties M^r Joseph Hawker and M^r Will^m Fryere in the Sum of £500 for the faithful performance of his duties.
Ordered that such Bond be deposited with the Treasurer.
M^r Wathen reported that a letter had been written to Mess^rs Derrington the Parliamentary Agents in accordance with the Resolution of the last Meeting.
A Letter form M^r Rob^t Davies was read regarding the Bridge near his house and as to removing the Rubble taken from the Canal which was then lying in his field. M^r Mason reported that such Rubble was being removed and the Committee further ordered that a letter should be written to M^r Davies that his complaint as to the Bridge shall be attended to and that such Bridge shall be put into proper repair.
M^r P H Fisher and M^r Hughes having sent in their resignations as Members of the Committee,
Ordered that a General Meeting of the Proprietors be called for Monday the 17th day of June next at 3 O'Clock in the Afternoon to take into consideration the propriety of choosing other Members in their Stead.
A Letter from M^r Mason was read tendering his resignation as Clerk to the Company.
Ordered that such resignation should be accepted.
Ordered that M^r Mason do quit the service of the Company on the 24^th day of June net and that he be paid his Salary and money in lieu of rent up to that day and be allowed £7..10 in addition for one quarter of the annual sum allowed him for rent.
Ordered that an advertisement be drawn up for a Successor to M^r Mason at the Salary of £80 a year with the house at Chippenham Plat to live in. Answers to be sent to the Clerk at Wallbridge on or before the 14th day of June next.
Ordered that an advertisement be drawn up in the form now submitted by M^r Wood, that each advertisement be inserted once in the Glocester Journal, Glocestershire Chronicle and once in the Midland Counties Herald.
Ordered that the Annual Inspection of the Canal do take place on Monday next and that the Committee do meet at the Wharf at 9 O'Clock in the morning.
Ordered that the following Gentlement be a Sub committee for the purpose of inspecting the answers to the several advertisements: John Gurney, Will^m Jn^o Wood and Will^m Fryer.
Ordered that four dozen of Port wine 2 dozen of Sherry and 2 dozen Bucellas be ordered of Mess^rs Martin Washbourne & C^o,
Ordered that the following Accounts be paid:
Jn^o Burbidge: £10
G Basham: 1..1..-
Eli James: 2..9..-
Cha^s Hawker: 20..-..-
