27 February, 1706— Mr. Street, the engraver, laying before this Court the Bill for making the Maces, and a Seale for the Corporation of Neath, and engraving a plate for the special bills at 4 per cent., amount in the whole to £36 6s.,—Ordered that £36 be paid to said Mr. Street in full of his said bill. Then this Court presented the Seale to Mr. John Davies, Portreeve, and to Mr. Leyson Hopkins, Alderman of the said Town, for the use of the Corporation. I imagine these facts as to the Maces and Seal of the Corporation of Neath, from Silver doubtless made in their own Borough, is quite unknown to the existing Town Council. It is interesting to see that the Goldsmith's mark on the Maces answers accurately to the above date, but strangely enough I was unable to find any minutes whatever in the Corporation Minute Books touching this handsome addition to their official paraphernalia. 1706-2nd October, Ordered That a letter be writt to Thomas Hawkins, to direct him to pay the Tax on the Work houses at Neath, without putting them to the trouble of distrayning. That Mr. Waller do buy such soft oar as is raised at the adjacent mines, in order to fflux our hard oares. 14 December Ordered That when the Members of this Company meet by appointment att any Tavern for the service of this Company, That twelve pence each man be allowed towards their expences. 23 December Further, That two Smelters and one Builder of Furnaces be sent from Neath to Cardiganshire, as soon as Mr. Waller shall desire to have them. 1706-7-26 March— And, That the note given by Mr. Jno. Davies, Portreeve of Neath, for the money laid out for the † Maces, be sent downe to Sr Humfry Mackworth. 28 May Ordered, That Mr. Waller employ all the hands he can in raising oar, without respect to the charge it may cost for raising the same, and *The entry below of 1706-7, 26 March, should be read with this. †These Maces are of handsome Silver gilt, and inscribed "ANTIQUA VILLA ET BURGUS DE NEATH, COM. GLAMORGAN, ANO. Dom. 1706." They are stamped with and the London Hall marks, a Lion, Pard's Head, and letter T. G. G. F. DM that he immediately imploy Carriers to carry such oar to the waterside, to the end that the Works at Neath may be fully supplyed therewith. 1707-12 November Confirmation of an Agreement between Sir H. Mackworth and the Borough of Neath for liberty of loading and unloading the Company's goods at the Bank or Quay of the Corporation of Neath. We know that much contention between the Corporation and the Companies had not unnaturally arisen respecting the rates and tolls to be paid under the imports and exports, which the latter had so extensively promoted on the banks of Neath River, but which not being lodged on the Borough Quay itself, may have been considered untaxable elsewhere by the merchants who had provided their own works and wharflike accommodation without Corporation aid. After much local contention and squabbling over some five and twenty years, it appears to have been harmoniously settled through the instrumentality of the ever ready and universal "Mackworth;" but whether the Schedule of 1733, made against foreigners or unfree persons and printed in my Neath Vol., was what was thus accomplished or is what is now charged at this Town and Port I do not know, for reliable information at the Corporation offices has been made in vain over several years. Referring to the same volume, it may be observed I note as amongst the Town papers, that in 1703, Sir H. M. had made "a MS. agreement with the Brass-melters;" that in 1709, "Liberty had been obtained by him from one Thomas Forest, a Patentee, to make Iron with Pit Coal," and that in 1713, a Certificate about the Germans" had been lodged with the Corporation, probably for due and safe custody in the same town. Complications or necessities, the details of which might have been very interesting, if the originals instead of a mere list of them had been preserved in their muniment chest; it further shews us the commercial activity which had been introduced and practised at this period, through the recovery of the "lost Coal" with which Sir Sir H. M. has been credited in this work. 1707-8-28 January— [EXTRACTS CONTINUED.] Ordered, That the plumber at Neath proceed in makeing Flower potts, and that T. Hawkins send up by way of Glo'ster all such fflower potts as are ready made. 4 February Ordered That the Bullion be carried to the Tower, in order to be coyned, and that Mr. Skeate do attend the coynage and take care of the same. 10 February Ordered, that Mr. Gabb, the Copper Worker at Neath,* be taken into the Company's Works, and that Mr. Hawkins make the best bargaine he can for his services. 23 June Ordered, That the 279 oz. 18 dwts. of Bullion, and also 349 oz. 12 dwts. and 12 grains of bullion received from Hawkins (at Neath) be sent and pledged to Mr. Cartlish, or some other, in order to receive money for the same, until the bullion can be coined at the Tower of London: And, That a letter be writt to T. Hawkins, to know what quantity of Slaggs are at Neath unsmelted, and if he want men, slag hearths, or any materials for smelting the same. 11 August Ordered, That Mr. Waller be instructed that if the Lead at Dovey be cleane and merchantable, then to send 40 tons to Barnestable ; but in case it be rich in Silver, then to send the same to Neath, in order to its being refined. 1708-6 October Ordered, That the Copper Oar at Dovey ordered to be barrelled up by the Committee at the Mines, be sent to Neath by the first opportunity. 27 October Whereas this Court is informed that Mr. Joshua Hayward (a gent. who hath lately been to view the Mines belonging to this Company by instruction of His Grace the Duke of Leeds) is of opinion that he can smelt our hard oars, which are the most chargeable and difficult to be run, much cheaper than they are now smelted, and thereby very considerably advance the interests of the Company. Therefore to the end that the said Mr. Hayward may make a just tryall of the said Oars, and thereby be enabled to make a proposal at what rate he will undertake to smelt the same, it is A Copper Worker at Neath,' would most probably have come out of the Mines Royal employment ? 1708. Ordered, That Mr. Waller, with all expedition, deliver or cause to be delivered to Mr. Joshua Hayward, on his order, at Bridgnorth in Shropshire, Two Tunns weight of the several sorts of Ore following, viz: Cumsumlock, Goginian, and Cummustwith. 8 December Ordered, That 200 Tunns of Lead be delivered to Sir Humphrey Mackworth, or his order, computing the same at £8 the tunn, to pay ready money for the same, and that Sir H. Mackworth bee allowed until the delivery of the said Lead, interest for all such moneys as he shall pay our Officers in the country for carrying on the Works at Neath. 24 December Ordered, That the Bullion already refined at Neath be sent by the next Monmouth carrier to London, and consigned to Mr. Dykes there. It has been generally supposed that the next Copper Works erected in 'The Swansea District' were those at Taibach, for the Governor and Company of Copper Miners, about three quarters of a mile eastward and beyond the Borough of Aberavon. Mr. Talbot was kind enough to look through his leases at Margam Park, and he informed me that the first grant of land for works there, was given to Messrs. Newton and Cartwright, in the year 1727. It can therefore be shewn that Swansea took precedence of Aberavon in this eventual vast manufacture,* as the Corporation of Swansea gave its formal sanction to the erection of a Copper Works on the site of the old Cambrian Pottery,† just within the Borough boundary, in the year 1720, as the following curious documents in my possession will prove : *For Dr. Lane had built his works at Landore in 1717, and the Corporation had authorised the Swansea Copper Works as above stated, in 1720. See G. P.'s letter on following pages. † At present, (1880) the Patent Fuel Works of the French Co., under the management of Messrs. Cory, Yeo & Co. G. G. F. "Wee the Portreeve, Aldermen & Burgesses of the Burrough of Swansey in the County of Glamorgan doe hereby certifye all whom it may concerne That Wee doe approue of the erecting of a Copper Worke upon the Bank commonly caled Mr. Ley's, alias Thomas Evans' Coale Bank and wee doe further Declare that it is our unanimous opinion that the carrying on the said Worke will prove very much to the advantage and not in the least prejudicial or hurtful to our said Burrough or the Inhabitants thereof. In Wittnesse whereof Wee have hereunto sett our hands & the Common Seal of the said Burrough this 26th Day of September, A: D: 1720." "Since ye last Lre ye Portreeve Aldermen (except Alderman Ayres who is Steward to Mr. Popkins,-Jenkin Jones, whose sonnes in law are imployed in bringing Dr. Lane's Oars & Mr. Da Thos who is p,missed to succeed in ye Dukes affayres) & Burgesses have putt their names and ye Common Seal of the Burrough to an instrumt a Copy whrof is above written.-G.P." For John Burgh, Esq. att Troy near Monmouth, These. 66 '29th Sept. 1720." "Dear Sir. I have been favoured with yors togeather with one inclosed to James Griffith wch I delivered & he has returned an Answear in the same words as the Copy thereof hereinclosed wch will save me the trouble of writeing a great deal of what I thought it my duty to menc❜on to you in that affayre. I shall therefore only observe that it must be granted that the Duke by obliedgeing us in a pticular (Taken by others without makeing the least acknowledgemt to his Grace) will gain considerably & if so I hope Mr. Beavans & myselfe will not be thought the worse of encourageing the undertakeing. It may be imagined from the trouble wee take in solliciting this affayre that our measures are entirely broak if wee are disappointed therein but, if I may creditt our managers, It will not be £10 a yeare losse or advantage to us. They give instances of several workes carryed on without watter but were it absolutely necessary there are other wayes to supply that defect with abt £40 more expence wch were it to fall to my own share I should not value very much but what gives me the greatest uneasinesse is that a cunning crafty pson (I mean Mr. Popkins, for I dare name him tho' he dare not avow his false as wel as sly insinuations now [sic: nor?] the 10th pte of his incroachmts upon my Ld Duke & his other neighbours) who has from the beginning opposed my Ld Duke & his interest should prevayle with that family (wch wee have served to the utmost of our power) to Deny us a favor wch tends to his Graces interest. I cannot imagine how he comes to be soe careful of the health of the Inhabitants of Swanzey all of a suddain-he has opposed its welfare all that lay in him & p'ticularly in the contest between us and H |