Description:Sir John’s papers include letters which he received directly from tenants on his estates in Staffordshire and Shropshire, often sent when they felt they had been unfairly treated.
A letter dated May 18th 1716 was sent to Sir John by a man named Francis Salt who held a lease on some park land in Lilleshall. Salt was responsible for producing crops from the land and ensuring the welfare of the deer. Salt’s lease had been revoked by Chief Estate Agent Reverend George Plaxton (1647/8-1720) owing to his excessive cropping of trees which Plaxton believed had been done by Salt to make a profit for himself.
Salt's letter conveys his distress at losing his land, and his letter attempts to persuade Sir John to allow him to continue his tenure. Salt writes ‘my park will be soone soulde; except by command of your Lordship; will quickly be dun: which will be very harde upon me as having no sallery…the tythe is a grate loss to me’.
Salt goes on to defend himself, stating ‘had I cropt or orderd to be cropt for my one advantage, one tree or one above more then there was reale nessesaty for, it would never avexed me to had it taken from me; which I presume may have been represented to Mr Plaxton’. He adds ‘I hope for mercey at the hands of God allmighty’ stating that the accusations are ‘intirely false’.
Salt defends his actions further by suggesting that it had been necessary for him to cut down more trees to prevent his deer from starving during a particularly harsh winter. He writes that he hopes ‘never to see ocassion for so mutch in any wintor agayne while I live’. He goes on stating that his actions had been in the best interest of Lord Gower’s deer. He writes ‘but shoulde it happen agayne I canott see them starve if in my power to releive them: wither doe I beleive is it your Lordships desire’.
Salt's letter describes the difficulty of his situation. He writes ‘upon Saterday last at Newport that fox killing Dog Hickman was laffing at me and toulde me he had sould his crops…and received the money and I am shoore I have four times his number of Deere’. He contrasts his own behaviour in saving Lord Gower’s deer with Hickman’s, suggesting that Hickman ‘had what corne and fitches alowed he desired besides hay: and Lost many a deere’.
Salt appeals to Sir John by suggesting that although he had not made a sufficient yield of crops that he had managed to keep his deer in health. He concludes by writing ‘so I leave my selfe intirely to your Lordships determination…I humbly beg your Lordships pardon fuor pressing your Lordship upon this afaire; which if not releivd by by your Lordship will be both los and scandell to me’.