Francis Marsh – aged 59/60 – elder brother of Milbourne,Mary and George
Milbourne Marsh – aged 58/59
Elizabeth Marsh (ne Evans) – wife of Milbourne Marsh
James Crisp Esq –
Eliza Crisp (ne Marsh) – aged 32/33 – daughter of Milbourne Marsh
Burrish Crisp – aged 5/6
Elizabeth Maria Crisp (later Shee) – aged 3/4
Francis Milbourne Marsh – aged 29/30
John Marsh – aged 20/21 – British Consul to Malaga, Spain.
Mary Duval (ne Marsh) – aged 56/57 – Sister of George and Milbourne
John Duval – husband of Mary Duval
Elizabeth Duval – 15/16
George Marsh – aged 45/46
Ann Marsh (ne Long) – aged 47/48
George Marsh – aged 18/19
William Marsh – aged 12/13
Anne Marsh – aged 7/8
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17th February 1768
I took a farm at Mottingham near Eltham with a view of purchasing it, with about 150 acres of land, having heard it was in chancery and would be soon sold, for which I agreed to give £100 a year.
I had not placed a person in it above a month before I found that no one could prove themselves heir to it but that two or three lawyers pretended they were employed by the heir, who had cut down and sold trees and very much hurt the estate, and as a Mr Hoddart, a vary old and rather insane man was the last possessor of it, as well as near 500 acres more land in that neighbourhood, I applied to the Lords of the Treasurer and fully represented the case and signified that it now thought the whole estate would prove an Escheat to the Crown, and that if their Lordships would grant me a leave of it upon my proving it so, at the rate Sir John Shaw paid for the Crown land near it for £7 per acre, I would at my own expense file Bills in Chancery against the pretended heirs and sue out the Escheat, and they having agreed thereto I proceeded and made them give up their claims accordingly.
But soon afterwards a Mr Bowman of the Isle of Wight proved himself to be the heir at Law, and his attorney came to me, and having satisfied Lord Bathurst and myself that he was so, and it being far from my wish to keep any man out of his right or to do any kind of injustice, I put him in possession, who his lawyer said was so sensible to my kindness in driving out all the pretended heirs, and of the vast trouble I had therein, that he had orders to offer the whole or any part of the Estate to me to purchase, and to pay all the expense I had been at, and whatever I should reasonable require for my trouble in the affair.
I thereupon produced receipts for what I had paid amounting to about £110 which he immediately repaid me, and I desired to purchase part of the land at the market price in the neighbourhood which was then 30 years purchase, which he said was a very fair price, and that I might depend on having the same.
I observed as to the trouble I had in the affair which tho’ very great and the little petty expenses of Coach hire etc etc of which I had kept no account, I should give that up, and was very glad that I had been the means of Mr Bowman’s getting possession of his lawful right, and then parted in full expectation of having that part of the estate that I desired, but I did not see, or could get any latter, either from himself, or his lawyer afterwards, but in about six months after I heard the estate was sold at 28 years purchase to a particular friend of the lawyer.
10 May 1768
Being desirous of a summer retreat from London I hired a lodging at Mr Rhode’s at Lewisham and left it the 25th October following.
21 September 1768
Having for some time been continually pressed by Earl of Egmont to take land under him in St John’s River East Florida where he had a grant of 120,000 acres, observing he was certain he should raise a considerable fortune there, and next to his own family, he wished most heartily success to me and mine, I did this contrary to my reason and opinion join with Thomas Hicks Esq in accepting a grant of land from him of 1000 acres between us for which we were to pay him 20 shillings a year ground or quit rent. This I consented to merely out of gratitude to his Lordship who earnestly wished me to do so.