This Indenture made the twenty fifth day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred & fifty eight between the Right Honourable George Lord Abergavenny of the one part and John Griffith of the parish of Mamhilad in the County of Monmouth yeoman of the other part.
Witnesseth that the said George Lord Abergavenny for and in consideration of the sum of three pounds and three shillings of lawfull British money to him in hand paid by the said John Griffith at & before the execution of these presents (the receipt whereof the said Lord Abergavenny doth hereby acknowledge for & in the name of a fine) & for and in consideration of the rents covenants & agreements herein after mentioned hath granted and demised and in & by these presents doth grant and demise unto the said John Griffith all that cott and close of land called Wernock Vach and three acres of land thereunto adjoyning scituate lying & being in the parish of Goytre in the said County which said premisses were by lease dated the nine and twentieth day of September one thousand seven hundred and one granted to one William Evan for three lives which lease lately expired (except & allways reserved out of this present demise & grant [text lost in crease. DW] his heirs & assigns all mines & quarries of stone oar and coal and all mineralls & other mettalls & all woods timber & trees now standing growing and being in and upon the said hereby demised premisses or any part thereof with free liberty of ingress egress and regress to and for the said Lord Abergavenny his heirs & assigns his and their servants agents & workmen at his & their will & pleasure from time to time during the continuance of this demise & grant to cutt down hew digg work cord coal and carry away all such mines stones oar coal mineralls mettalls woods timber and trees doing thereby as little hurt or damage as may be to the corn grain hay or grass of the said John Griffith his heirs or assigns growing increaseing or being or which shall during the continuance of this present demise & grant grow or be in or upon the said demised premisses or any part thereof in carrying away all the same mines stones oar coal mineralls mettalls woods timber & trees whatsoever respectively to have and to hold all and singular the said hereby demised and granted premisses with appurtenances (except before excepted) unto the said John Griffith his heirs & assigns from the date of these presents for & during the respective lives of William Hugh (aged seven years), John Hugh (aged three years) sons of William Hugh of Mamhilad & Mary the daughter of the said John Griffith (aged twenty two years) and the life of the longest liver of them yielding and paying therefore yearly & every year during the continuance of this present demise and grant unto the said Lord Abergavenny his heirs or assigns the yearly rent or sum of three shillings of lawfull British Money without any deduction or abatement for any manner of taxes whatsoever at the feasts of Saint Michael the Archangell & the Annunciation of the blessed Virgin Mary by equal portions the first half yearly rent or payment to begin and to be due and payable on the feast of Saint Michael the Archangell next coming and the sum of five shillings of like lawfull money for & in the name of an heriott on the death of every person dying seized (or on alienation of the premisses) & also doing suit to the Court of the said Lord Abergavenny his heirs or assigns when thereto required and the said John Griffith for himself his heirs & assigns doth by these presents covenant promise & agree to & with the said Lord Abergavenny his heirs & assigns that he the said John Griffith or his heirs shall not nor will alien or assign this present demise & grant without leave first had & obtained in writing under the hand and seal of the said Lord Abergavenny his heirs or assigns or his or their chief steward for the said County of Monmouth & that he the said John Griffith his heirs or assigns shall not nor will do or cause procure or suffer to be done on the premisses hereby demised or any part thereof any act project or contrivance whereby the said granted premisses or any part thereof or any other of the estates of the said Lord Abergavenny his heirs or assigns or his or their tenants may be prejudiced or lessened in yearly value and if it shall happen that the said yearly rent or sum of three shillings and other acknowledgements herein before mentioned or any part thereof shall be behind & unpaid by the space of fifteen days next after any of the said feast days on which the same ought to be paid (being legally demanded) or on breach of any of the covenants or agreements herein before mentioned on the lessees part & behalf to be paid done or performed that then it shall & may be lawfull to & for the said Lord Abergavenny his heirs or assigns into & upon the said hereby demised premisses or any part thereof in the name of the whole to re-enter and the same to have again repossess & enjoy as in his or their former right any thing herein before contained to the contrary notwithstanding and the said Lord Abergavenny doth by these presents authorize & in his place put Theophilus Morgan Phillip Powell [one or two men? DW] & Thomas Jenkins Gentlemen or any or either of them to be his true & lawfull attorneys or attorney jointly or severally for him & in his stead to enter into & upon the premisses hereby demised or any part thereof (in the name of the whole) and to give possession thereof unto the said lessee John Griffith ratifying and by these presents allowing and confirming all & whatsoever the said attorneys or either of them shall lawfully do or cause to be done in & about the premisses as fully & effectually as if the said Lord Abergavenny had been personally present at the doing thereof. In witness whereof the said parties to these presents have hereunto interchangeably sett their hands & seals the day and year first above written
On the cover of the document:-
Be it remembered that on the 13th day of June in the year of our Lord 1771 Livery of Seizin was had given and executed of all and singular the demised premisses within mentioned by William Morgan duely authorized and appointed for that purpose by deed under the hand and seal of the within named George Nevill Baron of Abergavenny bearing date the 24th day of June last unto the within named John Griffith (who was then in the peaceable and quiet possession of the said demised premisses) according to the form and effect of the within written indenture of demise in the presence of John Williams
Sealed and delivered (being first duly stampt) in the presence of Rice Price; John Pankhurst
Abergavenny. Monmouthshire. Lease from the Right Hon’ble Lord Abergavenny to John Griffith of Mamhilad for 3 lives dated 25th March 1758
Fine £3 – 0 – 0
Rent 3s
Heriott 5s