Cheeke, Russell Tipping families: Archer of Tanworth

Description

Please note: this record includes an archaic, offensive term for Black people. It also details their enslavement, as does this catalogue entry.

The Hon. Robert Bishop esq.and William Rawlins esq. to the Hon. the President and council as ordinary.

Copy of petition and order thereon.

On the death of his late Excellency Col. Francis Russell who died intestate, administration was not granted to the Hon. Jonathan Langley until the petitioners had become securities in £15,000; now they think themselves obliged for various reasons to show how the said administration has been managed, that Mr. Langley has acted absolutely contrary to the duty of an administrator, designing to make his securities liable to payment of such part of the estate as he shall appropriate to his own use for payment of his own debts, that he keeps undisposed of plate, jewels, stock etc. to the value of £1,500, that the [enslaved people] are wholly employed to his own use, that he has privately sold several goods and applied the profits to the payment of his own debts, and that two boxes containing coined gold are missing; the petitioners have been informed that a will exists, and therefore pray that Mr. Langley may be examined on oath whether he did not see some paper purporting a will or the heads thereof, and they pray that he may be obliged to render an account and for other safeguards for the estate.

Order by the president that Jonathan Langley appear at the council board on Tuesday next at 10 o'clock to show cause why the prayer should not be granted.