| Description | For the most part the pocket account books have been written in ink, with some pencil and sometines pencil copied over with ink. Many are in a fragile condition, showing signs of use and wear. Most entries are about timber, payments to workers, and supplies for ships, but more general payments, for servants, clothes, horses etc. are sometimes included.
MS 3219/3/25 has much about furniture, chairs especially, with some pencil sketches.
MS 3219/3/28 has 'Sundries lost. 1737', on the outside cover. it begins, at one end, with a list of the price of goods at Christianland (Norway) and an ink sketch of a small horse head to be made for a ship. It gives details of a voyage to Orkney and a
journey back to Stirling from Sutherland.
MS 3219/3/30 has 3 small paper enclosures comparing weights and measurements. An entry in October 1741 includes an ink sketch of a room and yard for rent; an entry in August 1742, includes a small pencil sketch of a roof for the new church in Perth.
MS 3219/3/37 and 38 both have on the outside cover 'Non of young James is in this Book.'
A similar message is on MS 3219/3/40.
MS 3219/3/37 begins with an explanation of how to calculate a ship's tonnage.
MS 3219/3/38 and 44 each consist of two paper booklets, the smaller one being stitched into the larger.
MS 3219/3/42 has an entry under 23 April 1757 which records the purchase of one lime and eleven fruit trees. The entry under13 September 1757, includes measurements for building a lighthouse tower and a pencil sketch.
MS 3219/3/43 and 46 include payments at New Year for a drummer and fiddler.
MS 3219/3/47 includes a notice after 21 April 1764 that an agreement had been made to take on Charles McFarlan as apprentice wright for four years after the next November.
MS 3219/3/49 begins with the following entry : 'Dirickson sent with a parrot to Mr James Watt to be forwarded to John Arrott Rafferty Esq[i]r[e] at Dundee'.
Under 16 March 1768 is written : 'Agreed Petter Malchall for Continouing [sic] to be my Shopkeeper as uswall [sic] for on [sic] year more after 15 May next for which he is to have four pounds ten shilling stererling [sic] and 10/- to be at my Good will more'.
MS 3219/3/54 contains accounts for salt only.
The two notebooks which were previously in the Muirhead papers (MS 3219/3/50 and 53) were together in a leather pocket. On f.2v. is the following memorandum: 'that James Watt was entred ane Inhabetant of Greenock and sworn tae assist and defend the rights and priviledgess of the toun and herbors of Greenock and freedom of the forth of Clyde for ye Incouragment of trade in Generall. This was doin in presence of ye Backes & managers 1726. 1772 ffebery 6 I have desired the B and managers to Chois another in my Roum as I ame resolved to act as manager no Longer ——' [sic].
The other notebook appears to list mainly travel expenses, beginning with 'going to hilands' in 1765, then to Tarbert and Campbeltown in 1767'. |