| Description | Accounts for the town of Greenock.
There are three bundles of accounts for the town of Greenock, covering the dates 1737 to 1775. In 1987 these were given the numbers M II/ Box 1/8 - 10. The third bundle now includes two original bundle wrappers, although these had been removed from the bundles at some time in the past so that it is no longer possible to be certain which papers were in which bundle. They both read:
'Town of Greenock Vouchers of Treasurer acc[oun]ts. ex[amine]d & Classed by James Watt Junr. 1776.
N.B. These papers relate to my Grandfather's acc[ount]s with the town of Greenock. JW. Ex[amine]d — 1819.'
The first bundle (Finding no. MS 3219/3/68) covers 1737-1765, and includes various accounts for work done for the town of Greenock. James Watt of Greenock was treasurer of the town from September 1755- September 1756.
There are accounts with James McCun, late collector of the town of Greenock's funds; accounts for deepening the harbour in 1752, and other improvements in 1755; the stipend to the minister, 1756; payments to John Gray, teacher of the mathematical school; repairs to the grammar school clock; work on the cellars, harbour and quays; collection of tax on ale, 1756; town rents; lighterage; anchorage; measurements etc for painting the new church; repairs to the streets; a list of ships in the harbour in 1765.
The second bundle (Finding no. MS 3219/3/69) covers 1765 - 1766, and includes such items as a list of ships at anchor in Greenock, 1766; cellar rents; repair of the east quay; accounts for meal; sugar and rum accounts, 1766; repairs to the harbours, 1766; anchorage accounts.
The third bundle (Finding no. MS 3219/3/70) covers 1767-1775, and includes items such as building accounts for new cellars in the town,1765-66; anchorage dues; repairs to buildings, cellars and quays; rum lodged in the town cellars, 1765-1767; papers concerning the settlement of James Watt of Greenock's accounts as treasurer of the town in 1766; notebook with an account of the bounty given by the town of Greenock for oatmeal and barley-meal brought in and retailed in pecks publicly for the benefit of the poor, 1767; the town's bank accounts with Dunlop & Houston of Glasgow; accounts of the town with James Watt of Greenock for supplies, repairs to school and church, flesh market etc.; adjustment of the firlot measure; moving the seats and sacrament tables in the church.
Miscellaneous accounts: first series.
This series of small bundles of receipted bills had been arranged in chronological order and then in alphabetical order by trader within the year. At some time these may have been in one large bundle, but the bundles had been subdivided into modern folders during the ?1970s, with the break occuring at the end of 1759.
The first part of the series (Finding no. MS 3219/3/71a) covers 1722 to 1759, and contained thirty-eight small bundles of receipted bills for timber, cloth and furnishings, hardware, household goods etc.; promissory notes etc. from various workmen and others in Greenock, Glasgow, Crawfordsdyke, Bristol etc. and also some accounts of goods shipped from North Carolina to the West Indies.
There are also accounts for two ships wrecked off the Orkney Islands which James Watt of Greenock bought the timber from, the Unity (1733) and the Drummond (1738). The bundles are in chronological order, roughly one year per bundle, and are alphabetical by trader within the year.
The second part of the series (Finding no. MS 3219/3/71b) covers 1760 - 1779 and comprises twenty small bundles of invoices. receipted bills and accounts from various suppliers in Greenock, Glasgow, Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham etc. for hardware, metal goods, cutlery, tools, leather goods, hides, paint and colours, timber, lead, brushes, oil, fish hooks etc.
In 1762 there are are receipts for a 'Black boy' for John Warrand to convey to Lady Spynie at Broody House and clothes for 'Fridrick the Black boy'. There is an order for goods on a letter from James Watt of Greenock, 20 December1762, where he writes : 'I hade Leters from my son of ye 18th October advising his being then going for a short trip to ye Havana & Expected to Come from yt to Britin.'
(John Watt jr. was drowned at sea in the Bahamas about this time). The 1762-1763 bundle includes a ground plan of the dimensions of James Watt of Greenock’s house and land and the adjoining property of James Weir's in Greenock.
Miscellaneous accounts: second series.
The eight items in this series (Finding no. MS 3219/3/72) covering 1740-1766, may be strays from the above series, as at one time all were in the Muirhead II box. They comprise three accounts for linen etc. 1740-1742; two accounts with James Mitchell and Henry Fogo for property at Deanside, Glasgow, 1742 - 1744 and three accounts for the ship Ann,1762-1766. The docket on the last reads: 'Ann Brig[an]tin[e] 1762. Account from Ledger G. Nov. 1762 - Feb. 1763.' One of the accounts, all of which are variations on the same, is headed 'Ledger G. Dr. Brigtn Ann. Capt. Francess. Belonging to Mr Clerkstone and...'.
Accounts with John Muirhead & Co.
John Muirhead was a merchant in Glasgow and was the brother-in-law of James Watt of Greenock. The following six bundles have a mixture of mostly business correspondence and accounts concerning different ships and cargoes. Salt and timber are major items in the accounts and there are also accounts for the fitting out of ships, especially the 'Lady Forbes', by James Watt of Greenock.
All the pieces had been numbered in red ink and were arranged in chronological order, with the most recent item first. This has been retained.
The bundle label for Finding no. MS 3219/3/73 reads: 'Miscellaneous accounts and papers of James Watt, merchant, Greenock. 1732 to 1770. No. 1 to 230.’
The bundle label for Finding no. MS 3219/3/74 reads: 'Sundry accounts of Mr James Watt at Greenock. 1733 - 1773. No. 1 to 91.'
The bundle label for Finding no. MS 3219/3/75 reads 'Sundry accounts of Mr James Watt at Greenock. 1733 - 1773. No. 1 to 64.'
The bundle label for Finding no. MS 3219/3/76 reads: 'Miscellaneous accounts of James Watt, Merchant,Greenock. 1734 - 1776. No. 1 to 71.'
The bundle label for Finding no. MS 3219/3/77 reads: 'Salt & other accounts of Mr James Watt of Greenock. 1735 - 1771. No. 1 to 76.'
In addition to accounts, there are numerous letters to James Watt of Greenock from his brother-in-law, John Muirhead, merchant, of the Gorbals, Glasgow, and other members of the Muirhead family. The letters mention salt and other cargoes such as timber, sugar, rum, potatoes; news of shipping; finances etc. No. 20 is headed 'Protest Capt[ain] Will[ia]m Glassford Ag[ains]t Wind and Tide 1767. Protest for Tonnage on Salt.’ No. 54 is a booklet headed 'Account of Sales of Muirhead & Watt's Timber begun Anno 1756', which covers the dates 1756 to 1758. No. 68 is a legal document, 'letters of horn.'
The bundle label for Finding no. MS 3219/3/78 reads: 'Sundry accounts of James Watt & others. 1740 - 1773. No. 1 to 54.'
The bundle label for Finding no. MS 3219/3/79 reads: 'Accounts James Watt, Merchant, Greenock. 1740 - 1787. No. 1 to 14.'
These are annual cash balances.
Accounts with George Anderson for the ship Mennie.
There is an original bundle wrapper on which has been written, perhaps by James Watt jr. 'George Anderson & Snow Manie’s Accounts & papers. 1747 - 1762. Ex[amine]d Feb[ruar]y 1820. Jas. & George Anderson the Manies accounts.'
There are 135 items. The documents had not been numbered. They have been arranged in chronological order. The earliest item is, in fact, from 1744. There are letters and accounts with Captain Ninian Stewart, who was commissioned in 1747, to build a ship (a snow, called the Manie or Menie), in Virginia, with the advice of Messrs. Buchanan & Hill, merchants in Norfolk, Virginia, on behalf of Anderson and Watt.
A letter from Anderson, dated 02 January 1755, describes the death of Mr Muirhead at Glasford.
Discharged accounts.
There is a bundle label with the following in the hand of James Watt jr.:
'[M]r Watt's [dischar]ged accts. of various [date]s from [ ]5 to 1774 - 75. Exd. Feby. 1820. J. W.'
In another hand has been written: 'Sundrie letters & accompts paid of various dates.'
The papers had been arranged in chronological order. They concern goods, shipping etc.
Photocopies of the folders in which the accounts were previously stored when the documents were repackaged by Birmingham Reference Library in the ?1970s have been retained, as the names of the persons from whom the bills and receipts were received had been written on them. The earliest account, (1737), and a letter from Lionel Mitchel to John Loudon (1775), which had been placed at the end of the sequence in the 'settlement of accounts' bundle, have now been placed elsewhere, the account at the beginning of this sequence, and the letter after the papers dated 1774.
Settlement of outstanding accounts with William Weir, James Weir, and with James and Robert Muirhead.
There is a bundle label which reads 'Settlements by Mr Watt of old accts. of his Father, viz: with Robt. Muirhead in 1783, James Weir in 1785, Messrs. Buchanan in 1787.'
Another label with the papers concerning the discharge of the account with James Weir, reads: 'J. Watt's accounts against Mr Weir settled & paid off by J. Watt junr. through the agency of Mr Thos. Cochrane. 1785.'
Another label with the papers concerning the discharge of the account with Robert Muirhead, reads: 'Accts. with Messrs. John & R. Muirheid with discharged bill. n. Millar. Settled by Mr G. Hamilton. 1783.'
There is a bundle label for Finding no. MS 3219/3/83 with 'No. 1 to 12' in red ink and, in black ink 'Papers from Gretna. 1800. acct. with Bryce inclosed.'
There are in addition five pieces which were not numbered. |