Letter to James Wheat of Sheffield 1787

[RichardB]

1787 Neat Entire Letter (probably another page of script now missing) charged 4d (looks like 2d originally amended to 4) to JAMES WHEAT in SHEFFIELD showing fair strike of RARE DONCAS/TER 161 1st TYPE MILEAGE (REVERSED 'N' in DONCASTER) with good content ref. local churches - 'in the parish church of Sheffield the present Galleries are perhaps the most awkward and inconvenient that ever was found....the Passages and staircases to most of the pews are scarce accessible - many of the pews have no way of approach but through another......the proposed alterations to the church would be the greatest and noblest improvement....it will admit upwards of 500 sittings more than the present church contains...a credit to the town of Sheffield and may be ranked with the first of its public improvements'. The Letter is unsigned so I presume it would have had a further sheet and was charged double postage accordingly. There is a small filing note 'Mr Linley with his plans' at top right so it may well be traceable with local research.

Above from eBay.co.uk

Additional blurb :

The Wheat family, residents of Treeton, and solicitors of Sheffield, the last of whom, Mr. J. B. Wheat, died in 1936. James Wheat, the first of the family, was active from about 1766 (when he took over the practice of William Battie, another active Sheffield attorney), to his death in 1805. He was clerk to a number of Sheffield trusts, charities and commissions, and the bulk of the papers, particularly those relating to public affairs of the town, are his. The collection reached the Library piecemeal, and was catalogued similarly. James Wheat (d.1805) was appointed Law Clerk to the Burgesses in Mar 1766, and established his practice in Paradise Square from 1777. On 24 Jun 1778, Wheat was elected one of the Burgesses. This family and practice continued to serve as Law Clerk, through to John James Wheat (1825-1915) and John Bristow Wheat (1858-1936).