Refused to pay her rent: Dipton munitions worker ordered to quit
Article from Stanley News
At Lanchester Sessions on Thursday Mr J M Aynsley applied on behalf of the trustees of the estate of the late Mr Freek for an ejectment of the order against of occupier of a house at Hill Top, Dipton. The woman’s husband (Robert Carter), said Mr Aynsley, was on active service, and the grounds of the application was that the rent was very considerably in arrears. It was not a case of not being able to pay, but one in which the woman had refused, and had flouted the landlord.
“Some Other Climate”
Mr Aynsley added that the property was subject to mortgage, and unless the trustees received the rent somewhat reasonably great difficulty was experience in paying the mortgage interest. As a matter of fact, Mrs Carter had sub-let part of the premises, but had pocketed the money received telling the agent to go to “some other climate”. (Laughter).
The agent spoke to serving the necessary notices on Mrs Carter to quit, because the rent was in arrears to the extent of £12 7s 3d. The rent was 4s 9d weekly, and the woman had an income allowance of about £3 a week, viz, a 7s separation allowance, 2s 9d from the colliery, and 30s earned from Elswick Works. When he had asked for the rent she had simply cursed and swore, and generally treated him with contempt.
Mrs Carter said that she had been a tenant since early in 1914. She paid the rent regularly until her husband joined the Army in August of that year. She alleged that she had refused to pay the rent for one period because of the bad condition of the house, and at other times she had been unable because of the illness of her children, three of whom had consumption. Since August, 1915, she had endeavored to pay off the arrears at the rate of six-pence a week.
Munition Earnings
Asked about her earnings at the munitions works, the woman said she did not commence that employment until March last, and was not able to maintain full time there. Her earnings had ranged from 11s 3d to £1 11s 9d a week. She only sub-let part of the house for five weeks.
In reply to the clerk, the agent said they did not want to get the woman out of the house if they could get the rent.
The Bench suggested an adjournment of the case to enable Mrs Carter to pay off the arrears at the rate of 10s a week, but the woman declared her inability to pay more than 5s 6d a week, including the rend.
Mr Aynsley offered to take 6s 9d a week, being 2s off the arrears, an offer with the Bench considered most reasonable.
The woman, however, persisted in her offer of 5s 6d, declaring that she had other debts standing.
Mr Aynsley: You should not have with £3 a week coming in.
After further but futile efforts to induce the woman to comply with Mr Aynsley’s offer, the magistrates made an order for the house to be quitted within 21 days.
Date: 6 July 1916
Where to find this: Durham County Record Office
Contributed by Durham County Record Office
