The first page of a letter petitioning the Lord Crewe Trustees for a financial contribution towards the victoms of a cholera outbreak on Holy Island in 1834.
Nathaniel, Lord Crewe (1633-1722), served as Bishop of Durham from 1674 until his death. He was married twice, firstly to Penelope Tynte, widow of Sir Hugh Tytne, and secondly to Dorothy Forster, youngest daughter of Sir William Forster of Bamburgh Castle. After his second marriage Lord Crewe bought up property in Northumberland and Durham from his wife's family. In his will he left this property in trust for charitable purposes. The Northumberland Archives Service holds a large quantity of papers of the Lord Crewe Trustees relating to the administration of the Trust and to the Bamburgh, North Sunderland and Blanchland estates. Amongst these are a series of petitions to the Trustees. These generally take the form of letters in which the writers are seeking some financial assistance from the Trust.