ground, his son, Captain Bolton's uncle, built the two houses entirely
at his own expense. Two other houses, immediately adjoining, came into
the market, and he purchased the out-going tenant's 'good-will' for
a sum of about 40 l. These houses were thatched, and in very bad
condition. He repaired them and slated them, and thus formed a nice
uniform block of four workers' houses. Captain Bolton inherited these
from his uncle and retained uninterrupted possession till 1852, when
he voted for Johnston Smyth at the election of that date. Immediately
afterwards he received a notice to quit, an ejectment was brought in
due time, the case was dismissed at the quarter sessions, an appeal
was lodged, but it was again dismissed at the assizes. Undaunted by
these two defeats, the persistent agent served another notice to quit.
The captain was a man of peace, whose nerves could not stand such
perpetual worrying by litigation, and he was so disgusted with
the whole affair that he tied up the keys, and sent them to Lord
Hertfort's office. In his ledger that day he made the following
entry:--'Plundered, this 20th December 1854, by our worthy agent to
the marquis, because I voted for Smyth and the independence of the
borough.--J.B.'

The houses remained in the hands of the agent till the next election,
when Captain Bolton voted for Mr. Hogg, the office candidate.
The conscientious old gentleman--as good a conservative as Dean
Stannus--voted from principle in both cases and not to please the
agent or anyone else. The agent, however, thought proper to regard
it as a penitent act, and as the tenant had ceased to be naughty,
and had, it was assumed, shown proper deference to his political
superiors, he received his houses back again, retaining the possession
of them till his death. The profit rent of the houses is 20 l. a year.
Either this rent belonged to Captain Bolton or to Lord Hertfort. If