| Part 1 |
Ainsworth v. Williams
Case brought by George Ainsworth of Warrington brasier and coppersmith. Ainsworth had up until October 1803 had dealings with and brought quantities of copper from John Stevens of Liverpool gentleman. John Stevens was declared bankrupt in 1803. Since then he recieved a demand for payment for the copper from Owen Williams and Pascoe Grenfell proprietors of a copper office in Liverpool and Thomas Wiatt their attorney at law. Ainsworth claims that he did not know that John Stevens was not trading on his own behalf rather than as an agent of the copper office, but that at as a deposit for the debts owed he gave Williams and Grenfell an indenture of 1793 made out to John Hayton (no occupation given) for debts owed. Since then, Williams and Grenfell have tried to claim not only the debt but monies which they claim John Stephens unlawfully took from the copper office to invest in a joint partnership between Ainsworth and himself in the business of wire drawing. The complaint is answered by Owen Williams and Grenfell and John Williams (who was also concerned in the copper office before 1802, alongside Thomas Williams who died in 1802), Thomas Wiatt and Hayton separately. The defendants claim that Ainsworth knew that Stephens was acting on behalf of the copper office, and claim that funds from the copper office were put into the wire drawing concern and wish to claim these back. The Williamses are presumably related (brothers?) but there is no further discussion of family members. |