Secretary hand 1624

[Kerrywood]

Can anybody help read a few words from this indenture of 1624 (middle line as shown below)? I've transcribed the previous and subsequent lines as well, to give it some context, though the image doesn't show the full text of this.



" ... and to bid anye friende of his welcom and to eate and drincke in such manner as hath usually beene in the saide messuage and that the sayde Richard shall keepp? h[---] two sha[----] yearly dureinge the saide terme In Witnes whereof the parties abovesayde to these presente Indentures interchaingably have sett theire hands and seales ... "

Thanks for any clues
Kerrywood

[Geoffers]

Can anybody help read a few words from this indenture of 1624


that the sayde Richard shall keepp? h[---] two sha[----] yearly

"that the sayde Richard shall keep hime two shape yerely"

It's difficult to be certain without knowing the full terms of the indenture, I would guess 'shape' are actually 'sheep'

In the first line

and to bid anye friende

should read "and to bid any frinde" (there's only the one 'e')

also, in the third line, "these pnte indentures".

If you wanted to show your (in my opinion correct) interpretation, you could write "these p[rese]nte indentures" as a way of showing what you believed to have been abbreviated.

[Kerrywood]

Many thanks, Geoffers. I've been waiting since Christmas for you to come online
I hoped it might be "sheep". There is a "cowe" mentioned elsewhere, but no other livestock. Thanks for the other tips too.

Kerrywood

[Geoffers]

I hoped it might be "sheep". There is a "cowe" mentioned elsewhere, but no other livestock. Thanks for the other tips too.

My pleasure, the writing is beautiful - the basic rule is to transcribe what is acutually written and make sure that any interpretation you add is highlighted; this is most commonly done by use of brackets. There are often small squiggles or marks written superscript - they often look a bit like ~ which are used instead of a letter or sometimes two or more letters, unusually I can see no such mark in p[rese]nte.

Is the indenture for someone from your own family? If so I am extremely jealous.

[Kerrywood]

Thanks again. I do actually have square brackets showing abbreviations and contractions in my original -- just failed to type them into my post

The indenture is for a possible ancestor of someone I'm helping, not one of my own, more's the pity. He is leasing his property to a relative for 21 years, while retaining a life interest in it for himself, and he specifies legacies to be paid after his death. So although headed "This Indenture ... ", it is also effectively a will, and I've not seen anything quite like it before. Berkshire RO have catalogued it with their probate records.

I have a dozen or so wills and indentures for this family in the early 1600s, which I unearthed at the Berkshire RO before Christmas. There is also an extensive series of equity suits at TNA relating to the same family from the 1660s (unusual surname, same village). The problem is the lack of parish records from the Commonwealth period, which might have enabled me to link the early testators and the later plaintiffs/defendants.

All in all, it's a massive transcription project, but all good clean fun

Kerrywood