Help transcribing 1591 will please

[DLPublic]

I have what I think is the will (and/or possibly the admin) of George Dansey of Somerby, Leicestershire (dated 1591) that I am really struggling to transcribe. After many hours of trying to assemble an alphabet based on the script, it remains sketchy. In addition the will is in Latin, which I am finding a challenge.

Is anyone able to assist?

Here is the first side of the will which I have cleaned up as best I can. I will post the other side which appears to be signed (by mark) Is[abella] Dansey (George's wife/widow) and witnessed by his (I believe) brother, Thomam [Thomas] Dansey. Both are also mentioned in the text of of second side. Could this be the admin?



regards
Dave

[DLPublic]

Here is the second side...




regards
Dave

[thewideeyedowl]

Hi and a very warm welcome to Brit Gen...

Do you know about a litte progam called Transcript? It is the brainchild of Jacob Boerema; it is free for personal use. https://www.jacobboerema.nl/en/Freeware.htm.

I am using it for a Unit War Diary - admitedly easier than the text you've got! - and find it is really excellent. You load the document as a .jpg and then get a screen split horizontally: upper half will show a line of the doc, which you can zoom and scroll, and the lower half is for your text entry of what you think it says. The transcription is saved in rich text format, .rtf, and can thus be opened and edited in a word processor.

There are screenshots on the website.

Owl

[DLPublic]

Owl, many thanks for the link.

Currently I have affixed a transparent sheet over a paper copy of the documents onto which I write (using fine felt tip pen) the bits I can work out. I will give the program a whirl as it looks it could simplify the process, however, it is unlikely to make the transcription easier for me.
Dave

[arthurk]

I don't have time to go through it in detail, I'm afraid, but it looks to me like an administration bond. The first page is in English and sets out the duties of Isabella Dansie, the widow/relict and administratrix. I didn't spot any reference to Thomas Dansie there, but the second page (in Latin) mentions him and Henry Wright, and they both seem to have been bound along with Isabella to administer the estate.

Administration documents used a fairly standard form of words, and I think it should be possible to find examples online somewhere to compare this against.

Arthur

[DLPublic]

Arthur,

many thanks for your input. I have scoured various sites (incl. TNA) for scripts for comparisons but I have yet to find anything to significantly help me in the transcription. George had a son called George junior by Isabella, but unless I missed it, I see no mention of him. George senior married Isabel[la] in 1554, so the son would presumably be in his 30s at the time of the will if he was still alive.

Also, I am unaware of a son called Thomas, so I am presuming it was George senior's brother.

I will keep plugging away at it, but any further assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Dave

[janbooth]

Hi Dave,

Your Will Document is an Obligation Condicon wherein George's widow Isabella undertakes to provide an Inventory of all his Goods, Cattles, Chattels and Debts by a certain date so that Administration of all his Goods etc can be granted because George died Intestate. Unfortunately, because it is a Condicon, you won't find any mention of his children, only the person who undertakes to provide the Inventory, in this case his widow Isabella, and normally the people who actually value his Goods, etc., in this case Isabella, Henry WRIGHT & Thomas DANSIE. I have several of these Condicons for my ancestors and, as Arthur has said, they are pretty standard in their form.

Janet