Court Papers 1736

[MKG]

Well I think that confirms it - a man who couldn't write his name would hardly be bringing an action involving a large amount of land.

[Roger in Sussex]

Peter,

thanks for that info. I found Smitheman on Google - seems to have been based on Madeley, which is a bit nearer to Cressage than Wem or Loppington. But maybe the court was based somewhere like Shrewsbury and the local gentry served on a court there?


Mike,

First go ...

Thos. Bowen ** ye named plain(tiff?) Taylor in £1 for ye ***** by Sarah ye wife of Geo. Polly

Any good?

As Devil's advocate, how about:

Thos. Bowen of ye same plain(tiff?) Taylor in £1 for ye peace by Sarah ye wife of Geo. Potts


?

I think plaintiff must be right. Funny 1 though in the £1?

Roger


 

[MKG]

I'd go along with that (except I'm worried by that "of"). I think that you hit the nail on the head earlier - j is used (as is i) for the number 1.

[mike175]

Just started reading this thread.

I wonder if the second missing word is yeare ?

and could the name be Potty rather than Polly?

Mike.

[bristolloggerheads]

The court was Wenlock which included Madeley - Henry Rainsford is listed as a gent of Madeley and co-partner in the Madeley Wood Iron Furnaces. This would have been exciting times for that industry.

[MKG]

Nice thought, Mike175 - but there are lots of "y"s around, and they all have the descender very definitely on the right. The first letter in the word has a descender on the left.

Mike

[bristolloggerheads]

In the second entry is it not Sarah the wife of George Potts who is the complainant?

In that case would it not be James Grosvenor in the first entry i.e the same format used by the clerk?

[MKG]

That's a good point, Peter. Food for thought. Hmmm....

I suppose it's really hanging on the word before last sessions. Am I correct, do you think, in saying that it's "deferr'd"? If it is, then it was deferred by Grosvenor and that, in turn, means he had the power to defer it. On the other hand, if it isn't "deferr'd" then its now more important than ever to sort out exactly what it does say.

Mike

EDIT: An obvious question - do all the records end with "... by John Smith"?

[bristolloggerheads]

After my first visit to Shropshire Archives there is one thing I have learnt - make sure you copy the page before and the page after for context!
I have two other entries from the same book, one a bastardy examination and the other a settlement. Both end with the mark of the person concerned (so no help here I'm afraid).

Peter