I am a little uncertain about what we are doing here. This seems to be a contemporary, meaning circa 1950s on ??, note from a 16th century document.
Unless you are certain that the notes are faithfully recording what is there then I would not reproduce these notes as they are. Perhaps first transcribe as they are but for research purposes I would fill out the abbreviations. Some of the abbreviations would be what I would use eg 'adjg' and if I was 'translating' this handwriting I would be putting these in full. We do not want future researchers believing that 'adjg' was found in the original if the original did not show this.
I am not sure that a legal document from 16th century would have this. Similarly with tent: Unless I could be assured that this was how the original document had it then I would be writing tenement etc.
Hopefully you will be able to check the actual document. Sometimes even these were a clerkly transcription of the original (there being no other way of making a copy) so unless it had the actual signatures then it could be classed as a secondary source and this handwritten paper a secondary source from a secondary source then the translation of the notes a secondary source from a........
My view is that the notes we are looking at now are a useful finding aid for further research. I would be marking it clearly that is not an original source.
The images here are taken from the Tyler Index to Kentish Wills found on Ancestry. I'm using these to give me a rough outline of who is named in the Will before exploring it in more detail.
I now have the reference for the actual Will which was proved in the Archdeaconry of Canterbury: PRC/17/40/161 and hopefully this will be clearer and give more detail.
The Tyler Index is just that, scanned images of extracts or notes from the Wills and only gives a very basic outline of people mentioned and other details. I agree it isn't an exact transcript but it does give me a basic starting point until I see the actual Will itself. Armed with the names in here and other Wills I have I am able to build up a basic tree as a starting point.
As I have the reference for the Registered Copy of the Will I can now get a copy of that when I'm next at the National Archives and compare the two.
As I said, this info is just to give me a starting point, and so yes there may be errors in the notes.
Matt
