Help with Latin property description

[sunnylew]

Hi guys,

I was hoping somebody could help me with a mystery word used in describing a particular property.

The bit I have trouble with is:

"unam p[ar]tem cujusdum domus & terr ad inde specta sur & existen in villa de Hethersett"

"Specta" is throwing me, as I can only find translations to do with looking and watching.

Is this "1 part of a certain house and land looking on and being in the town of Hethersett?"

Or could it be, "with a view from the side of and being in the town of Hethersett"?

The full page can be seen here:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DR99-JRV?cat=416138

Any help would be truly appreciated.

Cheers,

Lewis

[Watson]

The word is (a contracted form of) spectantem, which, when used of places, can have the meaning of looking towards, or lying towards.

[Watson]

" ...one part of each house and land thereunto looking, lying and being in the town of Hethersett"

I'm assuming that the word after spectantem is Iacentem, but I'm not certain of that.

[sunnylew]

Thanks Watson,

It makes more sense that being Iacentum than sur.

I'm still not really sure what they are saying here though:

Does it look to be part of the town of Hethersett i.e. is in some grey border area

Or is the land on the side of the house that faces the main part of the town?

[Bookbox]

I'm still not really sure what they are saying here though:

May I suggest that the land is facing the house, and the whole property is lying and being in the town of Hethersett.

Also, I believe it is ‘a certain house’ (Cujusdam), rather than ‘each house’. I think there's only one.

[Watson]

Thank you, Bookbox.  I was just about to correct "each" to "a certain".  I had taken it as cuiusdem, but cuiusdam makes much better sense.

[sunnylew]

Thanks again guys.

I find it so hard to fill in the missing blanks, and when google latin-english translation is my best friend, it can't help with missing pieces.

But the endings of words leaves me totally lost, and there's so much detail and context there.

This really helps. The potential that it was "looking at Hethersett" had me wondering if this particular building was one described elsewhere as on the western edge of Hethersett near the great common.

Instead its being descriptive, which is always good. I suppose that in facing the house, the land could be extending out from the front of the house, as opposed to extending behind it.

[Bookbox]

I suppose that in facing the house, the land could be extending out from the front of the house, as opposed to extending behind it.

That certainly sounds feasible. But without any directions or bearings in this piece, it's hard to say.