1584 Will Administration

[sunnylew]

I hope that somebody could clarify part of the Administration below.

Is it saying that William Lofty is the new Administartor of Mathew Hamonde as he has lately married Elizabeth Hamonde who was the previous administratix, or is it saying that Elizabeth, who William has married, was previously the administratix and has lately died?

[horselydown86]

I think it is true that Elizabeth, who William has married, was previously the administratrix and has lately died.

I need to preface this by saying that I can't read enough of the text in the two lines beginning with the Emanave' word in line 3 and of the text at the end to be able to understand the whole meaning.

Your two propositions aren't mutually exclusive.

However beginning about the midddle of line 5, we have:

...Will(el)mo coftie nup(er)

marito Elizabethe Hamannte al(ia)s coftie

def' dum vixit Administratrix bonor' p(re)fati

Mathei...


...to William coftie recently

the husband of Elizabeth Hamannte otherwise coftie

deceased while she lived Administratrix of the goods of the before mentioned

Matthew...


Regarding the surname, I don't see Lofty at all.

I think what is written is most likely to be coftie.

However both instances of the name carry contraction marks, the meaning of which isn't clear.

The co combination potentially could also be a w, although it doesn't match the w of will(el)mo.

What is the source for Lofty?

Sorry to be vague but some of it requires a more expert eye than mine.

ADDED:

I've just noticed that what I thought was a contraction mark on the first instance of coftie does make it look like an L, and that something similar is happening with the H of Hamannte.

So perhaps it is Loftie after all.

[Bookbox]

Matheus Hamannte dum vixit de Hetherset

def(unctus) intestatus decessit Decimo quarto die

mensis Martij Anno p(re)d(icto)  Emanaver(unt)* l(itte)re

Ad(ministracio)nis bonor(um) eiusd(e)m def(uncti) nondum

administrator(um) direct(e) Will(el)mo marito Elizabethe Hamannte al(ia)s Loftie

def(uncte) dum vixit Administratrix bonor(um) p(re)fati

Mathei def(uncti) de fidel(ite)r administrand(o)

bona ac solvend(o) ip(s)ius debita

     * emanare – ‘to issue forth’

Matthew Hamannte, whilst he lived of Hethersett, deceased, died intestate on fourteenth day of the month of March in the aforesaid year. There issued letters of administration of the goods of the same deceased, which were not yet administered, directed to William, husband of Elizabeth Hammante otherwise Loftie, deceased, whilst she lived the administratrix of the goods of the aforesaid deceased Matthew, for faithfully administering his goods and paying his debts.

=====
I think the name is indeed Loftie. While I agree it doesn’t much look like L and doesn’t match the other letters in the entry, the word at the end of line 3 is definitely a contracted littere, and it appears to begin with the same letter.

(This is the best I can do at present, away from my desk and working on a very small screen!)

[sunnylew]

Thank you guys.

That's really helpful. The biography for Matthew Hamant in most places (he was a heretic burned at Norwich) all say that his wife died in 1625, but this confirms that she didn't. A Widow Hamante was buried in Hethersett that year, and I think the Oxford Dictionary of Biography inferred the rest.

Loftie/Lofty is a reasonably common name in Hethersett, which led to my reading. There's a Will of William Lofty, written 1611 and proved 1617 which gives a bequest to his "daughter" Elizabeth Hamonde. She's right at the end, after the nieces and nephews, and given the same as them. I'm fairly sure that she ws mathew and Elizabeth's daughter.