English Secretary Hand, black ink on parchment, 34 lines, with 6 autograph signatures & 2 seals intact at bottom; single sheet folded in two, inscribed on outer leafs only, each side measuring 7.5″ x 11.75″; ink stain to left margin at centre fold & water damage down full length of right side.
1. Know all men by these p[re]sents that wee Richard
2. Williams of Cabalva in the County of Radnor Esq[uire]
3. and Ambrose Scudamoore of Kenchurch in the
4. County of Herefford Esq[uire] have had & receaved
5. of Sr John Huband of Ipsley in the County of
6. Warwicke Barronett the full sum[m]e of Two Thousan
7. Thousand and three hundred pounds of lawfull
8. money of England being the Considerac[i]on
9. money menc[i]oned and Expressed in one
10. Indenture Tripartite bearing date the sixteenth
11. day of January last past and made between
12. us the s[ai]d Richard Williams and Ambrose
13. Scudamoore and Magdalen and Anne our
14. wives of the first parte Thomas Geers Herbert
15. Masters Richard Witherston Dame Delarivers
16. Morgan wid[ow] and sole Excecutrix [sic.] of Sr Thomas
17. Morgan late of Chanson in the s[ai]d County of
18. Herefford Barronett and Sr John Morgan Barronet
19. sonne & heire of the s[ai]d Sr Thomas Morgan of
20. the second parte ^and^ the s[ai]d Sr John Huband of the
21. third parte of w[hi]ch s[ai]d sum[m]e of Two Thousand
22. & three hundred pounds wee the s[ai]d Richard
23. Williams and Ambrose Scudamoore doe hereby
24. for us our heires Excecutors [sic., ff.] and Administrators
25. Accquitt Release Exonerate & discharge the said
26. Sr John Huband his heires Excecutors and Admi=
27. nistrators forever by these p[re]sents In witnesse
28. whereof wee the s[ai]d Richard Williams & Ambrose
29. Scudamoore have hereunto put our hands & seales
30. this ffourteenth day of September In the yeare
31. of our Lord God one Thousand six hundred and
32. eighty
33. Sealed & delivered
34. in the p[re]sence of R Williams [+ seal]
35. Robert Symonds
36. Abr: Seward Amb: Scudamore [+ seal]
37. Isaec Seward
38. Tho: (?) [signature surname undeciphered*]
* This represents a typical problem encountered in the transcription of early documents, particularly when the MS is damaged, the hand is generally unclear, or – as in this case – when an idiosyncratic personal signature does not correspond with lettering elsewhere in the document. Ritualised language, custom & practise, and common sense in context can be drawn on to ‘crack’ standard words and phrases, but with multiple possibilities existing for the interpretation of numerous letters, Names & Places can be particularly challenging to decipher. It is therefore, unfortunately, not uncommon for question marks to remain in an otherwise completed transcript.
Endorsement:
7
Mr Williams & Mr
Scudamoore Receipt
for ye purchase mony
of Studley
14 Sepr 1680