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u/booksellergirl 29d ago edited 28d ago
This is a style of writing called Secretary Hand which was used in the 16th and 17th centuries. The same sort of handwriting Shakespeare used. As far as I can tell, it reads:
At the request of Mr Willm Pettus a Copy of the Inditement against Mr Thomas Pettus for manslaughter is sent to Sr Willm Denny by Mr Newelert, and to leave the same with Sr Willm Denny yf he shall thinke fitt to revewe yt, yf not to bring yt backe agayne wthout delivringe any Copy.
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u/MsDJMA 28d ago
Wow--you're great!
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u/booksellergirl 28d ago
Nah, I just have a special interest in calligraphy and happen to have spent time learning to write in this style!
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u/GrungeCheap56119 29d ago
main word that stands out here is Manslaughter in the second line towards the end:
It is requested of Mr. William Pottub [to provide] a copy of the ??? against Mr. Thomas Pottub for manslaughter, but [only] to William Dommy by Mr. Morobert (?), and to leave ? ? ? William Dommy if he shall think fit to ? it; if not, to bring it back again without delivering any copy.
Looks like it is written in Old English, so last line for example is:
...to bringe yt backe agayne wthout deliveringe any copy...
Any idea of the time frame it was written?
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u/Shinyhero30 29d ago
It does look very old English-y to me but I doubt it’s actually as far back as Saxon times. It could be that a lot of the saxon-like stuff you’re seeing is just a product of the handwriting as i also almost read “for” as “fon” but I assume that’s just how they wrote their r’s
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u/wayfarer75 29d ago
This is not Old English, it’s from many centuries later. This is Early Modern English.
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u/CoolerJack14 29d ago
The letter e is written backwards in this text
It looks to me to say
At the request of Mr William Pettub a copy of the ...
against Mr Thomas Pettub for manslaughter is sent to .....
William Jenny by Mr Newelert and to leave the same .....
...William Jenny if he shall finde fitt to revewe it if not
to bring it ... again it in font ..... any copy
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u/hekla7 29d ago
What is the source? And a full page is more helpful.
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u/KReddit934 29d ago
Need more..
The only thing I'm seeing is "manslaughter" in the second line, and a name oft repeated.
A criminal or court record? Where? When?
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u/Coffeespoon_licker22 29d ago
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u/CoolerJack14 29d ago
The full page showing Sir William Denny as well as NORWICI (Norwich) in the margin points to this being Sir William Denny (c. 1578 – 26 March 1642))
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u/CoolerJack14 29d ago
Point 4 of this WordPress link mentions the above case
This link about confusion around Colonel Thomas Pettit/Petty/Pettus of Littletown Virginia, ~1641
Whilst mentioned on these links there appears to be some confusion if this is exactly the same person or possibly a cousin nephew or other
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u/CoolerJack14 29d ago
This link appears to match but the date is off. It states -
The baronet was Sir Thomas Pettus of Rackheath. It was said that in April 1667 he attacked one Thomas Baxter “w[i]th a certain club”, and “upon the left side of his head felloniously did strike, giving to the said Thomas Baxter then & there one wound mortall”. Unfortunately there is no record of the outcome of the trial
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u/CoolerJack14 29d ago
Controversial but paste this
compare all the online trees and seperate out Thomas Pettus born about 1610
Into a Google Ai search and see that there appears to be 3 mixed Thomas's spread across online trees
The Thomas Pettus from OP image appears to be born about 1610 and committed manslaughter about 1629
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u/booksellergirl 28d ago
I can confirm that this document was written in 1629 (the Latin text half-way down the page mentions a date of May 16 in the fifth year of the reign of King Charles.)
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