Thomas Blossom

There appeared before the undersigned aldermen Thomas Blossom, a born subject of the Kingdom of Great Britain, recently residing at Cambridge in the County of Cambridge, now living within this city.

[He declared that,] whereas during his residence here various buildings and grounds standing and lying in the town of Cambridge have come and descended upon Annan Blassen, his wife, out of the estate of inheritance as heir of her mother, and by the assignment and gift of her grandfather on her mother's side through his last will and testament — all of which grounds his aforesaid wife Anna has resolved and determined to sell and alienate — he, in order that his wife's said intention might be carried out, has to the extent it lies in him given and granted his consent and full approval thereto.

And he has accordingly ordained, constituted and put in his place the aforesaid Anna, his dear wife, as his true, lawful and full attorney, and has given and granted her, and gives and grants her by these presents, full power and authority to sell and alienate, and out of free and just considerations to convey, transfer and let, for him and in his name, and also for herself and in her own right and name, all the aforesaid buildings, lands and grounds standing and lying in the town of Cambridge which have descended, or should come and descend, upon the aforesaid Anna his wife as heir of her mother, or by any other manner or way — and especially and namely two buildings and grounds with their appurtenances standing and lying in the parish of St. Giles in the aforesaid town of Cambridge — to any person or persons whomsoever it may be, all according to the laws and rights of the Kingdom of Great Britain aforesaid.

[This] such that the person or persons to whom the aforesaid goods shall be so alienated, sold and let as above, they and their heirs whosoever they may be (or their heirs' heirs), and the heirs of each of them, shall have and keep forever only the use and benefit thereof; granting and conferring thereby, wholly, firmly and absolutely, unto his aforesaid wife full power to do, execute, carry through, accomplish, conclude and finish, in the matter aforesaid, whatever learned counsel, upon due instruction in the law, shall find profitable and necessary, and as he himself could or might do were he present in his own person. Ratifying and confirming hereby all that his aforesaid wife shall do or cause to be done concerning the matter aforesaid in the said affair.

Done the 12th of March, anno sixteen hundred and ten. A. Jasperszoon Van Vesanevelt. Wijllem Govartszoon.

Translation by Radicae, The Leiden Connection, from the Dutch transcription supplied by Erfgoed Leiden. The original is a single long, convoluted notarial sentence (possibly itself translated from an English original), rendered here in separate paragraphs for readability; one phrase ('de voorge…') breaks off mid-word in the source, apparently a scribal abbreviation rather than genuine textual loss.

A child of Thomas Blaser, on the Kerchoff.

Translation by Radicae, The Leiden Connection, from the Dutch transcription supplied by Erfgoed Leiden. This entry is a brief burial register line rather than a full notarial act.

The child of Thomas Blase, at Pieters Kerckhoff.

Translation by Radicae, The Leiden Connection, from the Dutch transcription supplied by Erfgoed Leiden. This entry is a brief burial register line rather than a full notarial act.

On this 25th day of April 1618, before me, notary public, and the witnesses named below, appeared Edward Tilley, serge weaver, born in England, living within this city, on the one part, and Robert Hagges, bachelor, likewise born in England and, as he declares, presently above the age of twenty-one years, on the other part.

The appearers acknowledged and declared that, about two years earlier, they had mutually agreed and arranged matters between themselves as follows: first, that the said Edward Tilley shall be obliged to teach the said Robert Hagges, or have him taught at his own expense by a free master within this city, the trade and craft of serge-weaving, and, during that time and for five years thereafter, to provide him with food, drink, lodging and other necessities of life as is proper, in both sickness and health, as well as with linen and woollen clothing — nothing excluded — which Robert Hagges shall need over the said term of five years…

The original document breaks off at this point — the remainder of this clause, describing the outfit and cloak promised at the end of the five years and the two-month return to England mentioned in the archive abstract, was not preserved in the surviving transcription.

Thus done, executed and passed on the day, month and year aforesaid, at the office of me, the notary, in the presence of the aforesaid Jonathan Brewster, Robert Cooper and Thomas Blossom, all three Englishmen who, besides their own English tongue, could also understand and speak Dutch well, and who informed and fully explained all of the foregoing in English to the said appearers and contracting parties, since they did not understand or speak Dutch very well — as credible witnesses requested, called upon and asked for this purpose alongside me, the notary.

(Signed) This is R [his mark], Edward Tilley; Robert Hagges, his own mark set; Thomas Blossom; Jonathan Brewster; Robert Cooper; Paedts.

Translation by Radicae, The Leiden Connection, from the Dutch transcription supplied by Erfgoed Leiden.