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English Adventurers and Emigrants, 1609-1660

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  • English Adventurers and Emigrants, 1609-1660

    I've found an ancestor listed in the "Examinations in Equity Cases" section in "English Adventurers and Emigrants, 1609-1660" on Ancestry. The entry gives his name, occupation and age, but there's no other information.

    I can't find any explanation on Ancestry of what this actually means. What were these equity cases? Perhaps I'm being particularly dim, but I don't understand the introduction to the book either.

    The timing means that it must relate to my ancestor's return to England after he'd spent a few years in Massachusetts.

    Can anyone enlighten me?

    Thank you!
    Looking for Bysh, Potter, Littleton, Parke, Franks, Sullivan, Gosden, Carroll, Hurst, Churcher, Covell, Elverson, Giles, Hawkins, Witherden...

  • #2
    The entry you have found indicates that your man was "Examined" (called on to give evidence) at the High Court of Admiralty in London in an "Equity" case (a Civil case involving ownership and assets etc, as distinct from a Criminal case).

    If you go to the page with your man's name, and work backwards for a page or so you should come to an entry in bold capital letters, That is the case in which he and the others listed in adjacent entries gave evidence. Some individual entries give a summary of the evidence the person gave, but that is not always so. Maybe in those examples the evidence given was not significant? You can probably get an idea of what the case was about by reading the adjacent entries.

    The main purpose of Coldham's book is summarised in the following extract from Ancestry's description:
    "we find in this work the names of hundreds of merchants, passengers, mariners, and adventurers who had some connection with the settlement of the original colonies. Certainly not all those named here settled in the colonies or even journeyed there, but a fair number did, and these abstracts may provide the long-sought proof of their emigration"

    The original records of the High Court of Admiralty are held at The National Archives. The case that your man gave evidence in will probably be listed in the TNA index at The National Archives | the Catalogue

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    • #3
      'Examinations in Equity Cases'
      I may be wrong but according to the National Archives who also hold some of these documents, it COULD ! mean the apprehension of an Individual who has absconded.

      Comment


      • #4
        Those are all extremely helpful, thank you.

        The reference to absconding is very thought-provoking: the ancestor in question was Thomas Venner who seemed to spend all his adult life in trouble with the authorities - he was hanged, drawn and quartered in 1661.
        Looking for Bysh, Potter, Littleton, Parke, Franks, Sullivan, Gosden, Carroll, Hurst, Churcher, Covell, Elverson, Giles, Hawkins, Witherden...

        Comment


        • #5
          Sal,
          The case for which Thomas Venner was "Examined" (called to give evidence) was held between December 1635 and July 1637. Since Thomas is reported elsewhere as having gone to New England in 1637, it seems likely that he was one of the many passengers who tried to sail (unsuccessfully) to New England in October 1635 on John Thierry's ship Constance.

          Interestingly, Thomas' name appears at the end of the entry, with seven others for whom no evidence is reported. Maybe the reason is that they were called to attend as witnesses, but in view of the large amount of evidence given by previous witnesses, they never actually gave evidence?

          From what I read, I don't think "absconding" had anything to do with this case.

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          • #6
            Ah. Now I understand. Thank you Hughar. I hadn't been able to find this information myself.
            Looking for Bysh, Potter, Littleton, Parke, Franks, Sullivan, Gosden, Carroll, Hurst, Churcher, Covell, Elverson, Giles, Hawkins, Witherden...

            Comment

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