Need Translation Help

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Gjest

Need Translation Help

Legg inn av Gjest » 19 jan 2006 13:33:14

I finally found in the Perogative Court of Canterbury a 1575 will for
which I've been searching for years -- but I can't read a word of it.
Well, "In the Name of God/Amen." <G> Otherwise it might as well be in
Chinese.

Could somebody here please tell me whom/what group I could contact to
get a modern English translation of this will?

Thank you very much,

Carol Stokes

Gjest

Re: Need Translation Help

Legg inn av Gjest » 19 jan 2006 14:31:51

The will is in English, it's the handwriting that's throwing you off.
Get a book on medieval paleography and that will help you in
distinguishing the characters of the handwriting. Did you get a pdf
copy of this from the British National Archives online? If so you can
post it and see if someone here at the group has the time or
inclination to transcribe it. Once you get into it, it's not as hard
as it seems at first. People and place names are always hard, but once
you start seeing the words "sonne" and "bequeathe" etc. the phrases
sort of pop out for you.

Martin


evergreen@Ltex.net wrote:
I finally found in the Perogative Court of Canterbury a 1575 will for
which I've been searching for years -- but I can't read a word of it.
Well, "In the Name of God/Amen." <G> Otherwise it might as well be in
Chinese.

Could somebody here please tell me whom/what group I could contact to
get a modern English translation of this will?

Thank you very much,

Carol Stokes

Gjest

Re: Need Translation Help

Legg inn av Gjest » 20 jan 2006 02:59:05

Thanks, Martin. It would be a good idea, except I have only an Adobe
Reader -- not a full Acrobat that will allow me to copy the document.

Yes, the British National Archives online had the will of Christopher
Stokes, Clothier of Castle Eaton, Wiltshire 18 July 1566, and I did
manage to print out the document. [Where's Castle Eaton?]

I realize now, though, that my enthusiasm was premature. I've been
searching for the will of the Christopher Stokes who married Prudence
Ivy and was the father of (2nd son) the Christopher Stokes who
discovered America via Virginia. But 'my' Christopher has what passes
for a birth record in Tytherton Lucas, Wiltshire, in 1578 -- so it's
unlikely his father was writing a will in 1566. The will I obtained
must be one of the other Christophers in another of the Wiltshire
lines.

So it's back to the drawing board.

With many thanks to you and the others who so kindly offered help with
this project. I'll certainly use those ideas someday when I *DO*
finally find the right will.

Thanks again,

Carol Stokes

Douglas Richardson

Re: Need Translation Help

Legg inn av Douglas Richardson » 20 jan 2006 06:23:29

Dear Carol ~

If you go to the following weblink, it will display a map which shows
the location of Castle Eaton, Wiltshire.

http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi? ... ale=200000

Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah

Website: http://www.royalancestry.net

evergreen@Ltex.net wrote:
Thanks, Martin. It would be a good idea, except I have only an Adobe
Reader -- not a full Acrobat that will allow me to copy the document.

Yes, the British National Archives online had the will of Christopher
Stokes, Clothier of Castle Eaton, Wiltshire 18 July 1566, and I did
manage to print out the document. [Where's Castle Eaton?]

I realize now, though, that my enthusiasm was premature. I've been
searching for the will of the Christopher Stokes who married Prudence
Ivy and was the father of (2nd son) the Christopher Stokes who
discovered America via Virginia. But 'my' Christopher has what passes
for a birth record in Tytherton Lucas, Wiltshire, in 1578 -- so it's
unlikely his father was writing a will in 1566. The will I obtained
must be one of the other Christophers in another of the Wiltshire
lines.

So it's back to the drawing board.

With many thanks to you and the others who so kindly offered help with
this project. I'll certainly use those ideas someday when I *DO*
finally find the right will.

Thanks again,

Carol Stokes

mjoann

Re: Need Translation Help

Legg inn av mjoann » 20 jan 2006 07:37:42

evergreen@Ltex.net wrote:
I finally found in the Perogative Court of Canterbury a 1575 will for
which I've been searching for years -- but I can't read a word of it.
Well, "In the Name of God/Amen." <G> Otherwise it might as well be in
Chinese.

Could somebody here please tell me whom/what group I could contact to
get a modern English translation of this will?

Thank you very much,

Carol Stokes


You may be surprised to learn that year is considered modern English,
(as is Shakespeare,) although some scholars further divide it into early
modern English. I'm not a Ph.D., (yet!) but I am focusing on old English
and middle English literature for my Masters program. I can tell you
that it probably isn't as difficult as it looks. In the 1575 era, some
words were completely different from today's English, but most are very
similar. If you read it aloud, you will probably recognize more than you
expect. Also, if you have access to the Oxford English Dictionary, most
of the words should be in there. I believe you have to pay to access the
OED online database, but you may be able to access the dictionary
through a local library or college.

In case anyone is nerdy like me... There is a quick way to recognize the
periods of English that should be recognizable to most people. Beowulf
is old, Chaucer is middle and Shakespeare is modern.
mjoann

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