Reference: CP.H.4489 , CP.H.4490, CP.H.4491
Year: 1697
Plaintiff: female
Defendant: female
Defamatory words:
she was a whore a branded whore a fire brand whore and a Scotch bitch
NB: these transcriptions are a work in progress and are provided without any guarantees of accuracy; checking the original documents wherever possible (via the reference links above) is recommended.
Common abbreviations:
[1]
... [has known Margaret P abt 5 yrs, she was & is a very honest woman, good repute as far as Anne knows]
... upon Saturday next before Xmas~ day last past she this dept was at her owne doore stead in St Andrew-gate within the citty of Yorke when & where she heard & see the arte Margarett Pape & Elizabeth Seller scowlding together in the sd street & she sayes yt she then & there heard the sd Elizabeth Sellar call the arte Margarett Pape fire-brand whore & bid her be gone there being then by & present ... Mary Hollings & Katherine Watson...
[has known Margaret abt 6-7 yeares, was & is a very honest woman, good repute etc]
... on Satturday next before Christmas-day last past she this dept being in St Andrew-gate within the citty of York did see & heare the arte Margaret Pape & Elizabeth Sellar scowlding together in the said street and she sayes that the sd Elizabeth Sellar did then & there call the arte Margaret Pape fire-brand whore & scotch bitch severall times in the presence of this dept ... Ann Barker... Katherine Watson...
[has known Margaret several years, honest woman, well beloved & good repute etc]
... on Satturday next before Christmas-day last past she this dept was in St Andrew-gate within the citty of Yorke when and where the arte Margarett Pape & Elizabeth Sellar were scowlding together & she says that the sd Elizabeth Sellar did then & there call the arte Margaret pape Scotch bitch & firebrand whore severall times in the open street there being then by & present this dept & her precontests...
[2]
... about two monthes agoe ... she this dept was washing at the arte Elizabeth Sellar's house in St Andrew-gate Yorke when and where she heard the arte Ann Barker tell the sd Elizabeth Sellar that she had nothing to say against her in this cause and yt she was not in the street nor heard any words pass between the arte Elizabeth Sellar & Margaret Pape... when the words lilate were pretended to be spoken and that she did not know any such scandalous & diffamatory words...
... the arte Katherine Watson was an apprentice to this dept putt to him by the citty of Yorke & he sayes yt she was & is a very poore indigent pson of noe repute amongst her neighbours of very bad and wicked life and conversacon~ very much given to swearing and cuseing and such an one (as this dept verily beleives) as might easily be prevailed with to depose an untruth ...And he further saith yt she the sd Catherine Watson did run away from his this depts service two severall times and yt he verily beleives yt she did filsh and steale severall things from this dept while she lived with him, and that she now leads a very lewd and wicked life & has noe settled habitacon~ but keeps very scandalous and bad company...
... the arte Katherine Watson was an apprentice to this dept's husband and lived with him & this dept for abt two yeares and an halfe and she sayes that she was and is a pson of most wicked life & conversacon~ much given to sweareing & curseing and very poore & indigent of noe credit or repute and such an one (as this dept verily beleives) as might be prevailed with to depose an untruth...she further saith yt she ran away twice from her sd apprenticeship and yt she is a very lyeing and cheateing pson and she beleives that she cheated this dept & her husband of severall things...
... this dept has been acquainted with the arte Merrill Hellins and Katherine Watson for many yeares... yt they both are of very ill repute, of loose wicked and very bad lives and that the sd Merill Hollins and Katherine Watson were both guilty of stealeing of some small penes? of linen from Overton? & yt there was a warrt issued out agt them for that purpose & the sd linnen was found abt her the sd Merrill Hollings & she further saith yt the sd Hollins was sett in the stocks at Clifton for stealeing some linnen from Mr Belson and others, and that both the sd Hollins and Watson are very badly and suspiciously talked of and of most scandalous lives and lewd conversacons~ and such (as this dept verily beleives) might be easily prevailed with to depose an untruth...
... this exte has known the arte Merrill Hollins, Catherine Watson & Anne Barker for severall years last past & she says & deposeth that they are persons of very bad life & conversacon poor & indigent & of little or no repute amongst their neighbours, and all of them guilty of stealing Peascods? and that Merrill Hollings is downe lying of a basterd child - and this dept further saith that she heard the said Merrill Hollings say & declare that she had forsworn herselfe in this cause against Elizabeth Sellar and that her mother made her doe so...
... this dept has known the arte Merrill Hollins for abt these five or six years last past & the arte Katherine Watson for abt twelve years and this dept says & deposeth that they are persons of very bad lives & conversacons, poor, indigent people and of little credit or repute amongst their neighbours for that the said Merrill Hollins is now bigg with child and has declared that one Thomas Harrison a butcher is the father & that the sd Catherine Watson is a woman much given to swearing & cursing & guilty of stealing pease; and for and as such they are comonly~ held and reputed within the pish & places where they live...
[3]
... this dept has known the arte Katherine Watson from her youth and she sayes that she has been and is of very good life and conversacon~ a very honest laborious girle, not poore or indigent but maintaines herself very hansomely by her honest endeavores and she verily beleives that she the said Katherine Watson is such an on as could not be prevailed with to forsweare herselfe in this or any other cause...
... that the arte Ann Winsley & Alice Jefferson are psons of very meane credit of loose lives and conversacons~ and very poore indigent psons and guilty of severall crimes & misdemeanores as this dept has heard & beleives...
... this dept knows the arte Katherine Watson and Anne Barker and she sayes that they are psons of very good credit and repute and that the sd Katherine Watson is a very civil laborious girle and mainetaines herselfe very hansomely and credibly and the sd Ann Barker has been neare neighbour to this dept severall yeares and demeaned herselfe very well for all the sd time & was very well accompted of and esteemed amongst her neighbours & she sayes that she verily beleives that neither of them could or wo'd be prevailed with to forsweare themselves in this or any other cause...
... the arte Ann Winsley is a pson of very meane credit of little or noe sense and of loose life and conversacon and might easily be prevailed with to say or sweare any thing as this dept verily beleives and is not capable of an oath and as for the sd Alice Jefferson she is a very lewd and scandalous woman, has had severall bastards and is a drunken idle pson of noe credit or repute of very bad esteeme amongst her neighbours...
... she knows the arte Anne Barker very well and lived next doore enighbour to her for severall yeares and she sayes that she's a very honest poore woman come of a good family and of good life and conversacon~ & soe accompted, And shee verily beleives that she wod not doe an ill thing nor be prevailed with to depose an untruth in this or any other caus....
... this dept knows the arte Ann Winsley and Alice Jefferson and she sayes that they are poore indigent psons of bad lives and conversacons~ and of meane credit and repute amongst their neighbours and soe accompted...