Francis Fox v. Barbara Allen, court of common pleas, 1607

[Barbara Allen, a widow, agreed to pay Francis Fox £200 to secure Francis’s marriage to Mary, Barbara’s daughter]

Derbyshire. Francis Fox by his attorney presents himself on the fourth day against Barbara Allen lately of Woodhouse in the abovesaid county widow concerning a plea why the same Barbara, in consideration that the abovesaid Francis would take to wife a certain Mary daughter of the same Barbara and want to espouse her according to the ecclesiastical law of the now lord king’s realm of England, undertook on herself and faithfully promised the same Francis that she the same Barbara wanted well and faithfully to pay and content £200 to the same Francis when she should be required thereof,

[Francis married Mary]

and, although the same Francis took to wife the same Mary afterwards, scilt., on May 26 in the year of the reign of the now lord king of England, France, and Ireland the 3^rd and of Scotland the 38^th [1605], and espoused her according to the ecclesiastical law of the said lord king’s realm of England,

[but Barbara did not pay]

nevertheless, the abovesaid Barbara not at all caring for her abovesaid promise and undertaking but scheming and fraudulently intending hotly and deceitfully to deceive and defraud the same Francis in this part still has not rendered to the same Francis the abovesaid £200 but refused to render them to him to this time and still refuses, to the damage of that Francis of £200 etc.

[sicut pluries capias order to compel Barbara to appear]

And she did not come. And as before the sheriff had been ordered to arrest her etc. And the sheriff now sends that she was not found etc., therefore as before let her be arrested that she be here at the third week after Holy Trinity etc.