What begins as a routine clerical appointment in the parish of Bushey quickly unravels into a layered tale of death, guardianship, and inheritance—spanning from the Parish hamlet of Bushey to the town of Pockenhamdrift. At the heart of it all? Francesca Babb, her deceased daughter Anna, and a minor heir named Robert, who was recognized as an adult at the age of 7!!

In this post, I walk through a pair of 1693 Latin records from the Archdeaconry of St Albans—transcribed, translated, and decoded—to reveal a story of ecclesiastical authority, family succession, and the legal limbo of a child heir. Along the way, we meet a cast of rectors, patrons, widows, and notaries, all caught in the machinery of early modern church law.

This document comprises a four-part ecclesiastical and legal record from October and November 1693, centered around the induction of a new Rector for Bushey and the guardianship and estate administration of Robert Babb, a minor. (Robertus in Latin)

It includes clerical appointments, succession of benefices, and legal guardianship proceedings following the death of Francesca Babb. The document reflects the legal and religious practices of the Archdeaconry of St Albans in the late 17th century. Transcription took almost a week due to the poor penmanship of the author and occurrence of localized Latin dialects. Due to the transcription difficulties, parts of this are still in a tangle. There is more to come in my next post!

Formal Transcription (Latin & Early Modern English)

Mense Octobris 1693
Inductio ad Rectoriam de Bushey

Concessio septimo die mensis Augusti, etc.
Emorabitur inductio universis et singulis rectoribus
vicariis et clericis ministris per totum Archidiaconatum
Sancti Albani. Salutem in Domino
Nos, Archidiaconus Sancti Albani, divina permittente gratia
inducimus Richardum Smith, clericum institutum
ad rectoriam de Bushey in comitatu Hertfordiensi
ad presentationem Rogerii Eather, patroni eiusdem ecclesiae
et concessionem ad possessionem eiusdem

Venerabilis viri Gulielmi Nicoll, clerici, ultimi in manibus.
Iam obtentum est ad quem per Richardum
Smith de Hemel Hempstead est compositus et discessit
Clericus vocatus pro patrono eiusdem
Obitus defuncti Smith, vocatus Pokonimdruf

Rectoris ego
Ipsissimo secundo die mensis Novembris Anno Domini 1693 forma ventris viro
Georgio Bramsston, locum Domini sui suscepit, una cum Roberto Browne, testibus publicis
negotiis. assignatio curam ad locos Roberto Babb, minori Nepoti, filiis. Quo die committitur Anna,
Roberti Babb et Francesca Babb, meæ de Bures Sancti Albani in comitatu Hertfordiensi. Houston, meo Johanni

Houston, in Aldgate, dictam Francesca Babb
ad 12 die Julii ab initiostat(e)
deceased, existentem Lidnam Rollington, postea
Robertum Babb, eius nepotem et filios, et uxorem, successerunt
ad directionem Robertum in minori in aetate, restitutus fuit, fuit heres nondum
septimum aetatis in annum attigisse, sic fuit, et eo maturitate naturatus
officium desiit minoris curae, fuit semel curam et officio directo minori
ad omnem juris officium assignaverunt, unde domino ad omne proficuum
dominus fuit, pro ut postea dicta Anna Houston, anno praedicto
non fuit ex testament

Ita testor, Robertus Browne, Notarius Publicus.

Mense Novembris 1693

Francisca Babb ordinario secundo die Eint Cong o
Anna Hewston upori Johannis Hewsston manu
et per affinitatem testimonio assignata Roberto Babb minori
nexofi ex filis Aximno consanguineo
Nepoti ex filis, consanguineo Francescae
Babb, de oppido Sancti Albani in comitatu Hertfordiensi.
Vidua defuncta ad administrationem bonorum, jurium et
creditorum ejusdem defunctae durante minoritate,
missum est ad beneficia minoris de bene et ex. jurat.

Robertus Babb, ordinario secundo die Novembris concessus est cum Anna Hewston
(uxore Johannis Hewston), matri et curatrici eidem assignatae,
Roberto Babb, minori, nepoti ex filia Franciscae Babb, defunctae.
Nos non admisimus [petitionem] [curationis] [vel aliam actionem] concordatam.
Post mortem dictae Franciscae, dum vixit haeres et legataria testamento nominata,
Roberti Babb, minoris, die [blank] apud Oppidum Sancti Albani,
concessa est administratio bonorum, jurium et creditorum dictae defunctae
juxta tenorem et formam testamenti ipsius defunctae,
quae prius administrata fuerant per dictam Franciscam Babb,
olim curatricem dicti Roberti, durante minori aetate eiusdem,
et in usus ac beneficium praefati minoris.
Concessa est administratio de bonis non, &c. Juratus.

[Left Margin] In probat viro mense Julii 1685

Modern English Translation

October 1693
Induction to the Rectory of Bushey
Granted on the seventh day of August, etc.
Let it be known to all rectors, vicars, and clerical ministers throughout the Archdeaconry of St Albans: Greetings in the Lord.
We, the Archdeacon of St Albans, by divine permission, induct Richard Smith, a cleric, to the rectory of Bushey in Hertfordshire, upon the presentation of Roger Eather, patron of the same church, and grant him possession thereof.

Of the venerable man William Nicoll, cleric, the last incumbent. Now obtained, to whom Richard Smith of Hemel Hempstead was appointed and has taken leave. A cleric called on behalf of the same patron. The death of the late Smith, of Pockenhamdrift.

I, the rector, on the second day of November 1693, in the presence of George Bramsston, acting in place of his lord, together with Robert Browne, public notary to these affairs. The guardianship was assigned to Robert Babb, a minor nephew. On which day, Anna, of Robert and Francesca Babb, of Bures, St Albans, Hertfordshire, was committed. Houston, my associate John Houston of Aldgate, noted that Francesca Babb, deceased as of July 12, formerly known as Lidnam Rollington, was succeeded by Robert Babb, her nephew and sons, and wife. Under the direction of Robert during his minority, he was restored as heir, not yet having reached the age of seven, and thus was naturally underage. The office of guardianship ceased, having once been directed and assigned to the minor, and all legal duties were assigned, from which the lord received all benefit. As later stated, Anna Houston, in the aforesaid year, was not named in the will.

November 1693
Francesca Babb, on the second day… Anna Hewston, wife of John Hewston, by hand and affinity, was assigned as witness and guardian to Robert Babb, a minor, grandson through her daughter, and kinsman of Francesca Babb of St Albans, Hertfordshire. The deceased widow was granted administration of the goods, rights, and credits of the same deceased during the minority of the heir, for the benefit of the minor, having sworn an oath. On the second day of November, administration was granted to Robert Babb, with Anna Hewston (wife of John Hewston), mother and guardian assigned to him, Robert Babb, minor, grandson through the daughter of the deceased Francesca Babb. We did not admit the petition for guardianship or any other agreed action. After the death of the said Francesca, while she lived, she was heir and legatee named in the will of Robert Babb, the minor, on the [blank] day at the town of St Albans. Administration of the goods, rights, and credits of the said deceased was granted according to the tenor and form of her will, which had previously been administered by the said Francesca Babb, formerly guardian of the said Robert during his minority, and for the use and benefit of the said minor. Administration de bonis non was granted. Sworn.

Glossary of Terms

• Inductio: Formal ecclesiastical installation of a cleric into a benefice or rectory.
• Rectoria: A rectory; the office or benefice of a rector, often including associated property.
• Comitatus: County or shire; a territorial division.
• Presentation (ad presentationem): The act of nominating a cleric to a benefice by a patron.
• Patronus: A lay or ecclesiastical person with the right to present a cleric to a benefice.
• Clericus: A cleric or clergyman; someone in holy orders.
• Institutum: Official appointment or institution of a cleric to a benefice.
• Possessio: Legal possession or occupancy of a benefice or property.
• Forma ventris: Legal phrase indicating inheritance or guardianship through maternal descent.
• Curator / Curatrix: Guardian or custodian, especially of a minor or their estate.
• De bonis non: Administration of goods not yet administered by a previous executor or administrator.

Report of People’s Names

• Francesca Babb: Grandmother / Former Guardian
• Robert Babb (Senior): Possible Grandfather or Father
• Anna Houston: Mother of Robert, the minor who has since remarried to John Houston
• Thomas Babb: (not listed in this document) Father of Robert, the minor.
• John Houston: Step-father of Robert, the minor
• Richard Smith: Cleric / Possibly Legal Witness
• William Nicoll: Former Rector
• George Bramsston: Ecclesiastical Official
• Robert Browne: Public Notary / Witness
• Roger Eather: Patron of Bushey Church
• Lidnam Rollington: Believed to be Lydia or Linda Rollington

Report of Place Names

• Bushey, Hertfordshire – In and around Watford.
• Hemel Hempstead
• Pockenhamdrift (believed to have been near Bushey
• Bures, St Albans
• Aldgate, London
• Town of St Albans
• Archdeaconry of St Albans

Citation

“Buckinghamshire, England records,” images, FamilySearch (https:// http://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSNH-QS4B-2?view=fullText : Jul 6, 2025), image 230 of 716; Church of England. Archdeaconry of Huntingdon. Hitchin Division. Court, Church of England. Archdeaconry of St. Albans. Court. Image Group Number: 008072099 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSNH-QS4B-2?view=fullText