Reference: CP.H.3145 , CP.H.3023
Related cases: CP.H.2909, CP.H.2923A
Year: 1673
Plaintiff: female
Defendant: female
Defamatory words:
she was a whoore, an arrant whoore, a baggish whoore, and an abominable whoore; bid her fetch home her bastards
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:
...she this exte hath lived in house as servant to the arte Thomas Coates and Martha Coates ever since Martinmas last past, and saith yt they the said Thomas and Martha have ever since that time lived together as man & wife, And that for all the said time the said Martha Coates hath been and still is accompted & reputed to be an honest woman & of good life & honest conversacon~, and never diffamed wth any crime...
...upon a ffryday betwixt Midsumer~ & Lamas~ last past... she this exte was then sitting in this extes maisters shop scituate in Thursday markett wthin the citty of York where the arte Martha Coates this extes dame then also was, and the arte Elizabeth Ashton then standing at Mrs Bensons doore scituate also in Thursday markett & wthin the pish of St Sampsons arte, she this exte very well remembers that the said Elizabeth Ashton spoke to the said Martha Coates then and there in the hearing of this exte and said unto her Thou art a beggarly whoore, a broken butcherly whoore which words the said Elizabeth spoke then severall times over & reiterated the same, At the speaking of which words was by & present one Nicholas Nixon...
...that by reason of speaking of the words predeposed the good name & fame of the arte Martha Coates is impaired amongst her neighbours as she verily beleives...
... upon a Sunday betwixt Midsumer~ & Lamas~ last past the more certaine time this exte doth not now remember, she this exte was standing at Mrs Bensons doore (this extes mrs) scituate in Thursday markett in the citty of York, and this exte then observed the arte Elizabeth Ashton and Martha Coates to stand at their husbands doores scituate also in Thursday markett & wthin the pish of St Sampsons, and she this exte hearing them the said Ashton & Coates to talke somewhat loud to one another she went and stood beside the said Martha Coates and then very well heard the arlate Elizabeth Ashton speake to the arlate Martha Coates and say to her thou art a whoore at the speaking of which words were by and present Mr James Lee and Grace Johnson and John Salmon who did or might heare the said words, And this Exte further saith that upon ffryday next preceeding the Sunday predeposed, the arlate Elizabeth Ashton was at the shop of William Wandby next doore to the house of Thomas Coates in whose shop the said Martha then was ..., she this exte was then in her said mistresses shop neare to them, and saith also that she this exte very well heard the arlate Elizabeth Ashton thenand there also speake to the arte Martha Coates and say to her Thou art a broken butcherly queane at the speakeing of which words was present Ann Woodwart who then was in the same shop wth the said Martha...
...upon a Sunday in the afternoone either next before or next after the Assizes last holden at York the more certaine time this exte doth not now remember, she this exte was standing at her husbands doore scituate in Thursday market wthin the citty of York neare to the house of Thomas Ashton husband of the arte Elizabeth Ashton scituate also in Thursday markett... at whose doore the said Elizabeth Ashton then was, she this exte then very well heard the said Elizabeth Ashton speake to the arte Martha Coates who was then in her husbands shop neare to the house of the said Thomas Ashton and say to her Thou art an impudent shoore and a brazen faced whoore, at the speaking of which words were by & present severall psons which this exte cannot now pticulerly name save Clare then & now maid servant to Mr Simpson who lives in Thursday markett...
... for a yeare & more ... Sarah Hadson... hath lived very neare where this exte lived wherefore this exte is certaine to depose that during that time she hath been of this extes knowledge a woman of very light & unhandsome carryage & much frequented the company of souldiers in very unbefitting & secret places and during the same time has been & is a woman of bad fame & repute amongst her neighbours & such an one as this exte would scarcely trust in any respect what ever...
...since the beginning of this suit this exte being in company of Martha Coates at her husbands shopp situate in thursday market she the said Martha spoke to Sarah Hudson then passing by & told her she beleived she was to be a witnes for Elizabeth Ashton & bid her be carefull to speak nothing but truth whereupon the said Sarah Hudson shortly after came to the said shopp doore and enquired of the said Martha what she had then lately said to her, which the said Martha repeating the said Sarah replyed that she had nothing to say against her for that she was comeing down the sataires when her dame the said Ashton & the said Coates were scolding but when she heard the noyse she immediately went uppe againe for feare she should be made a witness & that she heard her the sd Coates speake noe scandalous words agt the said Ashton which words she spoke & declared in the presence of this exte the said Martha Coates Thomas Coates her husband & severall others who heard or well might have the same...
...this exte for three yeares last past hath well known Marke Knagge in this Article mentoned~ to be as yet he is A man of noe reputacon~ credit or esteem amongst his neighbours but of very ill fame & of a cicious lewd & loose life & conversacon~ & generally has a very badd report, & this exte hath heard his the said Knagg master Anthony Harland... say that he durst not trust him the said Knagge when he was his Apprentice for he had wronged him & he was afraid & suspected that if he should trust him with any of his goods he would sell or otherwise imbessle them away... he thinks he ought not to be trusted in any case whatever...
... in this extes judgmt noe credit is to be given to the deposicon~ of Sarah Hudson in this article named for that she was servant to Elizabeth Ashton arlate and during the time this exte hath known her wch is about Twelve monthes last past she has been as yet she is a woman of noe credit or esteem but of a vicious & lewd life & conversacon~ & of very bad fame & reputacon~ amongst her neighbours which this exte is the better enabled to depose for of this extes knowledge she frequently used very obscene lascivious & bawdy discourse much unbefitting a modest woman & had a very light carryage in company and frequently in the evenings in secret suspicious & unbefitting places in very unbeseeming manner kept company with soldiers & other idle & vagrant psons, persons of very bad report & esteem...
... soon after this suite was begunne this exte leaning over his own shopp ?board wch shop is situate in Thursday market neare where both the ptyes litigant dwell Sarah Hudson... came to & asked this exte what the matter was betwixt her Master & Martha Coates & being asked by this exte then & there told him this exte very seriously severall times & protested that she knew nothing of the quarrell which lately had been between her master & Martha Coates & that she did not heare any words that passed betwixt those two & that she neither knew nor heard that the said Martha Coates speake any scandalous or diffamatory words against the said Thomas Ashton her master or the arlate Elizabeth Ashton her dame...
...he this Examinate hath lived in the citty of York and kept shop in the said Citty for these severall yeares and that the arte Marke Knagge was bound as Apprentice to this exte to serve him seaven yeares And that dureing all the time which the said Marke Knagge lived wth this exte which was for about foure years & upwards of the said seaven yeares for which he was bound, he this exte often tooke the said Knagge in ??vu?rnethe?? and found that he was soe much given to lying that he durst not trust him about his this extes business and more especially this exte having sent the said Knagge wth some worke to one Mr dickinson's house who then lived in Coppergate he this exte afterwards found that the said Knagge had reaceaved of the said Mr dickinson for the said worke he carryed more by ten pense than he accompted to this examinate or his wife for the same, And also that once dureing the said time he lived wth this exte he this exte suffered him the said Knagge to carry a letter from Mrs Calvert to the Lady Caryes at Mounceton? at whose house the servants there having set out some meat to him wth which there was a silver spoone, the said Marke Knagg tooke & brought away the same to York wth him and offered the same to Mrs Booth to be sold, but afterwards the said lady Caryes Maid servant comeing to York and chargeing the said Knagge wth the takeing of the spoone he utterly denyed it , although afterwards the said Mrs Booth got the Belman to cry the said spoone, which the said Lady Caryes Maid hearing of went & challenged the same by showing another of the same sort though the marke set upon the said spoone was knocked out by the said Marke Knagge as he afterwards confessed And this exte also saith that dureing the time he lived wth him, he the said Knagge was seeming addicted to swearing & lying that he durst not trust him about any of his business or concernes for by his swearing lying & cheating he had almost set away all this extes customers who threatened to send their worke to some other pson rather than have come about their houses soe that this exte was forced to turne him away out of his apprentiship two yeares before the expiracon~ thereof, wthout receaving one farthing for the damage he did him or for the loss of his service during that time he had to serve...
...the arte Marke Knagge was bound apprentice to her husband for the space of seaven yeares and that the said Marke Knagge was so loose & wicked in his life & conversacon~ that neither she this exte nor her husband durst trust him in the house or shop by himselfe or send him to any pson about any business concerning their Trade for that he would and did cheat & wrong both his mr and this exte, and other people would not suffer him to come about their houses but taxed? him with and threatened him for severall things as silver spoones & other such things which they wanted and imagined he the said Knagge had got, and that when this extes husband sent the said Marke Knagge with any worke home, he the said Knagge would seldome pay soe much to his said mr or this exte as he had receaved for the worke, but would keep some part thereof to himselfe, and more especially this exte well remembers that the said Knagge carryed three sho[e?then end of this word & 1 more i think smudged] to one of Mr Mayes servants for wch he received xvii d. and that he paid this exte noe more then five pence for the same, which trick or cheat she this exte well remembers the said Knagge used severall times, insomuch that this extes husband was forced to turne him away two yeares & a halfe before his seaven yeares were expired...