Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1636-1647. 61

within the County of S^t Maries giving you hereby full and
absolute power and authority to doe exercise and exequute all
the same and the like act and acts thing and things power and
powers as may be or vsually are exercised and exequuted by
any Justice of Peace in England by vertue of his Commission
for the peace; and further we doe hereby authorise you to
take and record recognisances in all causes betweene partie
and partie and the same recognisance to be of as full force to
all intents & purposes as if it had beene taken and recorded
before any Judge of record in England. And further we doe
hereby authorise appoint and assigne you to be o^r Com^r in
causes testamentary, to prove the last wills and testaments of
persons deceased, and to grant admraon of the estates of per-
sons dying intestate within our said Province, and to take
inventaries and accompts and the same to record, and to give
discharges therevpon; and to minister an oath to any person
or persons witnesse or witnesses exequutors or admrators as
often as there shalbe cause : and finally to doe all other things
w^ch shalbe necessary for the exequution of the power & iuris-
diction in any the premises committed vnto you. Given at
S^t Maries this foure and twentieth day of January 1637
witnesse Leonard Calvert &c.

Liber Z.
L. O. R.

No. 2.

Commission of Sheriff to James Baldridge

Cecilius Lord Proprietor to our trusty James Baldridge,
greeting, wee reposing especiall trust & confidence in your
ability and experience, have constituted and authorised, and
doe hereby constitute, authorise, and appoint you to be Sheriff
and coroner of the County of S^t maries vntill we shall signifie
our pleasure to the contrary, giving you hereby full power and
neverthelesse straitly inioining and commanding you to doe
all and every thing and things w^ch vnto the office of a sheriff
and coroner of any County in England doe or may belong.
Given at S^t maries this 29^th January 1637 witnesse Leonard
Calvert Leiutenant grall

p. 22

This day came before me James Baldridge, and acknow-
ledgeth himselfe to owe vnto the Lord Proprietor one thou-
sand pound weight of good merchantable tobacco to be paid
vnto the said Lord Proprieto^r his heires or assignes. &c.
The condition of this Recognisance is such that if the
within bounden James Baldridge shall well and duely
exequute the office of sheriff to him committed, & shall
exequute all writts and warrants to him directed so far
forth as he may, then this recognisance to be void; or
els to stand in full force and vertue
James Baldridge
Recogn^t coram me
John Lewger Secretary.

p. 23