An Act to Enable the Commissary Generall to enter and record
amongst the records of his office the last Will and Testament of
Henry Staples Deceased for the purposes therein mentioned.
Whereas Samuel Thomas and Stephen Glanville of Kent County
by their humble petition to this Generall Assembly have set forth
that they are Interested in and Seized of some Lands lying in the
said County which are held by rights Derived from a certain Anne
Staples of the same County Deceased and formerly Wife of Henry
Staples Deceased which said Henry in or about the year Sixteen hun-
dred and Eighty Six made his last will and Testament and thereby
Devised the same Lands to the said Anne and Constituted her thereof
Sole Executrix and Deed That the same Will either by Embezlement
or accident is lost neither the original being to be found in the Com-
missarys Office nor any record thereof in the same That Notwith-
standing there is a Copy of the said Will in being Signed and
attested by a certain Wm Taylard then register of the Commissarys
office annexed to Letters Testamentary granted to the afd Anne
Staples by Henry Darnall and Clement Hill Esquires then Judges
for Probate of wills within this Province whereby it appears the
Will afd was proved in common form That unless the Loss thereof
was by some means repaired the petitioners would be great Sufferers
having paid large considerations for the said Lands Wherefore they
humbly pray an Act may pass for Supplying the Loss of the afd Will
and forasmuch as it appears that the Allegations set forth in the said
petition are true Be it therefore Enacted by the right Honourable
the Lord Proprietarie by and with the advice and consent of his
Lordships Governour and the upper and Lower Houses of Assembly
and the authority of the same that the Commissary Generall of this
Province shall and is hereby required on the request and application
of the Petitioners or either of them within three months after the
end of this Session of Assembly to enter and record among the
records of his office the will of the afd Henry Staples from the Copy
Signed and attested by the afd William Taylard & that the said record
& the Copy of the Will afd under the hand of the said Wm Taylard
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