COUNTY COURT PROCEEDINGS
                     TALBOT COUNTY
     Liber BR No. 2 contains the court proceedings from April, 1662, onward. Ap- Liber BR
   parently Clerk Thomas Vaughan put this liber in service about 1663 and entered No. 2
   the court minutes in it while he held office. His successor, Clerk William Hemsiey,
   continued the record. He also transcribed into it the earlier court minutes kept
   by Clerk John Morgan in 1662 and 1663, which were probably in a much smaller
   book. These copied minutes of Morgan are so brief as to rouse the suspicion that
   Hemsley curtailed the record to make it fit the available space in his liber.
     The liber now contains 297 pages of court proceedings, 137 pages of segregated
   land records, and 12 pages of vital records. The land records are omitted from this
   publication. For the most part this material represents the clerkship of William
   Hemsley. The regular court minutes were continued by him from his accession
   until the court of March, 1674, and two minor record items were added by him
   in 1675. The land records were made in 1673, in his time, although not by his hand.
   The vital records were begun by him in 1669 and received additions up to the
   time of his close of service about 1681. After his service ended, the record was
   extended by his successors until 1691.


     Caecilius Absolute Lord And Propriatary of the Province of [p. 1] (*)
   Maryland and Avalon Lord Barron of Baltemore &c; To Richard
   Woleman William Coursey Philemon Lloyd Thomas South Seth
   Foster Thomas Hynson Phi: Steeuenson James Ringold William
   Hambleton Jonathan Sibery Rich Gorsuch Edward Roe and John
   Welles Gent Know Yee that wee for the greate trust and Confidence
   that we haue in yor Fidelityes Circomspections provedences and
   Wisdoms haue Constituted Ordaned and Apointed and by these
   presents doe Constitute Ordaine and Apointe you the Said Rich:
   Woleman William Coursey Philemon Lloyd Jho: South Thomas
   Hynson Seth Foster Philipe Steeuenson James Ringold William
   Hamblton J ona: Sibery Richard Gorsuch Edward Roe and John
   Wells Gent Comissc Joyntly and Seuerally to keepe the Peace in
   Talbot County in the said Province and to keepe And Cause to be
   kept all Laws & Orders made for the good & Conservacon of the
   Peace and for the quiett Rule & Gouermt of the people in all & Euery
   of the Articles of the same and to Chastise and Punnish all persons
   Offendinge againste the forme of Any the Laws and Orders of this
   Our Province Or Any of them in Talbot County afore said as Ac
   cording to the forme of the said Laws and Orders shalbe fitt to be

     * This commission and accompanying documents are recorded by Clerk William
   Hemsley, who makes brief mention of the commission on page 158 of the liber
   record.




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