sworn in reply to articles of 21.6.1639 before me R Wandesford the several answer of Rich Harlakenden esq one of the defendants to the information of sir Rowl Wandesford knight his majesties attorney of his highnesses court of wards and liverys performed# on behalf of the right honourable Aubery de Vere earl of Oxford his majesties ward complainant the said defendant saving to himself all advantages of exception to the incertainty and insufficiency of the said information for answer to so much thereof as concerneth him the said defendant to make answer unto he answereth and saith that he this defendant is lawfully seised as he hopeth to prove of and in all the manor or lordship of Earls Colne in Earls Colne in the county of Essex and of and in all that manor or lordship of Colne Priory in Earls Colne aforesaid with the rights members and appurtenances thereunto belonging and of divers other lands in Earls Colne aforesaid but this defendant doth deny that he doth hold the manors lands and premises or any of them or any part thereof to his knowledge of the said Aubery de Vere earl of Oxford or that he or any of his ancestors or any person under whom he claimeth to his knowledge did ever hold the same of any of the earls of Oxford in the said information mentioned or that any of the said manors lands and premises or any part thereof were ever holden of the right honourable Jn earl of Oxford in the information mentioned by one or more knights fee or any part of a knights fee or otherwise to this defendant's knowledge for this defendant saith that as he hopeth to prove that the said manors lands and premises are holden of his majesty by knights service in capite and this defendant further saith that as he is informed by his counsel if any of the said manors lands and tenements were ever heretofore holden of the said Jn earl of Oxford or of Edw late earl of Oxford by from or under whom the said Aubery de Vere doth claim they cannot and are not now holden of the said Aubery de Vere earl of Oxford his majesties ward as by from or under any of the said earls of Oxford for that the said Jn earl of Oxford and the said Edw de Vere earl of Oxford or one of them was seised of the said lands manors and premises in his or their demesne as of fee or of some other estate of inheritance and so by virtue of possession the said tenure is by law extinguished if any such tenure were and the said defendant doth deny that to his knowledge he or any person under whom he claimeth to hold any lands tenements or hereditaments of the said Aubery earl of Oxford or of any of the earls of Oxford in the said information mentioned by knights service or any part of a knights fee and doth deny that to his knowledge the said Jn earl of Oxford was ever seised of any knights fee in Earls Colne aforesaid or in any other towns and places in the said information mentioned or that the said Jn earl of Oxford did to this defendant's knowledge covenant to stand seised of the knights fee or any of them in the information mentioned to any such use or uses of the person or persons or of any of them in the said information mentioned or that from or after the decease of the said Jn earl of Oxford the said knights fees or part of knights fees did remain and come to the said Edw late earl of Oxford and from and after the decease of the said Edw earl of Oxford to Hen de Vere earl of Oxford or from or after the decease of the said Hen earl of Oxford to Robt de Vere earl of Oxford or from or after his decease to the said Aubery de Vere earl of Oxford as in the said information is alleged or otherwise or that any of the said earls of Oxford were at any time seised of the said knights fee or part of knights fees or of any of them to this defendant's knowledge and this defendant knoweth not that by the inquisition in the said information mentioned or otherwise his majesty is entitled to the rents and profits of the said knights fees or part of knights fees or any of them and this defendant doth deny that to his knowledge he hath or ever hath had in his hands custody or possession any letters patents charters evidences deed of entail copy of court roll copy of manor court roll or writing whatsoever touching or concerning the said knights fee part of knights fees or any of them and that he hath entered or intruded in or upon the premises or any part thereof and the profits thereof has wrongfully taken or converted to his own use or doth conceal or endeavour to conceal the same or hath made to himself or others any secret or fraudulent estate or any estate of the same or of any part thereof or doth conceal or endeavour to conceal the tenure or tenures thereof as in the said information is mentioned without that that any other matter clause or thing material or effectual in the law to be answered by this defendant etc Jn Joscelin Ra Darnall