Wm Strahan doctor of laws and through the whole archdeaconry of Colchester official lawfully appointed to our beloved in christ the rev Edw Creffield Jas Brome and Edm Massey clerks in the county of Essex jointly and severally greeting whereas the rev Nath Ball clerk our lawful surrogate in a certain cause of bringing in exhibiting and leaving in the registry of the said archdeaconry the last will and testament of Martha Fletcher late of Earls Colne in the county of Essex widow deceased and of accepting or renouncing the execution thereof or of showing cause why letters of administration with the said will annexed should not be granted and committed in due form of law unto Benj Moses and Math Fletcher and Eliz Abbott widow the natural and lawful children of the said deceased and legatees named in the said will or such of them as should be approved of by the court and also of bringing in exhibiting and leaving in the said registry a true and perfect inventory of the goods chattels and credits of the said deceased upon oath promoted by the said children and legatees against Solomon Grimston gent the sole executor named in the said will and possession of the goods chattels and credits of the said deceased rightly and duly proceeding did at the petition of the proctor of the said Solomon Grimston decree a commission to issue forth to swear the said Solomon Grimston as well to the truth of the said will as to the faithful performance thereof and also to and concerning the truth of his declaration instead of an inventory of the goods chattels and credits of the said deceased respectively hereunto annexed and that the power hereunder written be committed and granted unto you jointly and severally in manner and form following justice so requiring we do therefore by these presents grant unto you jointly and severally full power and authority to receive admit and duly swear the said Solomon Grimston as well to the truth of the said will as to the faithful performance thereof and also to and concerning the truth of the declaration instead of an inventory aforesaid respectively hereunto annexed and that the said declaration contained true and perfect declaration of all and singular the goods chattels and credits of the said deceased which since her death have come to his hands possession or knowledge you assuming the principal register of our said court or his deputy or some other faithful and legal notary public indifferent to the aforesaid parties as and for your register and actuary in this behalf and generally to do perform and dispatch all and singular other acts matters and things requisite and necessary to be done in or about the premises hereby charging and enjoining you the aforesaid oaths being first received and taken that you do duly transmit to our surrogate or some other competent judge in this behalf on or before the 30.6. the said will and declaration instead of an inventory and the whole proceedings had and sped thereon authentically and closely sealed together with these presents given the 8.6.1745 M Lucas deputy register