Wm Clay of Great Coggeshall in the county of Essex fellmonger son of Wm Clay of Coggeshall Hamlet of the same county and trade and Eliz Bale widow of Jn Bale deceased of Great Coggeshall in Essex woolcomber having declared their intentions of taking each other in marriage before several public meetings of the people of god called quakers in the parishes of Halsted and Coggeshall in Essex according to the good order used among them whose proceedings therein after a deliberate consideration thereof with regard unto the righteous law of god and examples of his people recorded in the scriptures of truth were approved of by the said meetings the (sic) appearing clear of all others and having consent of parents and relations concerned now there are to certify all whom it may concern that for the full accomplishing of their said intentions this 1.1.1706 they the said Wm Clay and Eliz Bale appeared in a public assembly of the aforesaid people and others met together in their public meeting place at Coggeshall in Essex and in a solemn manner he the said Wm Clay taking the said Eliz Bale by the hand did openly declare as followeth friends I desire you to be my witnesses that I take this my most esteemed friend Eliz Bale to be my wife promising through god's assistance to be unto her a loving and faithful husband till it shall please the lord to separate us by death and then and there in the said assembly the said Eliz Bale did in like manner declare as followeth friends I desire you to be my witnesses that I take this my friend Wm Clay to be my husban d promising through the lord's assistance to be unto him a loving and faithful wife till it shall please the lord to separate us by death and the said Wm Clay and Eliz Bale as a further confirmation thereof did then and there to these presents set their hands and we whose names are hereunto subscribed being present among others at the solemnizing of their said marriage and subscription in manner aforesaid as witnesses hereunto have also to these presents subscribed our names the day and year above written Wm Clay Eliz Bale Mary Fry Dorothy Mast Dorothy Makepeace Eliz Bell Susanna Bagley Susanna Raven Sarah Bragg Martha Dobber Hannah Turner Wm Mast Robt Purcass Wm Ludgater jun Robt Ludgater jun Hannah Ludgater Ann Beckwith Mary Browning Anna Burnet Mary Perry Jn Perry Thos Turner Math Dello Joseph Townsend Abrm Makepeace Sam Drywood Sam Cooper Edw Miller Edw Davey Joseph Mast Jas Potter Wm Cook relations Eliz Evens Robt Ludgater Jn Ludgater Robt Evens Jn Evens Hannah Fryett sen Sarah Ludgater Hannah Fryett jun Isaac Ludgater