http://www.rootsweb.com/~cresap/1700/ It seems you didn't see my contribution yesterday, so let me post it again: See http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/bihr/guideleaflets/administrations.pdf for an explanation of this kind of acts: "If a person did not make a will ("ab intestato", AdM) their estate was dealt with after their death by a process called administration. A person willing to deal with the deceased's estate, often kin but also sometimes a creditor, would visit a surrogate of the bishop and make oaths to the effect that the deceased person had not made a will and that they would administer the estate properly." You'll find Latin acts here, where you can see "cert." is short for "certificavit" (certified): Eod[e]m die d[ic]tus decanus cert[ificavit] se Com[m]isisse Administrac[i]o[n]em bonoru[m] Thom=E6 Crisape nup[er] de Leeds dioc[esis] Ebor[acensis] abintestato (ut asseritur) morien[tis] Eden' Crisape vid[u=E6] ejus Rel[ic]t=E6 prius Jurat[=E6] (salvo et[c.)] Ex[hi]bitu[m] fuit Jnv[entori]u[m] ultra 20 Li[= bras] Et praestita est canc[ellari]o. The same day the said Dean certified that he had granted administration of the goods of Thomas Crisape, late of Leeds in the Diocese of York, who died intestate (as it is asserted), to Eden Crisape, his widow and relict (=3D surviving partner), after she had first been sw= orn, saving the rights [of any other person with a claim, salvo iure cuiuscumq= ue]. An inventory was exhibited above =A320 and she was presented to the cancellarius (secretary, so that this administration could be registe= red, I think. In the shown documents it is "et ... obligatur", and she was bou= nd). August de Man "Aug. de Man" <augdeman.a.gmail.dot.com@dr3.euro.net>