--=======198450F2======= Content-Type: text/plain; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-6DBC2A71; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit I have recently been reading, via LDS microfilm, RC Church records for Galway Town. During the 1830's there were frequent entries for the issue, for five shillings, of "A Certificate de statu liberio to .. name of person .. " They were all male. Does anyone know what this means? Mary C, Australia --=======198450F2======= Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-avg=cert; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-6DBC2A71 Content-Disposition: inline --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.779 / Virus Database: 526 - Release Date: 19/10/04 --=======198450F2=======--

Mary, This is probably Statu libero (without the "i") and is probably the juramentum de statu libero, a certificate to the effect that the person(s) had no impediments to marriage (see http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02255a.htm on Banns of Marriage). Pádraig (the Paddy that was)