Greetings all, In a will of 1655, the following occurs "...Thomas Ham[m]ond of Threshfield gent hath by Indenture of mortgage secured some landes in Threshfield to my [sic - me] my Executors administrators and Assignes for twoe thousand yeares with a Provisoe that the estate thereof be voyd upon payment of Twoe hundreth poundes to me my executors or Assignes upon the second day of February which shalbe in the yeare of our Lord 1656 and of Interest yearlie for the same untill it be paid..." Was there some reason in particular why a mortgage would be for two thousand years? Was this wording common? It does seem rather excessive, although I suppose not quite as long as 'for ever'! Cheers, Liz in Melbourne

> >In a will of 1655, the following occurs >"...Thomas Ham[m]ond of Threshfield gent hath by Indenture of mortgage secured >some landes in Threshfield to my [sic - me] my Executors administrators >and Assignes for twoe thousand yeares with a Provisoe that the >estate thereof be voyd upon payment of Twoe hundreth poundes >to me my executors or Assignes upon the second day of February >which shalbe in the yeare of our Lord 1656 and of Interest >yearlie for the same untill it be paid..." > >Was there some reason in particular why a mortgage would be for two thousand >years? Was this wording common? 1000 was, as an incentive to the borrower to get up and scrape together the money and repay it on time. So 2000 is just a doubly sure incentive? However, these were difficult times (Commonwealth) hence possibly Thomas was a crypto royalist, and what he was really doing was apparently giving his estate away, to avoid having it confiscated by Parliament under the provision for 'malignants' estates'. -- Eve McLaughlin Author of the McLaughlin Guides for family historians Secretary Bucks Genealogical Society