Here's a challenge for the team at Dorset Archives at the Dorset History Centre in Dorchester.
They're about to tackle this mould and damp-ridden document as part of their Bankes archive project. The Bankes were considered to be one of the most powerful families in England, owning both the estates of Corfe Castle and Kingston Lacy.
The team at Dorset History Centre are currently dealing with the 25,000 item collection, containing documents that date from the 13th century right through to the present day.
This document, which is desperately in need of conservation, seems to be a deposition, perhaps relating to a legal case between John Bankes and Sir John Webb over Canford Manor and Rectory in the 1700s. Good luck to the team on their exploration!
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