Mary Ball: Information of Mary Ball 21 January 1698/9

<53r> ^[1]

Informacon of Mary Ball

This Inform^t. says she has lived with M^rs. Mathews about 3 q^rs. of a year That abo^t. Iune or Iuly last Chaloner and Carter came to her M^rs. house That Chaloner sent her to Carters Lodging to getch an oylestone w^ch was a short piece of a stone as also a litle Bottle of oyle and a Viol of aqua fortis which she brought to Chaloner yn he wanted some small Cole to be lighted and a bason of clean water w^th. a cloth which he had with him in a room up one pair of stairs where he lockt himself in and took out the key Chaloner staid there abo^t. 2 hours this Inform^t had the curiousity to look through the Key hole and saw Chaloner sitting with his back toward |+| his face towards the Window she thought he was writing but as he turned his head asside she ꝑceived he had something very bright lying before him which lookt like a plate and She was satisfyed it was a Copper plate seing {sic} it afterwards in her m^rs. Trunck. When Chaloner came down staires this Inform^t. went into the room and upon the Window where M^r. Chaloner sat + she saw a thin shining Dust the same Evening Chaloner brought in a piece of Leather and made up a Sand Bagg

The Plate this Informant saw in her Mistress Trunck lookt like a thing that was scratcht the ends lookt like flourishes of a letter and in the Midle were some lines scratcht

The next day the bagg was carry^d away and she supposes the Plate two {sic} for she did not see it till abo^t a fortnight or three weeks after when Chaloner came againe and want|^d| some paper

This Inform^t. fetcht them a pennyworth of the best writing paper Chaloner carr^d. it up into the Room above stairs and askt for Scissors and a piece of an earthen Dish and clean woollen raggs which had with some clean water and a Napkin Chaloner lock himself up as before giving orders that if any body askt for him Carter or her Mistress that the Maid should answer no body was at home and not open the Door– Chaloner was by himself Shut up 2 houres and this Inform^t. peeped againe through the key hole and saw Chaloner standing at the Window with the Earthen Dish by him and the plate before him he took the raggs and dipt them in the Dish then he rub^d it over the plate and laid some paper atop of it and yⁿ laid somthing over the paper which lookt whitish like Flannell but she could tell what it was then she thinks he turned it <53v> and took off the paper and laid it by and then he rub^d the plate over againe as he did before and laid on another paper This Inform^t. peep^d near $\frac{1}{2}$ an hour then went up stairs and came to the key hole againe and saw Chaloner still doing the same thing with his raggs and his paper

When Chaloner was gone of the Room this Inform^t went into it and saw the Window all daubed only where the plate lay that place was clean, in the earthen Dish was {ogle} and Blacking and the ragg left in it she put the Dish up in a Closset and it so still to be seen as it is\was/ left

Abo^t. a week after y^t. Chaloner gave her mistress a paper with some thing in it which she put into a Trunck that did not shut close this Inform^t. open^d the Trunk as soon as Chaloner and her Mistress went out together there this Inform^t saw the said plate again but all the stroaks were now finisht and black with the stuff w^ch. she suposes Chaloner had used when he workt upon it Chaloner fetcht the plate againe abo^t. three dayes after

Mary Ball

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