[This membrane is slightly irregular. The wording of the oath is written on one side, with the addition of a declaration renouncing transubstantiation. Only one name appears, that of Richard Hurdon, and the oath appears to be one of office – that of Excise Officer. The full text of this is as shown below. The reverse of this appears to be a subscription to the oath as per the Act of parliament.]
I Doe beleive that there is not any Transubstantiation in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper of in the Eleaments of Bread & wine at or after the consecration thereof by any Person whatsoever.
I Doe sincerely promise & swear that I will be faithfull & bear true allegiance to his Majestie King George so help me God;
I do swear that I do from my heart abhor detest & abjure as Impious & hereticall that damnable Doctrine & position that Princes excommunicated or deprived by the Pope or any authority of the see of Rome may be deposed or murther’d by their subjects or any other whatsoever. And I do declare that no foreign Prince, Person, Prelate, State or Potentate hath or ought to have any Jurisdiccion power Superiority Preeminence or Authority Ecclesiasticall or Spirituall within this Realme so help me God.
I doe truly & sincerely acknowledge, profess testifye & declare, in my conscience, before God & the world that our Soverigne Lord King George is lawfull & rightfull King of this Realme, & all other his Majesties Dominions, & Countrys thereunto belonging, And I do solemly & Sincerely declare that I do beleive in my Conscience that the Person, pretended to be Prince of Wales, during the life of the late King James, Since his decease pretending to be & taking upon himself the Stile & Title of King of England by the name of James the third, or of Scotland by the name of James the Eigth, Or the Stile & title of King of Great Brittain hath not any right or title wtsoever to the Crown of this Realme or any other the Dominions thereto belonging, And I do renounce refuse & abjure any allegiance or obedience to him, And I do swear that I will bear faith & true allegiance to his majesty King George And him will defend to the utmost of my power against all traiterous Conspiracys & attempts whatsoever which shall be made against his Person Crown or Dignity, and I will do my utmost endeavour to disclose & make known unto his majesty & his successors all treasons & traiterous conspiracys which I shall know to be against him or any of them, And I do faithfully promise to the utmost of my power to be aginst him or any of them, And I do faithfully promise to the utmost of my power to support maintaine & defend the succession of the Crown against him the sd James & all other Persons whatsoever, which Succession by an Act intitled an Act for the further limitacion of the Crown & better Secureing the rights & libertys of the subject is & stands limited to the Princess Sophia Electoress & Dutches Dowager of Hanover & the heirs of her Body being Protestants And all these things I do plainly & sincerely acknowledge & swear according to these express words by me spoaken & according to the plain & common sense & understanding of the same words without any Equivocacion mentall Evasion or Secrett reservacion whatsoever, and I do make this Recognicion acknowledgemt abjuracion renuncacion & promise heartily & willingly & truly & upon the true faith of a Christian so help me God;’
Devonss: Ad General[em] Quarterial[em] Session[em] Pacis D[omin]i Regis tent[am] p[er] adjournament[um] apud le Crown & Scepter in Parochia[lem] de Holsworthy in & p[ro] Com[itatu] pr[aedicto] duodecime die Septembris Anno R[eg]ni D[omi]ni n[ost]ri Gergii Dei gra[tia] magn[e] Britann[iae] Franc[iae] & Hibern[iae] Regis fidei Defensor[is] &c Decimo Anno[que] D[omi]ni 1723 Coram Willo Bickford Rico Yeo Ar ac aliis sociis suis Justiciar[is] ad pacem in & p[ro] Com[itatu] pr[aedicto] Conservand[am] necnon &c assign[atis] & c.”
Richard Hurdon Officer of Excise resident in Holsworthy. [signed] Richd Hurdon.
[The rest of the page is blank to the very bottom edge, where is written:]
Sepr 12th 1723 Holsworthy Elizabeth Duchess Dowager of Bedford Guardian of ye most noble Lord Wriothesly Duke of Bedford Lord of ye Manor of Werrington hath deputed & appointed Daniel Here her servant Gameskeeper of ye Manor of Werrington in ye County of Devon.