This affidavit was sworn in order to identify him and to verify that he was the surviving representative of the Sherwin family. One of the parties to the surrender was John Sherwin Sherwin. This affidavit was drawn up in connection with a surrender of copyhold land on Spring Lane in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, to George Downs, on the same day (Pl E12/6/19/20/6). and I make this Solemn Declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true and by virtue of the provisions of an Act made and passed in the sixth year of the reign of His Majesty King William the fourth entitled "An Act to repeal an Act of the present Session of Parliament entitled An Act for the more effectual abolition of Oaths and Affirmations taken and made in various departments of the State and to substitute Declarations in lieu thereof and for the entire suppression of voluntary and extrajudicial oaths and Affidavits and to make other provisions for the abolition of unnecessary oaths".' Example Pl E12/6/19/20/5 - Affidavit as to the Sherwin and Longden families of Nottingham and Bramcote Hills, Nottinghamshire 5 Oct. Statutory declarations are recognisable because they always include a paragraph explaining what they are: 'Deposition' is another word for a written statement. The person making an affidavit was usually referred to as the 'deponent'. Important words and phrasesĪffidavits and statutory declarations give the name, address and sometimes the age of the person making them, with an indication of why they would know the information (for example, being a member of the family, or one of the oldest people in the village). PurposeĬonfirmation of a piece of information. However, nonconformists and Quakers objected to taking oaths on religious grounds, so in 1835 the Statutory Declarations Act was passed, enabling people to make a simple declaration confirming the statement. An affidavit had to be accompanied by an oath sworn by the person making it. There is very little difference between the two types of document, except for the method by which they were made. Some give details about members of the family who went abroad and were never heard of again. They might give all the birth dates or death dates of the children in a family, or be accompanied by a pedigree. Some affidavits and statutory declarations can be very useful in tracing family history. They were often used to verify family relationships, or to certify that a particular piece of land had been in someone's possession for a substantial period of time. They are commonly found in deed bundles as part of the evidence of title collected by lawyers. Both of these documents are written statements.