Daily AncestorWitnesseth
Witnesseth is an old form of "witnesses"; in "This Indenture witnesseth" it means the document shows or testifies to what follows.
Witnesseth is simply witness with the old -eth ending, the way older English said "he goeth" for "he goes." Here witness means to attest or give testimony.
In deeds and agreements the full sentence runs "This Indenture, made the 4th day of May... witnesseth, that..." and then states the deal. Later legal form books turned it into a stand-alone heading, "WITNESSETH," which is how many people now see it. It is not a signature or a list of witnesses.
As seen in a recordOpening of a deed in a county deed book, 1820s
This Indenture made the 10th day of March 1827 between Saml. Ross of the one part and Jno. Hart of the other part, Witnesseth, that
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Witnesseth." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/witnesseth. Last checked 2026-10-10.