A propinquity book, recording testimonials granted by the town baillie for natives of Aberdeen and district, who had travelled out of the county or abroad. The baillie typically heard evidence from one or more persons acting on an individual's behalf, although there is no indication of what form this evidence took. The entries conform to a set format, recording the name and destination of individuals; names and abode of both parents; and names and occupations of the persons presenting the evidence. Some entries record testimonials granted for persons who had died at sea, though it was more common for this type of incident to be recorded in the notaries' protocol books.
The volume is a useful source of information about the migration of individuals from north east Scotland in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.