Original will, Essex Record Office reference D/ABW 49/183 (Com. of London for Essex and Herts. File for 1628-9 No. 98).
In the Name of God Amen the Twentith day of December Anõ
Dni~ 1628 in the Fourth Yeare of the Raigne of
or Sõuaigne Lord King Charles &c. I Mathew Alefounder of
Dedham in the Countie of Essex & Diocesse of London Clothier being weake in
bodie but of good disposing memory (thanks be to God) doe make & ordeyne
this my last Will & Testament in manner & forme following. First I
Com~end my Soule into the hands of my Lord
& Saviour Jesus Christ, and my Bodie to be com~itted to the Earth in decent & Christian buriall; in
assured hope of a ioyfull resurrection to eternal life. And as for my worldly
goods I give & dispose as followeth, Imprimis. I give & bequeath
vnto Suzan my welbeloved ^wife for terme of her naturall
life all that my house wherin I lately dwelt wth th
apptenences called Sturgeons, together with all my lands & meadow
ground now in the tenure & occupacoñ of Steven Howe & his
assignes. Also I give & bequeath vnto Suzan my wife all that my
house & lands wth thapptenances calld Knappes; now in the
tenure & occupacoñ of Henry Renolds & his assignes, together
wth one Acre of meadowe lying in Broadmeadow; and Twoe Acres of
Meadow called Fleetmeadow in Dedham aforesaid, wth
thapptenancs, for terme of her naturall life. And my will &
meaning is that Suzan my wife shall keepe & maintaine all & singuler
those houses lands & meadowgrounds with the apptenances aforesaid,
given to my wife in this my last will, in reasonable repacõns
without doing any strip & waste, during her terme. Item after the
death of my wife I give & bequeath vnto my brother John Alefounder & to
his heirs for ever, all & singuler those my houses lands & meadow
grounds wth thapptenances, heerin formerly given to Suzan my
wife. Item I give & bequeath vnto my brother Robert Alefounder &
his heirs forever, all that my Free land in Walton in the Countie of Essex
called Grovehouseland, with a barne there vppon built, now in the
occupacoñ of John Cole, after my Fathers decease. Item I give
& bequeath to my sister Suzan Salmon for terme of her naturall life, all
that my tenement or Cottage wherin Joseph Tompson dwelleth, called Sturgeons,
with thapptenanances thervnto belonging; together with one Acre of
meadow lying in Broadmeadow, now also in the occupacõn of the said
Joseph Tompson or his assignes. Provided my Will & meaning is, that
my said Sister Suzan Salmon during her terme, shall keepe & maintaine all
the sayd Tenement or Cottage in reasonable repacoñs; and shall
make no strip nor waste, Item I give & bequeath vnto my sister
Rachell Sherman during her naturall life; all my lands lying in Lawford called
Foxassh with thapptenances. And after the death of the said Suzan
Salmon & Rachell Sherman, I give & bequeath to my brother John
Alefounder & to his heires for ever, all & singuler those lands meadow
& Tenement with thapptenances heerin before given to the said Suzan
& Rachell my sisters. Item I give to my Father Alefounder Five
pounds to buy a peece of plate And to my mother Alefounder Fourty
shillings to buy her a ring. Item I give to Mr John Rogers
preacher of Gods word in Dedham Five pounds. Item I give to
Mr Cottesford mynister of Dedham, Three pounds. Item I give
to Mr Witham mynister of Mislie Three pounds of lawfull money of
E[ngland] All these foresaid seu~all
legacies, I will shalbe paid within Six moneths after my [deceasse] by my
Executrix. Item I give to my Fatherin law Vpcher & to my motherinlaw
Vpcher Five pounds apeece, to be paid within one yeare after my deceasse, by my
Executrix. Item I give to my Fatherinlaw Goodwyn & to my mother
Elizabeth Goodwyn Fourtie shillings apeece, to buy them each of them a Ring, to
be paid wthin one yeare after my deceasse Item I give to my
brotherinlaw Quarles minister of Raydon & to my Sister his wife to either
of them Fourtie shillings apeece. Item I give to my brother Hayward
& Anne his wife Fourtie shillings apeece, Item I give to my Sister
Alefounder (wife of my brother Robert) Fourtie shillings Item I give to
my brother Willyam Hubard, And to my brother John Goodwyn, And to my sister
Mary Holloway to eyther of them Fourtye shillings apeece, Item I give to
my brother Richard Bruning Fourtie shillings. Item I give to my
brotherinlaw Ezekiell Sherman Fourtie shillings. Item I give to my
brotherinlaw Henry Fenn Fourtie shilings Item I give to my brotherinlaw
Edmund Seaburne & Anne his wife, to eyther of them Fourtie
^shillings apeece Item I give to my sister Mary
Bentlie Fourtie shillings And my will & meaning is that all &
singuler these last legacies of Fourtie shillings apeece, shalbe payd by my
Executrix, within one yeare after my deceasse ^to buy them
Ringes Item I give to my Aunt Emme White widow Three pounds.
Item I give to my Aunt Mary Howard Three pounds. Item I give to
my Aunt Audrie More widow Fourtie shillings. And my will is these three
legacies given to my Aunts shalbe payd by my Executrix, within Sixe moneths
after my deceasse. Item I give to my Cozen George White Five pounds, to
be paid wthin one yeare after my deceasse. Item I give to my
Cozen Sarah Fintz widow Three pounds. Item I give to my Cozen Richard
Alefounder Fourtie shillings, And my will is that these two last legacies shabe
paid by my Executrix within one yeare after my deceasse. Item I give to
my twoe servants John Starke & Elizabeth Rogers Fourtie shillings apeece,
to be paid within one yeare after my deceasse. Item I give to Thomas
Darbie, Gilbert Hilles & Miles Robertson my workmen, Twenty shillings
apeece, to be paid within one yeare after my deceasse. Item I give to
the widow Pakyn of Much Broomlie Fourtie shillings, to be paid within one yeare
after my decease. Item I give & bequeath to my Neece Anne Fenne and
to my Nephew Mathew Sherman to each of them Five pounds apeece, to be paid to
their fathers for them, within Twoe yeares after my decease. Item I give
to my brother Steven Howe Twentie pounds. Item I give to my sister Anne
Fenne Twentie pounds. And my will is that these twoe last portions shalbe paid
by my Executrix within twoe yeares after my deceasse. Item I give to my
sister Sarah Bruning, & to my sister Suzan Alefounder, to eyther of them
Tenne pounds apeece, to be paid by my Executrix within Twoe yeares after my
deceasse. Item I give to the poore of Dedham Five pounds, to be payd
& distributed by my Executrix vpon the day of my buryall. Provided
alwayes & my will & meaning is that those lands heerin formerlie
bequeathed to Suzan my wife, shalbe in full liew of the Thirds of my freelands.
Item all the rest of my goods, plate houshold stuffe & Chattells
whatsoever vnbequeathed, my debts being paid, my legacies & funerall
discharged, I give to Suzan my wife. Provided alwayes & my will
& meaning is, That if it shall happen Suzan my wife to be wth
child, or that I have a childe borne at the time of my death, and if it be a
sonne & live, Then all those my lands & teñts wth
their apptenñcs given to my wife during terme of her life; And
those my lands & teñts given to my sister Salmon: And those my lands
& teñts given to my sister Sherman, I give & bequeath all the
same lands & teñts wth their apptenñcs,
after the death of my wife & my said sisters to my said sonne & to his
heires for eñ: And then the guift of my said lands & teñts to
my brother John Alefounder to be voyd. And also that then all those Freehold
lands & teñts formerly heerin given to my brother Robert Alefounder
after my Fathers deceasse, the guift therof also to be voyd: And then I having
a sonne, or my wife being with Child wth a sonne, I give &
bequeath all the same Freehold lands & teñts wth
thapptenñcs to my said sonne & to his heirs for ever. But if
it happen to be a daughter & live, Then I give & bequeath vnto my said
daughter all those my lands & teñts formerly given to my wife for
terme of her life, to have & to hold after my wives deceasse, to her my
said daughter & to her heirs for ever. And then I will also that my brother
Robert Alefounder shall have the Freehold lands & teñts before
bequeathed him, vppon Condicoñ that he shall pay out of the same lands
Twoe hundred pounds of lawfull money of England, to my said daughter at her age
of Eighteene yeares, And for fault of such paymt of the said
CCli to my daughter, the said guift to my brother Robert Alefounder
to be voyd: And then I will that my said daughter shall enter vppon the said
Freehold lands at her age of Eighteene yeares, to have hold & enioy the
same from thensforth to her my said daughter & to my her
heires for ever. And I make and ordeyne Suzan my wife my sole Executrix
of this my last will & Testament, And my Father Robert Alefounder
Supvisor of the same. And I doe vtterly revoke all former wills by mee
made. In witnesse wherof I have heerevnto put my hand & seale in the
pesence of these witnesses the day & yeare above written.
Mathew Alfounder Lyonell Chewte Robart Makin
Joseph Tomsone
pbu~t apud Cole~ 5to Junij 1629 cora~ doctore Aylett comissario fr
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Transcribed by Peter Alefounder 1994 |
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