George Stokes of Wycomb 1587 Will

Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Archives PR/T/1587/49

The Will of god Almightie: the father, the sonne, and the hollye ghoste (three distincte persones, & but one god onelye) be done uppon me now & ever amen: I George Stookes of Wycombe in the Countie of Leicester husbandman, being (by the permission of Almightie god) at this presente, sicke in bodye, but of good & perfecte Remembrance, this seconde day of December, in the yeire of thincarnacon of Christ One Thowsande five hundred foure score & Seven: and in the Thirtith yeire of the Raigne of our moste Gracyous & Soveraigne Ladye Elizabeth by the grace of god Queene of Englande Fraunce & Yrelande defender of the Faythe &c: do ordeyne & make this my presente Testament (Concerning my Last will) in maner & fourme heare after following

First as Charetie moveth me to begyne at my selffe, Even so (with all my harte & power) I will Bequeath & Comende my Soule & bodye to Jesus Christ our Lorde, the onely Savyor & Redeamer of me & all mankynde, my soule (I say) Imedyatlye after yt shalbe separate frome my Carnall bodye (by godes will) to rest with him for evermore and my bodye & soule to him at the generall Resureccon shalbe unyted & Joyned togeather, and shall then also see my Savyour & heare him pronounce the longe thirsted for sentence of all his Elected & Chosen, the members of his Catholick Churche which Churche I do faythefullye & without doubte believe, & also perfectlye knowe that I am one of the livelye members (by god his onelye mercye) and thearfore do hope with an Earnyst desire to heare the mooste comfortable sentence of our Savyor Jesus Christ, Come, Come, yee blessed of my father &c: and frome thence further to Joyne & glorefye god in his sainctes & with his sainctes for ever & ever amen

Secondly for as muche as yt is Comendable & a decent order, and so yt is used Comondlye and generallye, thorowe the moste parte of Christendome, that the bodyes of the dead are buryed in suche sorte, as their vocacons both Requyre (not that theare dothe Redownd thearbye any benefytte to the soule or bodye departed) I will & do thearfore Referr the order & Execucon of my funeral, & the buryall of my bodye, to the discrescons of my Executors & overseers, hereafter appointed in this my will, the same to be done as the tyme & place shall Requyre

Thirdlye my hole Indevor for the Resydew of this my will, shalbe soo to dispose those worldlye goodes (which god of his goodness has geven me) as I may shewe my selffe thanckfull towards him which is the gever of all and carefull of my famelye & …, which he hathe Comytted to my chardge, & Comandyd me to provyde for, & to be myndefull of my kinsfolkes & frendes, which my affeccon & love towardes theyme suffereth me not to forgett

Fourthlye I by theis presentes Revoke all other willes & Testamentes by me heretofore devysed or made, and do declared & publishe, that my last will & Testament is conteyned in theis presents onelye & in non other

Also I gyve to the poore mens boxe of Wycombe xiid & to the mendinge of the hye weyes theare xiid

Itm I will that my sone Robart Stookes & his heires do for ever (wheir he or they shall dwell) yeirelye bestowe amongst the poore people one stryke of wheate, to be baked into bread

Itm I gyve & bequeathe to my daughter Jeyne Kinge, one Eowe & a Lambe

Also to every one of my god Children iiiid

Also to George Bingham of Melton a Lamme hogg

Also to the Curate of Cawdewell & Wycombe (in Consideracon of my forgotten Tythings) xiid

Also that my Executors do keepe my mother duringe her lyffe tyme with good & honest porsyon of meate drinke & other necessaryes according to her yeires, & by the discrescons of my overseers

Also I will that all my goodes & Chattells be praysed and devyded into foure partes, whereof my wyfe Margaret shall have one parte, & my Children (which are unmaryed) three partes and I will that my wyfe & my sone Robt shall have the Educacon of my sayd Children with their porcons, until they shall accomplishe their severall full ages of Twentye & one yeires: and if my sayd wyffe do fortune to marry ageyne then I will my sayd sone Robert shall kepe the sayd Children with their porcons untill their sayd full ages, & if any of the sayd Children do dye before those Ages, the partes of … theyme soe dying shall Remayne to & amongst the survivor & survyvors [about four words covered by fold] that my … & will is that my doughters shall have their porcons as well at their several dayes of maryages as at their full Ages which first shall happen

Also I do Constytute Ordeyne & make my welbelovyd wyffe & my sayd sonne Robart Stooks Executors of this my last will & Testament, And Supervysors of the same I do appointe & desire my webelovyd brother in Lawe Willm Blacke & my sonne in Lawe Willm Kinge & in Remembrance of their paines I do gyve to ether of theyme xiid

Edward Handy Clarke

W Bryan

The marke of Wm Nicholls as witness

The marke of Thomas Closse

The marke of Hugh Orson

Md that the great Table in the hall, was gevyn to my sonne Robart, by Wm Kinge (my sonne in Lawe)

Itm the great spit was gevin to him by my mother

Also I do gyve him my greate Eowe Bowe & my sheaffe of Arowes

More I do gyve him my Bugle horne that is tipped with Sylver

Itm the great forme in the hall

Itm the great salting trowghe

Itm my Halbert and all my books

Also I will that my sone George shall have my lessar Eowe bowe

W Bryan

Probate Leicester 6 February 1587

Bond, bound Margaret Stokes widow of Wycombe. Robert Stokes husbandman Wycombe and Thomas Richardson als Pearse husbandman of Stonesby 6 February 1587, condition bound Margaret and Robert Stokes executors named in will to administer estate

                                                                                                                Signum Margaret

                                                                                                                Robart Stokes

                                                                                                                Signum Tome