1531 - John DOCWRA of Temple Dinsley, Hertfordshire
Will was written on 20 February 1531
Will was proved on 12 August 1531
In dei nomine amen the xx day of ffebruarij the xxij yere of King Henry the viijth I John Docwra of Temple Dinsley, in the countie of Hertf[ord], make my testament and Last will, in maner and fourme folowing, ffurst I bequethe my soule to allmighty god, my body to be buryed in the p[ar]ishe churche where it shall please god to call for me,
It[em] I bequethe x s, to the high aulter, for my tythes and oblanous necligently forgotton, And as concerning my land I will that my feoffes and their heyres shall stound and be seased of and in all my manours landes renth remersions and shrincs to thuse and p[er]fourmance of this my last wyll,
It[em] I will wife shalhaue the yerely proffit of my manours of Huewel and Poteriche in the countye of Hertford, And all my landes and tenements in Harlingeton in the countie of Bedford for teme of hur lyfe only, except all the goodes within the said maners ten[emen]ts and landes,
It[em] I will that the saide feoffes and their heires, shall stoude and be seased of and in all my landes and tenements rents renersions and shrincs, to thuse that my executours shall take all the yssues and proffitts vntill the heir male of my body laufully begotton be of thage of xxij yeres, and if my heire male dye or the tyme that any of them com[e] to that age, then my executours to take the proffit vnto the tyme my heires generall or euery of them be of thage of xxij yeres
It[em] I will that if Thomas my son[ne] hym till he come to thage of xxij yeres, then I will my feoffes stoude seased to thuse of the said Thomas, and the heires males of his body laufully begotton, and for lacke of suche yssue to thuse of Humfrey Docwra and the heires males of his body lawfully begotton, and for lacke of suche to thuse of the heires males of my body lawfully begotton, and for lacke of suche yssue, to thuse of the heires of my body laufully begotton, and for lacke of suche yssue to thuse of Elizabeth Chicheley my suster and his[!] heires,
It[em] I will my executours find my childerene vntill the heire male be of thage of xxij yeres and all other of my childerene euery of them till they be of thage of xviij yeres, except they be wininced[?] by mariage or otherwise
It[em] I will that euery of my childrene except my heire, haue twoo hundreth marks and iff ann dye the ij c marks of the that dothe so dye, to be deuided among them that ouerliveth,
It[em] I will that sufficient sep[ar]ations be made of all my lande, and that all the coosts and chargs for the desence of any title, made to the promisses by my p[er]sonne other they right, be defendid at any coostes and charges, of suche goodes as my executours shall receyue
It[em] I will my house be kept x weks after my deathe and euery of my frients to haue as herafter shalbe declared by name.
It[em] I will my debts be truly contentid and paide,
It[em] the fferme of temple Dynsley, I will that Thomas my sonne shalhaue it when he comithe to thage of xxij yeres, w[ith] suche stuffe, And if he dye or he come to that age then Humfrey my sonne to haue it when he comythe to that age, And to haue it w[ith] suche a stocke of cowe and cattell as herafter foloweth he to entre at midsomer after his age of xxij yeres then to be deliuerid hym xl quarters malte, xx quarters wheate, lx Acres Barley, xxx acres whete of the ground lxxx Acres peese and oots, xxiiij store wethers, xx keyne and a bull xij plowe horses ij carts shodd plowe and plowe gear and carte gere, and he to haue all my houshold stuff except that as I haue gyuen my wiff in this will,
It[em] I will that Thomas my sonne shalhaue A baskin and an ewer of syluer with the armes of ffrannce ij bolls of syluer, a salte w[ith] acouer, A gilte ale cupp w[ith?] a couer gilte, And if he dye or he come to thage aboue said, then Humfrey my sonne to haue it in like maner as he sholde,
It[em] I will my wife shalhaue all hur Juells, that is to saye, chaynes rings peerls stones and xl marks in mony iij drinking cuppes of syluer w[ith] a couer, a salte a doss syluer spones, a bowle of siluer, the chamb[e]r w[ith] thapparell where she dothe lye, and the chapell chamber with all beddis, hangings shetts, blanketts and couerletts necessary for the same beddes and apperteyned by the discresion of my executours,
Item I will my executours to haue their coosts when thei all only ryde or goo for my busines of my will
It[em] I will euery one of my executours haue xxvj s viij d euery yere during their lyues, And Thomas Hutton v mrs. the furst yere and Edward Brockett v mrs. the furst yere,
It[em] my executours shall vewe and lett all my lands not letten w[ith]in a yere after my dethe and the proffit of the fynes or any other p[ro]ffett to thuse of my will,
It[em] my will p[er]fourmed, I will myne executours shall w[ith] the proffit of all my lands & my goodes monable, and the proffit of my ffarme, aboue the chargs of my childerene keping and other chargs aboue rehersid I will be bestowed in purchasing of lands, of the whiche land I will that the furst xx li. that is bought be put in feoffment to the vse of Humfrey Docwray my sonne and the heires males of his body lawfully begotton, and for lacke of suche yssue, to Thomas Docwra in maner and forme aboue ahersid Prouided as it shalbe lawfull for the said Humfrey and Thomas to make their wyses a nontour for terme of hys only of any lands they haue, And all thother lands that is bought by my executours to be in feoffment to the vse of my heire in maner and fourme in tailes as is aboue ahersid,
It[em] assane as my executours haue recyuid the som[m]e of cc li. that it be delyuered immediatly in sauff keping into some college or Abbey vnto suche tyme as as[!] it be umployed in purchasing of Land, and for euery xx li. land as is purchased by my executours, I will that thei shalhaue vj s viij d more a peace beside the xxvj s viij d afore ahersid during their lyves,
It[em] I will that Johane Stafford haue the keping of Kathryne my daughter, till she be maried, and able to lye by hur husbond and to be lowed by my executours as they thinke conuenient,
It[em] I make my executours, Thomas Hutton, Edward Brocket and John Peryent, ffurther I will that if I happen to dye before the feest of saint John Baptist then I will all my houshold be kept at my coostes and chargs vntill the said feest,
It[em] I will giue eache of my s[er]vants now being in my seruice to haue their quarters wags clere to be paid at mydsomer
It[em] I will that iff sir Thomas Rotheram be named to be one of my executours in the will signed w[ith] my hand then I will he be put out and be naut, and John Perient esquire to be oout of my executours w[ith] other, named in the uill aforsaid,
It[em] I will and giue vnto Anne my wiff xl mrs. more then is compresed in my said will
It[em] I will to mestres Stafford vj li. xiij s iiij d so that ske kepe and bring vp ffrannces my bastard daughter till she be of laufull age and maryed,
It[em] I giue to the said ffrannces and Katherine hur suster xl s to eache of them, when thei shalbe maryed,
It[em] I giue to Stanleis wiff keper of my hous xx s,
It[em] I will Thomas Birde xl s, and iij li. whiche he had to bye barley,
It[em] to sr.[?] John Thompson x marke,
It[em] to yres[?] Zacarie one drinking cupp,
It[em] if my lord of saint Johnes will releas my brother Chichley and my executours all maner sutts demades amons and be good to my wiffe and childrene, then I will the garnishe of syluer vessoll in the keping of Thomas Chicheley my brother to bedd to hym, and if he will not, then I will it be sold for the desence for any aman against them to be brought
It[em] I make my mother my brother Chicheley sup[er]visours of this my last will & testament, Thes being witnes Will[ia]m Ajoce, Thomas Dicons Henry Wilcocks Thomas Sutton Walter Phillip and Nicholas Cottroll with other moo[re].
Probatum fuit suprascriptum testamentum Coram dno Apud Lamhith duodecimo die Mensis Augusti Anno d[omi]ni Mill[es]imo quingen[tesimo] xxxj, Juramento Thome Hutton et Edwardi Brokell[!] event[?] i h[uius]mo[d]i testamento nom[ina]t[orum] Ac approbatum et infinnatum Et commissa fuit admi[ni]strano om[nium] et singulorum bonorum iurium et creditorum dicti defuncti prefatis executoribus de bene l[egit]ime et fidel[it]er admi[ni]strand ead Ac de plone et fideli Jnuen[ta]rio om[nium] et singulorum bono[rum] ms et credito[rum] confinend Necnon de plano et Vero compoto reddind ad sancta dei evangelia iurat.
PRO, catalogue reference: PCC Prob/11/100, will of John Docwra of Temple Dinsley, Hertfordshire, (proved) 12 August 1531 (dated 20 February 1531).
Transcription by Odd Ottesen, Kristiansand, Norway, 9 September 2003. (The Latin part of the text is on several points uncertain.)
