WILL: Humfrye COLE, 1624, Essex County, England

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Will of Humfrye COLE; Register of the Peculiar Court of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's Cathedral; London, England (1624).

[Transcriber's notes: The register that contains this will, and a microfilm copy from the register, currently reside in the Guildhall Library, Aldermanbury, London EC2P 2EJ, England. The Guildhall Library reference to the will is "MS 25626/4, folios ff232-3." The transcriber gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the Guildhall Library in completing this transcription, particularly the invaluable assistance of a draft handwritten transcription prepared by Guildhall in September 2000. Some researchers spell this testator's name Humphrie COLE, Humphrey COLE, or Humphries COLE. I have chosen to use "Humfrye COLE" in relation to this will, because that is the spelling at the end of the will (i.e., "By me Humfrye COLE"). There are four instances, throughout this will, in which the clerk apparently wrote "with" where "which" was obviously intended. Because of lingering uncertainty as to the correct reading (i.e., it may actually say "which"), and because "which" was so clearly intended in these instances, they have been transcribed as "which."]

Humphre COLE

In the name of God amen the fourth Day of November in the yeare of our Lord God one thousand six hundred twentie & three I Humfrie COLE of Tillingham in the Countie of Essex Clarke, beinge sicke of bodie but of good & perfect remembrance, the Lord be praysed, revokinge all other wills Do make & ordeyne this my last will & Testamente in manner & forme followinge (that is to saie), First I bequeath & comend my soule into the handes of Almightie God my maker & Redeemor in full assurance of the salvacion thereof by the only merrittes of Jhesus Christ my Saviour. And my bodie I will to be buried in the Chancell of Tillingham aforesaid in certen hope of the resurrection of it to eternall liffe, & as for those worldly goodes with which it hath pleased God to blesse me, I dispose of them as followeth. Imprimis I give & bequeath to the poore people of Tillingham aforesaid fower markes of lawfull English money to be Distributed by the Overseers of the Poore of the said Parish. Item I Do give unto my sonne Robert COLE Student of Emanuell Colledge in Cambridge towardes his bringinge up in learninge all my bookes whatsoever my wearinge apparell of all sortes both linnen & Woollen together with six yardes of broad cloth & upwardes which I bought of Mr Purchasse of Mauldon to make myselfe newe cloths together with five yardes of blacke kersey & a half which I bought of a Widdowe at Malden to make myselfe a new suite. Also I Do give & bequeath to my said sonne Robert all my Corne in my house of all kinds & the haye in the feildes (exceptinge onely two quarters of wheat, two quarters of barley or mault [?] & two quarters of oates of the best of all sortes, which I Do give unto Hester COLE my beloved Wife for & towardes her provision [?] of house keepinge. Item my mind & will is that my Executor or Executrix & my Overseers of this my will hereafter named or anie two of theme shall & may make sale of my perpetuall Patronage or advowson of the Rectorie or Parsonage of Okeley maugna in the countie of Essex as soone as conveniently it may be, And the money arrisinge thereof equally to be devided, my sonnes that be then livinge, Provided that if it shall so happen that the benefice & Parsonage beforesaid shall be voyd before the said Patronage shall be so sould, it shall then & may be lawfull to & for my Executrix or Executor & Overseers or anie two of them to present to the said Rectorie or Parsonage whome they shall find to be fit & able to Discharge the Dutie thereto required. Item my mind & will is further that in like manner my Executor or Executrix & Overseers hereafter named or anie two of them may & shall make sale of all my Free hold landes lyinge in Tillingham aforesaid commonly called Hodgmontt & late in the tianure [?] & occupacion of John Bridge of Tillingham husbandman as soone as conveniently may be yet not without the consent of Hester my wiffe to whome I have given the same land for the terme of her life. And I Doe Dispose of the monye arrisinge of the sale thereoff as followeth vizt: I will that Hester my wife shall have the use of fower skore poundes thereof (if she be willinge it should be sould) Duringe her naturall life, on condicion that she put in two sufficient Securities [?] to my Overseers for the repayment of the said fower skore poundes when it shall be Due at the time of her Death, And the rest of the money together also with the saide Fower skore poundes when it shall be Due I will shall be by my Overseers equally Devidid amongest my sonnes William Thomas Robert & John COLE or as manie of them as shall then be livinge parte & parte like. Item I do give unto William COLE now in Virginia (if he be livinge) my three acres of free hold more or lesse with a newe barne built upon it called sewdirs head in Tillingham & next adioyninge to a Cotage & two acres of Coppihould land called Finches & Doth belonge unto his brother Robert COLE. And if my said sonne William be not livinge at the time of my Death then I give & bequeath the said Land & Barne to my second sonne Thomas COLE & to his Heires forever. Item my mind & will is that all my plate houshold stuffe & utensells of houshold which Hester my wife shall have and enioye by virtue of a deed & gifte made by me to Sir John James Knight & Mr Blunti [?] Gentleman to her use Duringe her naturall liffe together with all other goodes of her owne which she had in possession before or since my intermarriage with me [sic] shal be ymediatlye after her Disease Devided equally betwix & amongest my sonnes then livinge. And as for my Kiyne, horses Sheep, lambes or Swine together with such Debtes as ar Due unto me at the time of my Decease & all other my goodes as yet unbequeathed & not mentioned hereafter in this my will my mind is that they shall be imployed for the payment of my Debtes & performinge my funeralls Exceptinge one spaid mare colt of two yeares old & the vantage which I Do give to Hester my lovinge wife. Item I Doe nominate & appoynt Hester my said wife to be my sole Executrixe of this my last will & in case she shall refuse to take the same upon her & the performance of this my will & of all & singular the particulars therein contayned, Then I Do make ordene & appoynt my sonne Thomas COLE to be my sole Executor of this my will, but with this provisoe & Condicion that he put in sufficient securitie to my Overseers hereafter named for the performance of this my will in manner & forme abovesaid. Lastly I Do appoynt my two sonnes in lawe Merthias [?] Wood Person of much Okeley & John George of Writtle in the countie of Essex Yeoman Overseers to this my will, givinge to my sonne Wood my clocke that hangith in the Vikaredge hall & to my sonne John George my three years ould coult that I sent to his house as a small remembrance of my love to them Desiringe them faithfully to Discharge the trust I have reposed in them. In witnes whereof I the said Humfrie COLE have to this my last will set my hand & seale the Day & yeare first above writtin. By me Humfrye COLE. Sealed subscribed & Delivered in the presence of John Draske John Moody

[Then follows a statement, in Latin, indicating that the will was probated on May 17, 1624.]

[end of transcription]