8 April 1560 Will of James Chester of Bristol, merchant (proved 12 July 1560)

Source: TNA, PROB 11/43

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In the name of god amen The viii th daye of Aprile in the
yere of ower lorde god a thousande five hundrethe and sixtie I James Chester of the Cittie
of Brystowe merchannte beinge sycke in my boddie but thankes be geven unto almightie
god hole and parfecte in memorye doe make this my testamente or containinge the?? my
laste will in manner and fome followinge Imprimis I give and bequeath my Sowle
to ower lorde Jesus Christe my Savior and redemer trustinge in hys mercie and by his
passion to come to the lyef everlastinge And do bequeathe my boddie unto xpen buriall
First I wolde all my debts to be payed as hit shall appere in the latter end of this will
that I leav honestlye where with all to see hit complete and payed desieringe god to give me
the power to write the truthe and nothinge but the truthe for everie mans concience
shall Judge hym when we shall appere before the lorde allmightie who is the iudge of
all men and knowethe the secretts of ower harts I doe make mary my wyef Executrix
yf hit will please her to take hit uppon her full and holy First I doe give unto Edward
Chester my Sonne one hundreth and fortie poundes I give unto Thomas Chester my sonne
one hundrethe and fortie poundes the which I wolde there sholde besowlde of suche
merchandies as I have at the discression of my overseers unto three or fower honest men
givinge them ii yeres daye of paymente at an honest price and they at the ende of theire yeres
to bringe theire monney into the Chamber of bristowe accordinge to theire bande And yt is
the mayers dutie so to doe for the orphannts desiringe my ovrseers that the monney maye
be in good silver or golde and that hit be fast sealed in a bagg with the mayres Seale and
theirs and to lye for the behoof of the children till they ???? to the age of xxii yeres or xxiii
yeres Provided alwayes that yf hit sholde pleace my brother Thomas Chester to take the
foresaide monney at the ende of the ii yeres hit beinge payed puttinge in sufficiente lande
for the assurance therof payenge the children xx l more then he to receave the monney
into his handes and custodie duringe the tyme before rehersed And if hit sholde pleace god
to call the one of the children lett the reste of the monney remaine unto the other and yf
hit sholde pleace god to call them bothe whiche the lorde preserve I say? withoute yssue
lawfully begotten then I wolde with parcell of the monney that my overseers sholde
purchas five pounde by the yere of good rente wherof to give three shillings fower pence
by the yere towardes the lighte of sainte leonards gatte and vi s viii d yerely to be delivered
in wood to the almes howse at laffers gatte and v s by the yere to the almes howse in the
marshe and v s yerly to the almes howse in lewens meade And v s by the yere to the
almes howse at Sainte James backe And v s by the yere to the almes howse in saynte
Thomas Streate And v s by the yere to the poore in tucker halle And v s by the yere to 
the poore at tempoll gate the which I wolde sholde be delivered yerely at allhollontide
againste Christmas in wood forevr And the rest whiche ys iii l yerely to be devided
amongeste the poore of this Cyttie and the placs before rehersed forever Allso I wolde
that the rest of the monney that shalbe lefte the lande beinge purchassed to remane unto
my wief duringe her naturall lyef And if hit sholde pleace god to call her then I wolde
hit sholde be devided the one half to my brothers and Systers children and the other half to
her brothers children also yf so be that my wief wolde have one hundrethe poundes of
the monney before rehersed puttinge yn sufficient lande for the assurannce therof


I wolde she sholde have hit Also I give unto Edwarde Chester my Sonne all suche landes
that my father gave unto me and that hit shall go frome one to another of the lynage from
heire to heire to the uttermoste of the kynne called chesters beinge of the male kinde and
beinge brothers children from yssue to issue accordinge to my fathers will and testamente
This the note of the landes that I had of hym Radforde in Westerley with all suche grounde
that appertained unto hit whiche now I have sett forthe to one Symons for nyne pounds
six shillings viii d the yere accordinge to a writtinge that master Frize hath made betwixt
hym and me Also I have oute of the blacke friers of my brother Dominyck clere of all
charge x s by the yere duringe my mothers lyef and after her tyme Dominyke muste
paye xx s by yere Also PARcell of a pece of lande that my father bought of Sr ??e  howse
wis? whiche lyeth at myghell hill A lodge and ii gardens wherof I have made the leace
to my wyef duringe her lyef Also after my tyme I wolde my brother Domynyke to have 
the bowlinge alle with the lyttell archarde and with a lyttell howse to hit yn the saide orcharde
he payenge to my wyef and heires for the rente x s by the yere And my wyef to have ii trees
when the fruite ys on them whiche she shall lyke best so longe as the greate orcharde ys oute 
of her hande And when the greate orcherde dothe fall in to her handes then she shall have noe
frute of the foresaide ii trees desieringe yor good brother Dominicke to be good unto her that there
be no spoyle made oute of yor orcharde into h??s when hit fawleth into her handes Also I 
give unto Thomas Chester my Sonne all suche landes as I have purchased my self I saye
unto hym and hys heires and to the issue that shall proceede of hym And the rest to followe as
Edwards before myndinge that all the landes shall come unto the issue of the Chesters accor
dyinge to my fathers will Also I will that my heires shall make all such rates leaces and
covenannts unto my brothers firmeably accordinge to my fathers Will and testamente
All the landes I saie my wyef to have hit duringe her naturall lyef And after her lyef to
remaine as before rehersed I desire yor moste hartelye my brother Thomas and my brother
Domynyke my brother lawe Edmunde Smythe and Roberte Smythe to be my ovrseers
And that you will within five dayes (my boddie in the yerthe) take a true Inventorie of
all suche gooddes and marchandries that is in my howse or appertaines unto me I meane
not my howseholde stuff whiche howsholde stuff I give full and holy unto my wyef and
she to give parte therof unto the children accordinge to her discression Also I give unto
my wyef one hundrethe ounces of my best plate and the rest unto my children to be devided
in equall procons provided allwayes that my wief to have the custodie of the hole
plate duringe her naturall lyef And yf she doe marrie to putt in suerties to the chamber
for theire procon or the iuste value theof as hit shalbe praysed by myne ovrseers Also
I doe give unto the poore where need ys vi l xiii s iiii d to be given accordinge to the
dyscression of the overseers Also I give unto my fower overseers evry of them a gowne
of xii s the yard and to all my brothers and brother in lawes A gowne to evry of them of
x s the yarde And evry of theire wyves a cassocke clothe of x s the yarde Also I 
give unto Robarte Clarke my servnnte five poundes in monney and a blacke Cotte I
give unto Jno Roberts my brother in lawe a blacke cloke which goethe in puccle church
parke I give unto Jno Wilshere xx s and a cotte and to Raffe Smyth fortie shillings
I give unto master Offley my littell gymmoll of Gynne golde desieringe God that
this my will maye be accomplisshed quietlye withoute any discorde of any partie
James Chester Thomas Chester Domynyke Chester Edmund Smythe Robt
Smythe



Probatum fuit 
[this paragraph continues in Latin to grant probate on 12 July 1560]
duodecimo die mensis Julii Anno
domini millimo quingentesimo sexagesimo 
[to]
Georgii hyggens 
Marie Relce et executrics

Last Modified: Monday, 26-Feb-2018 21:16:01 NST