13 May 1622 Will of William Pitt of Bristol, merchant (proved 4 February 1624)

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In the name of God Amen I William
Pitt of the Citty of Bristoll marchannte being in good and perfect memory doe make
this my last will and Testament in manner and forme following That is to say I bequeath
my soule into the hands of my Creator God Almightie trusting to be saved only by the 
death and passion of Jhesus Christ my redeemer and his only sonne and to God the father 
God the sonne and God the holy Ghost I committ my soule and my body to the earth 
from whence it came And for those temporall goods and lands which God hath given 
me I doe give and bequeath as followeth Inprimis I give and bequeath to my loving 
wife Mary Pitt the somme of Five hundred pounds of lawfull money of England 
Item I give and bequeath to my sonne William Pitt Two hundred and Fiftie pounds of
lawfull money of England Item I give and bequeath to my sonne Henry Pitt 
Two hundred and fiftie pounds of lawfull mone of England Item I give and bequeath 
to my sonne Thomas Pitt Two hundred and Fiftie pounds of lawfull money of England
Item I give to my daughter Mary Pitt Two hundred and Fiftie pounds of lawfull money
of England Item I give and bequeath to my daughter Anne Pitt Two hundred and Fiftie
pounds of lawfull money of England Item I give and bequeath to my daughter Maude
Pitt Two hundred and Fiftie pounds of lawfull money of England Item I give and 
bequeath to my daughter Martha Pitt Two hundred and Fiftie pounds of lawfull
money of England Item I give unto my wife Mary Pitt a Lease of the house wherein
I nowe dwell in Redclife streete and also of the house in the same streete wherein Samuell
Greffeth the glasier dwelleth and my Garden in St Thomas Lane for and during her
life paying unto my sonne William Pitt fowre pounds yerely for the same during her 
life And after her decease I give the said two houses and garden to my sonne William
Pitt and to the heires of his body lawfullie to be begotten and for want of such heires then to
my sonne Henry Pitt and to the heires of his body lawfullie to be begotten and for want of
such heires then to my sonne Thomas Pitt and to the heires of his body lawfullie to be begotten
and for want of such heires then to my sonne Robert Pitt and the heires of his body law
fullie to be begotten and for want of such heires to my heires generall Item my will is yt
my sonne Robert Pitt shall have to him and his heires the Tenement without Temple gate
called the Sarasenes end and the newe built house thereby built by my father withall
the Lands and Tenements thereto belonging and all such ymplements as I have in the
said Tenements the said Lands and Tenements is given by my father Thomas Pitt as appea
reth by his last will and Testament Item I give and bequeath to my sonnes Henry Pitt
and Thomas Pitt and to their heires the yeares yet to come that I have by Lease for the 
two tenements and garden that I have in Redcliffe streete which I hould of the Deane 
and Chapter of the Colledge of Brestoll and also of the yeares or lives it to come of the 
garden on Redcliffe hill and the tenement and ground in trenemill lane which I hold 
of the Mayor and Cominaltie of the Cittie of Bristoll withall the rents and proffitts 
thereof to my said two sonnes their heires and Assignes Item I give unto my neice Anne
Watteres a lease of Forty yeares in the tenements at the Marsh gate wherein William
Dale nowe dwelleth yf shee shall so long live yf shee die before the expiration of the 
lease the remainder of the yeares then I give the residue of those Forty yeares to my
nephew Robert Mericke they paying unto my sonne William Pitt fowre pounds lese 
six shillings Eight pence a yeare rent of lawfull money of England and he to pay the 
Lords rent and the Lease to beguine at the day of the date of this my will the remaynder 
of the yeares upon my lease I give and bequeath to my sonne William Pitt my will is


that if Robert Miricke die before the Forty yeares be expired the residue of the Forty yeares
shalbe to my sonne William Pitt and my sonne William Pitt to receive the Fowre pounds a
yeare rent and out of that to pay the Chambers Rent Item I give to my sonne William Pitt
the greate Bedsteed in the greate Chamber the greate bedsteed in the next Chamber in my
dwelling house the Table-boards the Two leaden Sesternes and all ymplements fastnd to
the free hold or Tenement wherein I nowe dwell but my wife to have the use of it in the same
tenement during her widdowes estate Item I give to my wife the greate bedstead in the backe
Chamber Item I give to my sonne William Pitt my Iland Counter with the frame it stands
on and my greate Ciprus Chest And to Maude my lesser Ciprus Chest Item I give to my
daughter Mary Pitt my Chayne of gould And to my daughter Anne Pitt my white silver & guilt 
Tankerd which was given them by my father and to Martha the inlaid Chest in greate Chamber 
Item I give to my sonne William Pitt my best Turkies ring which was my greate Grandfather
Mr Roger Cookes my second ring with a pearle I give to my sonne Robert Pitt my Signett ringe
I give to my sonne Henry Pytt and my Rubie ring I give to my sonne Thomas Pitt my
Bookes I give to my sonne William Pitt My Plate beading woolen lynning pewter brasse 
Iren Chests and also whatsoever houshold goods and my apparrell that is unbequeathed my
will is that it be sould for as much as it is worth out of which I give unto my wife the quarter
part of all such sommes of money as shalbe made thereof the other Threequarter partes I give 
unto my Children to be equallie devided amongst them all but if my Overseers and my wife and 
sonne William Pytt shall thinke it better that the said goods shalbe devided amongst my
wife and Children as is before menconed I am content that they use their discretion provided
it be no hinderancd to my Children but what they doe my Children shalbe content therewith
And that my Children may be assured of their partes without extraordinary waste Item my
will is that my sonnes William, Robert, Henry and Thomas Pitt shall have their porcons as soone
as they shall come to the age of Twenty and one yeares and so one after the other and in the
meane tyme the profitt of their porcons to be unto them for and towards their mainetenannce
and if their be any overplus to goe towards the increase of their porcons Item my will is that my
daughters Mary, Anne, Maude and Martha Pitt shall have their procons at the tyme of their 
marriages and soe one after the other or at the age of Twenty  one yeares which shall first
happen and in the meane tyme the profitt of their porcons to be unto them for and towards their
mainetenance And if there be any overplus to goe towards the increase of their porcons 
Item my will is that if any of my Children decease before any of their porcons shalbe due to them
then the porcon or legacie of the deceased shalbe equallie devided amongst the survivors of my
Children my will is that yf my goods be not sould but devided that my Overseers make an
equall devision wherewith my wife and children shalbe content that neither my wife nor
Children be dempnified thereby Notwithstandinge the former part of this my will
I give and bequeath out of my estate to my Brother lawe Mr Richard Davis Twenty
shillings to make him a ringe for a token Item I give to my sister Mary Davis a double harrie
Soveraigne of gould Item I give to my sister Marlowe and sister Gouning eache of them a
Rose noble of gold Item I give to my Cozen Mary Robinson Tenne shillings in gould Item I 
give to my sister Alice Knight a gowne to the value of Three pounds and a double Duckett 
in gould and to my brother Knight Tenne shillings in gould Item I give to my Cozen
William Pitt Draper a double Duckett in Gould and to my wife a square duckett in gould 
which my mother gave me all these tokens are in an Ivory box in my Counter the boxe
by itself I give to my sister Mary Davis for a token Item I give to my Cozen William
Pitt Draper Forty shillings to make him a Ring and to my Cozen Nicholas Pickes
Thirty shillings to make him a ring for tokens Item I give to the poore people of St
Thomas parishe The poore of Temple and the poore of Redclif parish Three pounds in
money to be destributed amongst the 3 parishes Moreover my will is that whereas a
great part of my estate is in debts and beyond seas yf any of it should be lost as God for-
bid then my will is that the losse shall be borne uppon all my legacies rateably uppon 
the pound What gould or Jewells my wife had of her owne and in her keeping at the 


date hereof I give to her My debts and legacies being paid all my goods and Chattells
unbequeathed I give unto my loving wife Mary and to my sonne William Pitt whome
I make ioynt Executors of this my last will and Testament and doe appointe & ordayne
my welbeloved Cozens Mr William Pitt DraPER and Mr Nicholas Pikes gent ovrseers 
of this my last will and Testament desiring them to helpe and assist myne Executors 
in the performance of this my will and to give unto them and my Children good counsell
that they may agree lovingly and live in the feare of God So revoking all other wills 
this my last will and Testament being written in five sheetes of paper with my owne 
hand In wittnes hereof I have hereunto sett my hand & Seale this Thirteenth day of 
May Anno Domini One Thowsand six hundred Twenty two William Pytt 
Signed and sealed and delivered in  presence of us   Ric Marlowe 
Nicholas Pike Richard Griffeth  Published after the alteracons aforesaid the 
Thirtieth Day of October 1624 by the Testator before us William Pitt Edward 
Batten Abraham Edwards

Probatum fuit ... apud London ...
[this paragraph continues in Latin to grant probate 4 February 1624]
quarto die mensis Februarii Anno
Domini iuxta Cursum et computationem ???? Anglicane Millimo sexcentesimo 
vicesimo quarto
[to]
Maria Pitt relae et Willm Pitt filii 

Last Modified: Saturday, 30-Jan-2021 20:42:20 NST