30 May 1685 Will of Dennis Smith of Poole, merchant (proved 08 May 1686)

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In the name of God Amen
I Dennis Smith Senior of the Towne and County of Poole in County
of Dorsett Merchant being in good health of body and of sound and perfect 
minde and memory praise bee therefore given to Almighty God 
	doe make and ordaine 
	this my present last Will
	and Testament in manner and forme 
	following that is to say First and
	principally I Commend my Soule
	into the hands of Almighty God
		who gave it
hopeing through the meritts death and passion of my Saviour Jesus Christ 
to have full and free pardon and forgivenesse of all my sinns and to inheritt
evrlasting life And my body I committ to the earth to bee decently buried at 
the discretion of my Executor hereafter named And as touching the 
disposition of all such Temporall estate as it hath pleased Almighty God


to bestow upon mee I give and dispose thereof as followeth Imprimis I will
that all my Debts and funerall charges shall bee paid and discharged Item 
I give and bequeath unto my welbeloved wife Elizabeth Smith one silver 
Tankard marked with the Letter of our names DSE And alsoe I doe give and 
bequeath unto my said wife Two Thirds of all that Messuage or Tenement in
which I now dwell scituate in the Towne and County of Poole and the Issues
and profitts thereof as I purchased of Sr John Webb Lord of the Mannor
of Camford in the County of Dorsett in the sixteenth yeare of the reigne of 
King Charles the second and the twenty fifth of October One thousand six
hundred and eighty and foure Item I give and bequeath the other part of my sd 
Tenement to my welbeloved sonne Dennis Smith and all the Revertions and 
Issues and profitts of that part to him or heires for and dureing my time or terme 
of yeares And I doe further Will and bequeath That if my sonne Dennis 
Smith doth give my said wife Elizabeth Smith god Security for the payment 
of Thirty pounds of good and lawfull mony of England yearly dureing her 
naturall life, and also soe much furniture as shall bee convenient and necessary 
for the furnishing of One roome Then my Will and pleasure is the said 
Dennis Smith shall enioy for that consideracon those two Thirds alsoe before
given to my wife And after her Decease the said Dennis Smith shall
pay unto his brother Nicholas Smith dureing the naturall life of the said 
Nicholas the summe of Twenty pounds of good and lawfull money of 
england yearly for the enioyment of the whole demised Tenement and the 
appurtenances thereunto belonging to the said Dennis Smith or his 
heires for and dureing my whole time or terme of yeares but for want of such 
Issue to the Right heires of mee the said Dennis Smith Senior forever 
Item I give and bequeath unto my welbeloved sonne Nicholas 
Smith my house and land at Corfe Castle in the County of Dorsett 
and alsoe one shop and Chamber added to it now in the tenure or occupacon of 
Elizabeth Smith my Sister in law and to his heires and for want of such issue 
to the Right heires of mee the sd Dennis Smith forever And alsoe one gold 
ring with a seale and three Castles Ingraved on it Item I give and bequeath 
unto my grandchild Mary Edwards Dennis Edwards and John Edwards 
sonnes and daughter of my Daughter Rebecca Edwards deceased five pounds 
of good and lawfull mony of England to each of my said grandchildren when they 
shall come to the age of One and Twenty yeares but if it shall happen that 
either of them shall die before the age of one and Twenty That then the sd 
five pound which should have bin paid to him or her shall bee paid to the 
Survivor or Survivors of him her or them soe deceased with the usuall
interest of Six PER Cent for such time as my Executor shall enioy it after my
decease but if neither of them shall live to that age then it shall returne to my
sonne Nicholas Smith or his heires and for want of such Issue to the right 
heires of mee the said Dennis Smith Any thing herein contained to the
contrary in any wise notwithstanding Item I give and bequeath to my
welbeloved brother Oliver Smith (if liveing at my decease) All my wearing 
Apparrell Item I give and bequeath unto my welbeloved daughter 
Elizabeth Harbin wife to Francis Harbin the summe of Tenne pounds
of lawfull mony of England to bee paid by my Executor att or within three 
moneths after my decease Item I give and bequeath to my welbeloved sonne
Nicholas Smith and to my welbeloved sonne Dennis Smith and my welbeloved 
daughter Elizabeth Harbin wife to Francis Harbin or to the Survivor or 
Survivors of them which shall bee at my decease equally to bee divided All
the rest and residue of my personall estate mony goods and Chattells by 


what name or denomination soever And I doe make my sonne Dennis
Smith to bee my full and sole Executor of this my last  and Testament 
And I doe appoint Samuel Hookey of Throope in the County of Hampton
Merchant and Thomas Smith of the Towne and County of Poole 
Merchant to bee my Trustees to this my said Will and Testament And
I doe desire my body to bee buried in our usuall burying place in Poole
if it shall please God I shall depart this life in or neere the said Towne and
County (if not) at the next convenient place where I shall depart this nrall 
life And I doe hereby utterly disannull and make void all former Wills and 
Testaments by mee heretofore made In witnesse whereof I the said Dennis 
Smith to this my last Will and Testament contained in one sheete have 
hereunto sett my hand and seale this thirtieth day of May in the first yeare of 
the Reigne of King James the second Anno Domini One Thousand Six
hundred eighty five Dennis Smith Signed Sealed and delivered in the
prsence of us Memorandum Thomas Smith in 42d line was interlined before the 
ensealing and delivery hereof Miles Bownes the signe of John Skutt John
Botley 

Probatum fuit ... apud London Octavo die
mensis Maii Anno Domini millesimo sexcenimo octogenno sexto ...
Juramento Dennis Smith filii et Executoris ... 

Last Modified: Tuesday, 03-Mar-2026 20:53:56 NST