21 February 1719 Will of Robert Pike of London (proved 27 May 1720)

Source: TNA, PROB 11/574

Also, if you are a male Pike/Pyke (or you know one) who may be willing to do a genealogical DNA test, then please check out the Pike DNA Project for which I am a volunteer coordinator. There are several Pike/Pyke families that are not yet represented in the project, and for whom participants are wanted.

In the Name of God Amen
I Robert Pike Citizen and Haberdasher of London being sick and Weak
in body but of sound and perfect mind memory and understanding thanks
be given to Almighty God for the same calling to mind the certainty of
death and the uncertainty of the hour thereof Do make publish and
declare this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following
(that is to say) Imprimis I commend my pretious and immortall soul
into the hands of Almighty God who gave it And my body I commit
to the Earth to be decently buryed And such things to be observed at my
Funerall as I shall hereinafter direct hopeing and beleiving through
the alone merits and intercession of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
to obtain pardon of All my Sins and to have a Joyfull Resurrection
at the last day to everlasting life and happiness Item I desire and direct
that my body shall be put into a Cedar Coffin with A double Lid and a 
Glass in the Innermost Lid and interred in the burying ground belonging
to the people called Quakers in Bunhill Feilds And that the body of my
deced son Benjamin shall be taken up and laid by me Item I desire and
direct that Thirty Coaches may be provided to carry such Freinds and
Neighbours as shall be willing to attend my body to the place of burial
as as to such worldly estate as it hath or shall please God to bless me
with (after my just debts and Funerall expences shall be there out first
paid and satisfyed) I give devise and bequeath the same as follow
(viz) Impris I give devise and bequeath unto my dear and loving
Wife With all such part of my estate both reall and personal as she



can or may claim by the custom of the City of London or by any
other Law or custome whatsoever Item I give and bequeath unto
my cousin Mary Mason Twenty pounds To Mary that now nurses my
Child Twenty pounds To my eldest Apprentice Byles White Twenty
pounds To my Apprentice William Groom Ten pounds To my
Apprentice William Poole Ten pounds To John Randall who is to be
turned over to me Five pounds (in case he shall be turned over to me
and not otherwise) and to my servant William Lee Ten pounds Item
I give and bequeath the sume of Fifty pounds to be distrubted among
such poor people and in such manner and proporcon as the Members 
of the Meeting house of the people called Quakers in Devonshire Street
near Bishopsgate Street shall think fir Item in case my said Wife now
is or shall happen to be with Child by me and the same shall be a son
Then I give devise and bequeath unto such my son all my Freehold and
Copyhold Messuages Lands Tenements in possession Revercon and
Remainder when he shall attain his age of one and Twenty yeares
to hold to him and his assignes during the Term of his naturall life and
from and imediately after his Decease To the Heires of his body lawfully
to be begotten Item in such case I also give and bequeath unto such
my son One Moiety or half part of all my Leasehold Estates Messuages
or Tenements in possession and Revercon and one Moiety or half part of
all the rest and residue of all other my personall estate not hereby before
given and bequeathed When he shall attain his age of one and
Twenty yeares And in case of such son as aforesaid I give devise and
bequeath unto my Daughter Anna Maria Pike the other Moiety or
half part of all such my Leasehold estates and of the rest and residue
of all other my personall estate not herein and hereby given and
bequeathed as aforesaid But if instead of a son my said Wife
shall happen to have a Daughter Then and in such case my Will
and meaning is and I do hereby give devise and bequeath all my
Freehold and Copyhold estates in possession Revercon and Remainder
unto such Daughter and my said Daughter Anna Maria Pike equally
to be divided between share and share alike when they shall attain their
respective ages of one and Twenty yeares or be marryed which shall
first happen To hold to them during the Termes of their naturall lives
and from and after their respective Deceases To the Heires of their
bodyes lawfully to be begotten Item in case of such Child being a
Daughter as aforesaid I also give devise and bequeath all the residuary
part of my personall estate unto such Daughter and my said Daughter
Anna Maria Pike to be equally divided between them share and share
alike when they shall attain their respective ages of one and Twenty yeares
or be marryed which shall first happen And if my said Wife shall not
happen to have another Child or if she shall happen to have another
and the same or either of them shall happen to dye before the age of
one and Twenty yeares or marriage as aforesaid Then such Child as
shall live or survive shall have all and every Legacy and Legacyes Estate
and Estates by me herein before given to the other of them and in case
my said Daughter Anna Maria Pike and such other Child shall happen
to dye before their respective attaining their age of one and Twenty
yeares or marriage and without Issue Then my will and Mind is
and I do hereby (after the decease of my said loving Wife) give devise
and bequeath unto my Sister in Law Mary Mason All my Freehold



and Copyhold and Leasehold and other personall estate by me hereby
before given unto my Child or Children To hold to her the said Mary
Mason her Heires executors administrators and assignes for ever
And my will and Mind is that my said dear and loving Wife shall
receive and take to her own use and without rendring any account for
the same) All the Rents Issues profits and proceed of all my messuages
Lands Tenements and other Estate and effects hereby before by me given
and bequeathed unto my Child or Children untill they shall attain their
respective ages of one and Twenty yeares or be marryed as aforesaid
which shall first happen she maintaining bringing up and educating
my Child or Children in Reading Writing Accounts Latin French Needle
work and other usefull and necessary learning in respect to their Sex and
in case my said Child or Children shall happen to dye before his her and
their attainment of the age of One and Twenty yeares or marriage
Then my Will and mind is that my said loving Wife shall continue to
receive the Rents Issues and profits of my said Estates as aforesaid to
her own use during the Term of her naturall life without rendring any
account as aforesaid She giving good Security to my Sister Mary Mason
that she shall have the same after the decease of my said Wife but in
Case my said Wife shall Survive my said Children and my said Sister
Mary Mason Then I give devise and bequeath all and every my
Messuages Lands Tenements Estate and Effects before by me given to my
Child or Children unto my said dear and loving Wife her Heires Executors
administrators and assignes for ever anything herein contained to the
contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding And I do hereby nominate
constitute and appoint my Father in Law Benjamin Mason Sole Executor
of this my Will and Guardian of my Child or Children And do desire him to
take care of my Wife and the educacon of my Child or Children and I do
order and direct that my said Father in Law and my Wife shall not be
Answerable for any loss that my happen in putting out any moneys
or any otherways acting by vertue of this my Will And lastly my Mind
and Will is And I do desire that my Brother in Law Joseph Tantum
shall never inhabit use or occupy any of my houses Lands or Ground or
any part thereof And for that purpose that speciall Clauses Covenants
and provisoes shall be made and contained in all and every Leases and
contracts which shall be made for letting the same          In Witness
whereof I the said Robert Pike have to this my Will contained in three
Sheetes of paper set my name to the bottom of each Sheet and my Seal to this
last Sheet this Twenty first day of February Anno Domini One Thousand
Seven hundred and Nineteen  Robt Pike  Signed Sealed published
and declared by the said Robert Pike the Testator to be his last Will and
Testament in the Sight and presence of us who have hereunto subscribed
our names as Witnesses hereto in his Sight and presence  Mary Lee
David Lamb Ar Avis

Probatum fuit [this paragraph continues in Latin to grant probate at London
on 27 May 1720]
vicesimo septimo Die mensis Maii Anno Domini Millesimo Septingentesimo Vicesimo
[to] Benjamini Mason Executoris

Last Modified: Sunday, 19-Apr-2020 12:27:31 NDT