In the name of the father and of the sone and of the holy goste three p'sones and one god in Trinitie/ I John Harrys one of the kings menesters Seargeant at Lawe knowlyging my selfe to be a man mortall/ and not to lyve in this myserable world forever/ but when wher or howe I shall change this lyfe yt ys only in the knowlege of Almightie god my maker and redemer/ therefore I being now of p'fytt mynd and good remembrance Laudes and thanks be to J'su Christ our lorde/ Neverthelesse avowing of the casuallytie of this unsure and frayle worlde The xxth daye of Aprill in the yere of our lorde god a Thousande fyve hundreth and fyftie/ And in the soverign yere of the Reigne of o'r soverigne lorde Edward the Sixte by the grace of god of England ffraunce and Ireland kinge defend'r of the faithe and of the churche of England and also Irelande the supreme head/ make and declare my Last will and testament as well of all my Maners Landes tents and her'ditaments with app'tences what soever they be wherof I may laufully by the lawes of the Realm declare my will and Testament/ As of all my goodes and cattalls in maner and forme folowing That is to saye ffirst I will and bequeathe my soule into t'handes and keping of Almyhtie god/ In manus tues domine comendo spiritus meum/ umbley beseching the good lorde my maker & redemer of his mercy and grace and for the bytter passion that J'su Christ o'r lorde suffered for the redemption of us myserable synners that my soule after this transitorie lyfe and sepa'con from the bodye may be with christe o'r lorde and to have the lyf everlasting Amen/ And I do most humbley beseche our lorde Jesu Christ that I may wth a penytent hert saye at the tyme of my death these wordes In Manus tuas dme. comendo spir. meum/ And I will my bodie to be buried within the pishe church of Stofford or Lyfton in Devonshire or ells where yt shalbe thought most convenient by my Executores and in suche maner as by my Executors shalbe thought mete and convenient according to my degree/ And I will that ther shalbe bestowed and distributed unto er'vy prest that shalbe at my buryall doing their obsequyes viii d/ And I will that my Executors shall distribute and delyver unto ev'ry poore housholder not being worthe in goods and cattells of the value of xl sh./ inhabiting within the pishes of lyfton Stowford Kelly maristowe Lew Trencherd broodwoodwiger and Thrusshelton to ev'ry suche housholder xx d./ And I will that there sahll be distributed at my buryall and months mynde in Almes suche somms of money or do suche other things as shalbe mete and convenyent for the same accordingly as shalbe thought mete by my executors and overseers/ And I will that my Executors assone as they may after my decease shall consent and paie my debts yf any be and after my legacies according as I shall hereafter expresse and declare/ Item I will unto the p'son of Stoford for tithes and obl'acions forgotten tenne shillings/ Item I will and bequeathe unto my daughter Wylmot towarde the performent of her marrage the somme of two hundreth marks/ the somme to be delyvered unto her at the Daye of her mariage or shortly after so that she shalbe ordered and maried by the good will & assent of her mother/ and by th'assent of my sonne in Lawe John Wyse Esquire my sonne Will'm Harrys & John Crebyngton gentilman and other of her frends yf the said Wilmot be not otherwise preferred in my lyfe/ Item I will and bequeathe unto my sonnes Henry Harrys John Harrys Olyver Harris Anthony Harris and Arthur Harrys to every of them sevrally the somme of fourtie poundes or the value therof the same to be delyvered to every of them pticularly as they shall accomplishe and come to their sev'rall ages of xxiiii yeres yf they shalbe then in lyf/ and of good rule and wilbe ordered by my Executors and the p'sons before named yf they be not otherwise by me in my lyfe tyme/ And yf eny of them dye before he or they accomplish the said age of xxiiii yeres or refuse to be orderyd by my Executors or be not of good Rule & governance Then I will his or their pte That shall decease before the said Age or refuse to be ordered as beforeys saide or shalbe by me preferred shall goo and be to my Executors towards the p'formance of this my will/ Item I will that myn Executors in the meanetyme before my said sonnes shall come unto their said ages of xxiiii yeres shall applye and converte the said severall sommes of money to the sev'rall p'fitt comoditie and advantage of my said sonnes/ Item I will and bequeath unto my daughter Alice Wyse the some of xxx L and unto her sonne Thomas Wyse my god sonne and John Wyse her second sonne to ev'ry of them the some of fyve marks and unto her two daughters Elizabeth Wyse and Alice Wyse to every of them the some of xl sh./ Item I will to every of my god children xij d/ Item I will unto my servantes called my wayting servantes the some of fyve marks in rewarde equally to be devided amongst them/ Item I will & bequeathe unto my masters the Judgs and servants of the house of ffletestreete and unto my Msr. and late fellows of the house of lyncolnshire wherin I was sometyme a fellow ther to eny of the said houses the some of xx sh. desiring them to praye for my soule and all xxen soules/ Item I will that Elizabeth my wief shall have the custodye keping and occupation of all my plate Cattalls and all other my stuff of housholde that I have at hayne in this my pnt. testament not otherwise bequeathed during her lyfe yf she lyve soole and remayne a wydow & dwell at Hayne/ And after her death or yf she mary and remayne not a wydow and dwell not at hayne but willingly absent herself of her dwelling ther by the space of one hole yere wt'out a reasonable cause/ Then I will that William Harrys or suche p'sonne as shalbe my next heyre and have my mansyon house at Hayne/ shall have the custodye keping and occupation of all my said plate cattall and stuf of houshold at hayne aforesaid/ And my very will and intent ys that the same p'son shall have but the use and occupation of all the said plate cattell and stuf of houshold during his or her lyfe and to change the cattell and other stuf of houshold when mete shalbe/ and to leave all after his or her decease to suche p'son as shalbe my next heyer and so to be lefte there from one to another/ Item I bequeath unto my Sister Wylmott xl sh./ & unto her sone Richard ffoster the some of xl sh./ Item I will that Elizabeth my wief and the said John Wyse my sonne in Lawe John Cerbyngton and John Obeley sahll have all my bonds tents and others hereditaments and Tyverton in the Countie of Devonshire & in Wythypehe in the Countie of Som'r't?/ And also all my Manors of St. Nyott & boserwell and th'app'tences in the Countie of Cornwall And all my mesuage Lands tenements & hereditaments with th'appurtences in Saynt Nyott Bossernell Lustuthyell Saynte Neighton in the Countie of Cornwall whiche I late purchased of my Awnte Margery Terrell Widow/ And also all my Lands and tents with th'appurtences in Trethnest in the said Countie of Cornwall during the terme of tenne yeres/ And wth the issues and profytts comying and rysing of the same shall content & paye first my debts and then my legacies, yf my goodes and cattells which I shall have & wherof I have nor shall make my legacies be not sufficent to satisfie the same debts and legacies/ And I will the same John Wyse John Cernyngton and John Ebelelgh shall have toward their paynes takyn in seying this my will p'formed to every of them the some of fyve marks over & above all suche rest and chargs that every of them shall sustayne in and about the same/ And yf any surplysage of th'issues and profytts remayne over and above my said debts & legacies I will yt shall remayne to my next heyre/ Also I will my wief Elizabeth shall have all my mansion house at Hayne and all my mesuages lands tents and other hereditaments wth'appurtenances in hayne Newton and Stowford and also all my mans of Cheryton ffitzpayn Domscombe and Tobhamwyke with'appurtanences and all my lands and tents with'appurtenences in Cheryton ffitzpayne Dumscombe Tobhamwyke and Bryddestow in the Countie of Devonshere during her lief yf she lyve a wydow and unmaried/ And yf she mary Then I will her estate of and in the said mans Landes and tents to her willed by this will to be voyde and cesse/ And then I will she shall have yerely during her lyf but only an Annuitie or yerely rent of Lj L, xiii sh., iiii d. going into yerely of the said mans and other the premisses to be payd yerely at two sev'rall termes of the yere that ys to saye at the feast of Ester and Saynt Michell th'archangell by even porcions __ aclase of distres for the none payment therof/ Item I will that my said wief shall yerely during the terme of fyve yeres distribute the some of foure pounds toward the giving and fynding of foure poore scollers in the universitie of Oxford suche as she shall think mete and appte to learne and be studens there/ Also I will that after the death of the said Elizabeth my wief all the said mans Landes tents and other the premisses willed unto the said Elizabeth shall remayne and in unto t'heyres of my body lawfully begotten/ And for default of suche yssue the remaynder therof unto my right heires fore'er/ Item the residue of all my goodes and Cattalls not before bequeathed I give unto Elizabeth my wief and to William Harrys my sonne whome I constitute ordegne and make my only Executors to se'this my will p'formed/ Thes beinge witnesses John Obelegh John Harrys the younger Richard Calmady Thomas Collyn Vyncent Calmady & other
(proved 23 October 1551, P.C.C. 29 Buche)
Submitter :Kathy Weigel
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