1626 Francis Wakeman wrote his will on August 29. [1] [2]
In the name of God, Amen, I, Francis Wakeman, of Beweley, of the parish of Rillisford and dioces of Hereford Couper, being sicke in bodye but of sound and perfect memory thanks bee vnto God therefore doe make this my last will and testament, the nineteenth day of August Anno Dni One thousand sixe hundred and twentie sixe and in the second year of the Raigne of our Soveraigne Lord Charles of England Scotland France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith, in maner and forme following, Impr. I commend my Soule into the hands of the Lord Jesus by whose death and meritts I beleeve the remission of all my sinnes and the enioying of everlasting happiness in the Kingdome of Heaven and my bodye to bee interred in Christian buriall in hope of a ioyfull resurreccon, by the vertue of Christ's resurreccon to life eternall. It' I give vnto my Sonne Samuell my best brasse pott, excepting one and tenn pounds of lawfull English money to be delivered and paid to him by my executor when he shall accomplish the age of fower and twentie yeares and if he dye before the said tyme then my will is that the tenn pounds shalbe equallie divided among all the rest of my childre then liveing It' I give my Sonne Joseph my best brasse potte and twenty-two pounds of lawfull English money to be paid to him by my executor when he shall accomplish the age of twentie and one yeares, and if he die before the said tyme, then my will is that the xxij li shalbee equallie divided amongst all my children then liveing. Item I give and bequeath to my daughter Priscilla forty two pounds to bee paid unto her by my executor at two seaverall tymes (viz.) the one halfe of it wthin sixe moneths after my decease and the other halfe at the end of the yeare after my decease. Item I give to my daughter Anne Wakeman my biggest brass pann, a paire of flaxon sheetes on towell on pillow beere two pewter dishes halfe of a dozen of napkins, and forty fower pounds of lawful English money to be paid unto her when she shall accomplish the age of sixteen yeares, concerning which legacie of forty fower pounds, my will is that twentie pounds thereof being now in the hands of my sonne-in-law William Davies of Gloucester Couper shall remayne with him till my daughter Anne accomplish the age of sixteene yeares, provided that the said William Davies enter into bond and give sufficient securitie to my executor for the paying in of the said xx li when my daughter Anne comes to the age of sixteene yeares, and if my executor be careles of the taking securitie for the payment of it then he to paie it att the time appointed to my said daughter Anne, and for the other xxiiii li, parte of the fower and fortie pounds my will is that it remayne in the hands of my executor till my daughter Anne accomplish the age of sixteene years, and my will also is that my executor shall paie yearely to my daughter Martha or her husband William Davies the somme of xxs towards the mayntenance of my daughter Anne, soe long as she shall continue with them and noe longer; and if it happen that my said daughter Anne doe not continue wth them till she come to the age of sixteene yeares thn my will is that the xxs shall be paid yearelie towards her mayntenance where she is abydinge, and further, my will is that if my said daughter Anne dye before she accomplish the age of sixteene yeares, that then the twentie pounds in William Davies' hands shall remaine the on halfe to his wife Martha and the other to his daughter, Sarah, and the twentie-four pounds which is in the hands of my executor to be equallie divided amongst all the rest of my childre then living, except my daughter, Martha Davies. It, I give and bequeath to my daughter, Hester, my best brasse pott, the best candlesticke, a paire of flaxon sheetes, on pillow beere, half a dozen of napkins, two pewter dishes, on tablecloth of flaxon, and fortie- fower pounds of lawful English money, to be paid to her wn she shall accomplish the age of sixteene yeares. And my will is that my sonne, John Wakeman, shall have the tuition of my said daughter till she come to the age of xviteen yeares, and if she dye before that tyme, my will is that my sonne John shall have xx£ of her legacy, and the rest of her legacy, given to her by this, my will as aforesaid, shall be equallie divided amongst all the rest of my childre then living, except my sonne John. It, I give to Sarah, my daughter, wiffe to Richard Hubball, fower pounds, and I give alsoe to Richard Hubball, her sonne, xxs, wch summe of five pounds is alreadye in the hands of my sonne-in-law, Richard Hubball It, I give to Martha, my daughter, wiffe to William Davies, ten powndes, and I give to Sarah, her daughter, xxs wch eleven pounds is alreadye in the hands of the said William Davies, my sonne in-law, It, I give to Mary, the daughter of John Wowen wch he had by my daughter, Mary, three powndes, and to John, his sonne, wch he had alsoe by my said daughter Marye, three powndes more of lawful English money to be delivered unto the said John Wowen their father att the six months' end after my decease, to be employed presentlie by him in some lawfull manner for their use and benefitt till Marye, the daughter, accomplish the age of sixteene yeares, and till John, the sonne, accomplish the age of xxi yeares, and thn to be paid vnto thm by their father or his assignes w'h such lawfull profitt or benefit that may be made thereof, and if eyther of the said childrn should dye before the tyme specified, that thn the survivor to have the other's portion wth such benefitt as is made thereby; and my will also is, that my executor shall have the oversight of these legacies for the good of the said children, It, I give to John Phinley of the Wyer Hill xs It, I give to my brother, John Wakeman, three pounds, to be paid wthin two yeares after my decease by such sume or sumes yerelie as my executor shall thinke fitt. It, I give twenty shillings to be employed for the benefitt of the pore of Bewdley forever att the discretion of the Baylieffe and Justice of the said towne for the tyme being, and of my overseers during their lives. It, I give to my Sonne John, all my working tooles and the remaynder of the yeares in the lease of my now dwelling house. It, the remaynder of my household stuffe unbequeathed I give to my sonne John and my daughter Priscilla, to be equally divided betweene them. It, all the rest of my goods unbequeathed wth all catties and chattels whatsoev, bills, bonds, debtes, &c, I give unto my sonne, John Wakeman, and of this, my last will and testament, make him my full and sole executor, and I intreate M. Hammons, Minister and Rector of Ribbesford, M. Hopkins of Bewdley, and John Wowen, my son-in-law, to be overseers of this, my last will and testament, and for their paines I give each of them ten shillings.
Francis Wakeman x his marke
Wytnesses hereunto William Hopkins
John Wowen
1626 The will of Francis Wakeman was proved on November 7 in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. [3]
Research Notes:
The Wakeman Genealogy lists the baptism, marriage, death dates for this family. [4]
[1] Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858, [AncestryImage].
[2] Robert P. Wakeman, Wakeman Genealogy, 1630-1899 (Meriden, Connecticut: The Journal Publishing Co., 1900), 30-33, [InternetArchive].
[3] Robert P. Wakeman, Wakeman Genealogy, 1630-1899 (Meriden, Connecticut: The Journal Publishing Co., 1900), 30-33, [InternetArchive].
[4] Robert P. Wakeman, Wakeman Genealogy, 1630-1899 (Meriden, Connecticut: The Journal Publishing Co., 1900), 156-158, [InternetArchive].