The Last Will

The Will of Richard Lord of Towcester - 1610

Richard Lord's will, dated May 30, 1610, probated February 7, 1611, is filed in the Archives of North Hants, Second Series, Second Volume V, folio 38, and is as follows:

In the name of God Amen - 30th Daye of Maye in the Yeare of our Lord God 1610 - I Richard Lorde of Towcester in Co. of Northton, husbandman of whole mynde doe make this my last will and testament - my soull unto Allmighty God and my bodie to be buried in the Chuchyard of Towcester-

1st I give towards the repare of the said parish church of Towcester xij d.

Item I give to Elizabeth my Daughter x li. of currat money of England.

Item I give and bequeath to Ellen my Daughter xxx li. of currat money of England to be paid unto her by my Executor hereafter named in manner and forme following - viz. the one half thereof att her daie of marriage and the other half within twelve moneths after her said daie of marriage Yf she shall then be livinge And yf it shall happen that she shall marry with one Robert Marriot of Calcot yeom then my will is that the saide sume of xxx li. be made upp xl li. and to be paid her at the said daies before married by equall porcons But if she happen not to marrye then my will is that she shall have xxx li. oneli for her porcon to be paid to her within three yeares after my Decease.

Item I give and bequeath to Alice my Daughter 30 li. to be paid unto her by my executor the one half thereof at her daye of marrige and the other half within twelve moneths after her said daie of marrige yf she shall then be livinge But if she the said Alice happen not to marrye then my will is that her said Legacye be paid to her within five yeares after my decease

Item I give & bequeath to Joan my wife the one half of all my goods and chattels whatsoever moveable except the long Table in my hall and the seelinge and benches about my house and my will is that she shall have & enjoye During her natural lyfe (yf so long she keepe herself my widdowe) the chamber over the kitchen where she and I due lodge and third pt of the apples & onle wch shall growe yearely in the orchard belonging to the house wherein I now dwell in Towcester

Item I give & bequeath moreovr to my said wife during her natural lyfe (& yf so longe she keepe herself my widowe) out of my Land & tenemts & hereditamts in Towcester aforesaid the Yearlie sume and annuitie of fyve pounds of currant money of England to be paide unto her by my Executor hereafter named his heires or Assignes yearly quarterlie by equall and even porcons Provided allwaies that she my said wife shall not claym any Dower or thirde out of my said lands ten'ts or hereditenaments.

Item I give and bequeath to Thomas my sonne and to his heires and assignes forever all my Lands ten'ts & hereditaments whatwoever in Towcester and within this Realm of England.. that he shall instly and trulie prforme this my last will & testement without fraude or deceipt And all the rest of my goods and cattels my Detts and Lgacies paid & my funerall expenses p'formed I give and bequeath to my said sonne Thomas whom I Doe make & ordaine my sole Executor of this my Last will and testement by utterly Denye all other former wills heretofore by me made given or bequeathed Provyded allwaies that if anie one of my said children Ellen Alice or Thomas Doe Decease their lyves before they are to receive their saide Legacies, That then the Legacie of the other one of them soe deceasinge shall remayne & be Due to the other two of them onely then surviving But if any two of them shall happen to Decease as aforesaid, that then my saide Daughter Elizabeth shall have fifteen pounde of their Legacies proportionablye to be paid unto her yf she the said Elizabeth shall then be livinge My Legacie guift bequest, thinge or things els whatsoevr herein expressed to the contrarie hereof in any wise notwithstanding.

And fynally Doe earnestlie Desyre my wellbelowed friends Mr Henry Peddler and Thomas Pedder of East Purye in the Counte of Northton gent's and Paul Boughton of the same Toune clerk to be my supervisors of this my last will and testament And I Doe give and bequeath to each of them for their paynes to be taken ij s. vj. d. of currant English money.

In witness whereof I have hereunto put my hand & Seale the daye and yeare first aboue written.

Signed: Richard Lord

Sealed & Subscribed in the p'sence of us

• Thomas Pedder
• Paul Boughton
• Richard Abbot

The last will and Testament of Mrs. Dorathy Lord. In the name of God, Amen. I Dorathy Lord of Hartford in the colony of connecticutt in New England, being stricken in yeares and at present labouring under some bodily weakness, though through the mercy of God I at present have the use of my uunderstanding and memorie - yet I know not how suddainly the Lord may put an end unto my fewe dayes in this life, and therefore, according to my duty, I am willing so to setle and dispose of that litle estate the Lord hath lent me, that peace may be continued amongst my children, when I am gather'd to my Fathers; and in order thereunto I doe declare this as followeth to be my last will and Testament. First, that all my Just debts br patd out of my estate. I doe give and bequeath my now dwelling house and Barn, and my Home lott, and my lower lott in the North meadow, unto the children of my son Thomas Lord, deceased, at the age of eighteen yeares; and if any decease before they attayne that age the survivoure or survivoures to possess it, and if they all dye then my sonn William or his children to possesse what is given to them.

Itt. I give unto my daughter Amy Gilbert and her children Three acres of Meadow or swamp in my uper lott in the long meadow next to that Mrs. Olcott hath now in possession.

Itt. I give unto my son Robt Lord (If he live after my deceasse so long as to have notice of this my will) Three acres of my upper lott adjoyneing to that which I have given my daughter Gilbert.

Itt. I give unto my son Wm Lord and his heire for ever Two acres in my Great lott in the long meadow next adjoyneing to that which I have given my son Robert.

Itt. I give unto my son John Lord Ten pounds in currant pay of this country.

Itt. Whereas my Grandson Richard Lord hath disbursed severall summs of money or country pay, for the Buylding my chimneys and shingling my house and reapyres about it, I doe for the payment of him give, grant and confimre unto him and his heris forever all that my meadow lott in the long meadow which abutts upon the great river east, the litle river west, Mr Westwood's land North, and Barth. Barnard's land south. I doe also give and bequeath unto my sayd Grandson Richard Lord and his heires forever all the remaynder of my upper lott in the long meadow which I have not given to my son Robert and son William and my daughter Gilbert and her children, he payeing this legacy hereafter exprest to my sonn John Tenn pounds. And in case my son Robert shall depart this life before he hath notice of this my last will, Then that Three acres of land given to him shall be divided Between my sonn William and my Grandson Richard Lord. I doe allso confirm unto my Grandson Richard Lord and his heires all my wood land that is allready layd out or to be layd unto me within the Bounds of Hartford.

I give unto my Grand child Hanna Ingersall my youngest cowe, and my other cowe I give unto my Grand children Dorathy and Margory Ingersoll.

I give my Moveable estate and cattell to my sonn Wm Lord, my Grandson Richard Lord, my daughter Stanton, my daughter Gilbert, and the children of my daughter Ingersall, the whole to be divided into five parts, and my daughter Ingersall's children to have one part, and the rest of them, each of them, one part. I give unto the wife of Nicho: Clark Tenn shillings.

I doe ordaine and constitue my son William and my Grandson Richard my executors, and desire my loveing friend Mr. John Allyn to be overseer of this my will, and for the confirmation hereof I have hereunto set my hand this 8th of feb. 1669.

Signed in presence of us

John Allyn, Steven Hopkins

Dorathy Lord,

her marke.

[The following is a summary of a supplementary disposal of special articles:]

To Richard Lord's wife her iron dripping-pan and great pewter pie-plate; to Richard Lord Jr. her great brass pot. To Mrs. Haynes one pair of her best sheets, two napkins, a pewter pie-plate (the smaller one) and a pewter candle-stick. To her daughter Stanton her great brass pan and her great Bible. To her son William Lord "my Silver drinking-Bowle," and her great brass kettle. To her daughter Gilbert her smaller brass pan, a brass skimmer, a brass chafing-dish and a great pewter platter. To Elizabeth Gilbert two "Joynt-Stooles." To her widowed daughter Lord (widow of Thomas) the bed she lay on, a feather bolster and a brass skillet. To Dorothy Phelps her coverlet, a feather pillow and a "beere" (pillow-case). To Margery Ingersoll a white blanket and a pillow. To Hannah Kelsey her hood, scarf and hat, a great white chest, a feather-bed, two blankets, a bolster, two pillows, two pair of sheets, a small brass pot, a small brass kettle, a warming-pan, a pair of curtains and curtain rods, a brass candlestick and all her earthen ware. To the children of her son Thomas all the fire-untensils in her house, a table, "forme" and chairs. To Mary Lord Jr. (daughter of her son Thomas) her bedstead. To Marjery Ingersoll 20 shillings; to her sister Dorothy Ingersoll 20 shillings - of remaining after all her debts and funeral expenses are paid.