Will of William Vernon of Audley, Staffordshire 1615

Date: 3 Apr 1615 [unknown]
Location: Audley, Staffordshire, England
Surname/tag: Vernon

Page 1

1. In the name {illegible text} day of {Januarye?} the yere of o[ur] Lord god One th{?}usande sixe hundred and {?}

2. I willia[m] Vernon of Audley in the County of Staffes {?} {?} beinge of whelle mynde and of good and [per]fecte mem[m]orie

3. brance lande and {?} {?} give to almightie god for the same, doe make and ordaine this my [pre]sente Testament

4. cont[ain]inge heirin my laste will in man[er] and forme followinge. That is to say Firste I comme[n]de my soule

5. Unto Almightie god my maker and redeem[er] by whose blodde sheedinge I have to be saved and my body to be buried

6. in the [par]ishe churchyarde aforsaid at the chancell ende their amongste my ancesters already deceasced

7. It[e]m. whe{?}as I have by the demise of Agnis Verno[n] my mother deceased and John Verno[n] my bleste

8. brother a lease by copye of courte rolle and by Indenture bearinge date the xxixth day of Auguste

9. in the xxjth yeare of o[ur] late sov[er]igne Lady Queene Elizabethe and the copye of courte rolle bearinge

10. date the x{v?}ijth day of Marche in the said xxjth yeare of the Raigne of the said late Queen Elizabethe

11. all that messuage or Tenemente called or knowne by the name of the lower hawse togeather w[i]th the backsydes

12. and a crofte theirunto adioyninge and belonginge and all that [par]cell of land called the brocke croftes all w[i]th [pre]miss{?}

13. are [par]cell of the customary or copy houlde landes of the said John Verno[n] And alsoe all that {?} or {?}

14. called and knowne by the name of potters feilde and one little meadowe named potters feilde meadowe

15. for and duringe the t[er]me of my naturall lyfe and for and duringe the t[er]me of xxjtie yeares to my executors and

16. assignes from and immediatly after my deathe and decease yealdinge {?} {?} {?} therfore yearly r

17. duringe the said terme to deleted text the said John Verno[n] my brother his heires and assignes xxs of lawfull money

18. of Englande at the feastes of St Michaell the archangell and {Annunciation?} of the blessed virgine mary equall porc[i]ons as

19. by the said indenture of lease and copye of courte rolle {?} at large {?} and my {?} All w[i]th 20. messuage or tenemente and all and singular other the [pre]miss{?}s before {?} are in the possessio[n] and occupac[i]on

21. of me the said William Verno[n] to be disposed bequeathed and assigned as hereafter followethe. First I give bequeathe

22. and assign to Joane Vernon nowe my wife all that the said messuage or Tenemente wheirin I nowe dwell togeth[er]

23. w[i]th all the said backsydes and crofte theirunto adioyninge and belonginge together w[i]th the said [par]cell of grounde

24. called brocke croftes and the moytie or one halfe of the said [par]cell of grounde before ment[i]oned called potters feilde as yt

25. is nowe devided beinge that [par]te lyinge nexte towardes the towne of Audeley aforsaid from and immediatly and

26. after my deathe and hereafter for and duringe all the said terme of xxjtie yeares before {?} if she the said

27. Joane doe soe longe live. Item I give bequeathe and assign the other moytie or halfe of the said <illegible> grounde

28. called the potters feilde beinge that [par]te (as yt is nowe devided) wheirin the greate oak growethe toge{?}

29. ther w[i]th the said meadowe called potters feilde meadowe to Alice Verno[n] my daughter and to her assignes

30. {illegible text} the and decease for and duringe all the said terme of xxjtie yeares {?} {?}

31. yealdinge {?} and {?} for the same the moytie or one halfe of the said yearly rate of xx s before

32. ment[i]oned and the moytie or one halfe of and {?} duties prices and paymentes in the said Indenture of

33. lease {?} ment[i]oned and specifyed and my said wyfe the other halfe. And further my will is that if the

34. said Joane my wyfe doe dye and de[par]te this lyfe before the ende and expyrat[i]ons of the sai terme of xxjtie

35. yeares before specyfyed that then the said messuage or Tenemente and all other the pr[e]misses to her

36. before bequeathed and assigned shall wholly remaine and be to the said Alice my daughtr and to her

37. assignes duringe all the {?} of the said terme of xxjtie yeares w[i]ch shall then be {?} unexpyred and

38. {?} to come. It[e]m. The reste of all my goodes moveable whatsoev[er] and unmoveable my debtes beinge

39. paid and my funerall {?}itts discharged I give and bequeathe to my said wyfe and to Alice my said daughter

40. equally to be dealte and devided betwixte theim. And of this my [pre]sente Testamente and laste will I

41. make and ordaine Thom[a]s Parker of {?} Basforde in the [par]ishe of wibunbury in

42. the County of Chester yoman my brother in lawe and the said Alice Vernon my daughter myne and

43. only executors to see this my Testamente and laste will executed and [per]formed accordinge to

44. the {?} meaninge theirof Theis beinge wittnesses

45. Richard Parker

46. Henry Hobson {?} {?} Testamenti {?}, et {?} {?}

47. James Garrett {?} defunct[us] {?} {?} {?} {?}

48. thomas parker et Alicia vernon jurat{?} R{?}Master

Page 2

1. A true lawfull Inventorie of all the goods kattelles

2. and chattells movable unmovable of will[ia]m Vernon

3. of Audley deceased praysed by Thomas {?}

4. and {?} {?} the {?} Day of march An[n]o Dom[ini]

5. 1614

6. Imprimis Fore kyne and Two heafers xij li[bre]

7. It[e]m one {?} v s

8. It[e]m Hay and Corne xx s

9. It[e]m Bras and pewter x{?} s

10. It[e]m Beds and bedinge iiij li[bre]

11. and {?}

12. It[e]m provission w[i]th in the house xx s

13. It[e]m all Irne ware w[i]thin the house x s

14. It[e]m Bords Bedstakes and all other

15. woodden Implementes belongine iij li[bre]

16. to the house

17. It[e]m his wearinge a[per]ell for his body xx s

18. It[e]m The lease of his house and the ground x li[bre]

19. theareunto belonginge

20. It[e]m D{?}ige in the mix{?} v s

21. Somatotalis xxxv li[bre]

Name Relationship to testator/and or role Bequest Line number(s) ‘William Vernon’ testator Page 1 – line 2, 21 Page 2 – line 2

‘John Verno[n]’ brother of testator ‘…the said John Verno[n] my brother his heires and assignes xxs of lawfull money of Englande at the feastes of St Michaell the archangell and {Annunnciation?}…’ Page 1 – lines 17, 18

‘Joane Vernon’ wife of testator ‘…messuage or Tenemente wheirin I nowe dwell togeth[er] w[i]th all the said backsydes and crofte theirunto adioyninge and belonginge together w[i]th the said [par]cell of grounde before ment[i]oned called potters feilde…[par]te lyinge nexte towardes the town of Audeley…’ ‘…the moytie or one halfe of {?} duties prices and paymentes in the said Indenture of lease {?} ment[i]oned and specifyed…’ ‘…reste of all my goodes moveable whatsoev[er] and unmoveable…’ Page 1 – lines 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 33, 38, 39

‘Alice Verno[n]’ daughter of testator and executor ‘…the other moytie or halfe of the said <illegible> grounde called the potters feilde beinge that [par]te…wheirin the greate oak growethe toge{?} ther w[i]th the said meadowe called potters feilde meadowe…’ ‘…moytie or one halfe of the said yearly rate of xx s before ment[i]oned and the moytie or one halfe of and {?} duties prices and paymentes in the said Indenture of lease {?} mentioned and specifyed…’ ‘…reste of all my goodes moveable whatsoev[er] and unmoveable…’ Page 1 – lines 27, 28, 29, 38, 39

‘Thom[a]s Parker’ brother-in-law and one of the executors Page 1 – lines 42, 42

‘Richard Parker’

‘Henry Hobson’

‘James Garrett’ witnesses Page 1 – lines 45, 46, 47

Notes • A dark shadow at the top of the document on the left-hand side, as well as a crease across the middle of the document and down the right-hand side, made some words and letters illegible or very difficult to ascertain. This was even when the document was lightened and sharpened, etc. Also, some of the strokes used by the scribe seem to be quite thick, and so have become distorted. • Line 1 – I believe that the name of the month half way along the line is January, although it is quite distorted and blurry. • Line 6 – last word on the line. I believe that at the end of the word, the scribe uses what is known as an ‘sc ligature, although it’s not that clear to ascertain. • Line 17 – 16th word along on the line. Unfortunately, the amount of money is slightly obscured by the abovementioed crease in the document. I think it is probably ‘xx s’ (20 shillings). • Line 28 – The symbol after the 7th word along. I believe that this is a round bracket, especially as there is another one after the 12th word along but in the opposite way. • Line 37 – 13th word along. I believe that the word is ‘wich’, rather than ‘with’, when looked at in context with the surrounding words, and has been transcribed as such.

Testamentary records. England. 3 April 1615. VERNON, William. Collection: Staffordshire, Diocese Of Lichfield And Coventry Wills And Probate 1521-1860. https://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 28 July 2021.