Joan Isted Will 1557

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Mayfield, Sussex, England

Contents 1 The will of Joan Isted (Joanne Isted) 2 Return to Profile 3 Acknowledgements 4 References

The will of Joan Isted (Joanne Isted)

dated 11th August 1557 and proved 7th November 1758

Transcribed from a download of the digital version held by the National Archives^[1] (accessed 30th May 2023)

Spelling, punctuation and line/page breaks as per the original document
ff changed to f
? indicates unknown or unclear word or name
[ ] used for expansion of abbreviations
People in the will in bold for ease of reading

people in the will
Her Godchildren
Marye Baker - servant
Thomas Mepham - servant
John Alan - servant
Joane Potter-servant Robert Shepherd Mary Baker - grand daughter
Elizabeth - daughter
Agnes Lucke wife of Richard Lucke
Alice wife of Rauf Dyne
William Watwer - tenant
Thomassynyne - wife of William Watwer
Thomas Isted - son
John Porter - son in law
John Baker - son in law
Richard Fowle - son in law
John Byrcham - son in law
Richard Maynarde
John R?
William Pankhurst
Margarete Istede - step daughter
Richard Istede - her deceased husband
Agnes (Isted) Porter - daughter
Richard Porter - grandson
Helinor (Isted) Fowle - daughter
Elizabeth (Isted) Baker - daughter
Alice (Isted) Byrcham - daughter

In the name of god Amen The Eleventh day of August in the
yere of our lorde god a thousand five hundred fifty and seven and in the iiij^th and v^th
passed of the raynes of our sovereign lorde and ladie king phylippe and quene marye
I Joanne Istede of maysfield in the counttie of Sussex widow hole of mynde and of good
Remembrannce thanks be to god make this my present testament and last will in man[ner]
and forme following first I bequeath my soul to god the father Almightie our lorde
Jesus Christ our merciful redemer our Ladie Saynt Marye and to all the holie company
of heaven my bodie to be Buryed w[ith]in the Church or churchyard of Saynt Dunstans
at Maysfield aforesaid Item I bequeathe to the high aulter of the said church for my
tithes and oblacions negligentlie forgotten or w[it]holden viij^dItem to the mother church
of the said churche iiij^d Item I bequeath the reparations of the said Church of
Maysfield xl^d Item I bequeath to ev[ery] one of my godchildren vj^d a pece to as many
as do request or demand yt Item I will that there be bestowed at my buryall
in charitable works xl^d and at my monthes mynde xl^d and at my years mynde xl^d
Item I bequeath to Marye Baker my S[er]va[un]te a flock bedde a payre of blanketts and
a heyfer Bullock of thage of thre yeres and the vayle to be delyvered to her
at the feast of Easter next after my decease. Item I will and bequeath to Thomas
Mepham my servant a heyfer of thage of two yeres and the vayle Item I
bequeathe to John Alan my s[er]va[un]te my female sheep and to Joane Potter my s[er]va[un]te
my femall sheepe Item I bequeath to Robert Shepherd a melche heyfer bullocke
Item I bequeath to Marye Baker the daughter of Elizabeth my doughter one of
my best heyfer bullock of the age of iij years one of my best Joyned beddes excepte
those in my nowe chamber w[ith] a fetherbedd and a bolster Item I bequeath to
Agnes Lucke the wife of Richarde Lucke my best worsted kyrtell Item I
Bequeath to Alice the wife of Rauf Dyne one of my best doble rayles Item my
will and mynde is that that Will[ia]m Watwer and Thomassyne his wife shall have
the house in Newick that they nowe dwell in and the goynge and pasturynge
of two byne and they have had and have at this p[re]sente time in my farme
called Newike durynge all the terme of theyre lives and the longest liver of
theym if my lease contynue so longe Item I will that the ix heapes of wheate
which grewe and increased in Newike without sowinge shalbe thresshed out
and devided amoungst the poore people Item my will and mynde is that
all such apparell as belonged to my bodye shalbe distributed amongst poore
folke at the discretion of my fowre sonnes in lawe my chief lynen apparell
onely excepted whiche I will shalbe equally divided among my fowre doughters
The residue of all my goods not bequeathed my detts legacies and bequests
well and truely p[er]formed contented satisfied and paied I give and bequeathe
to Thomas Isted my sonne whome I constitute ordeyne and make my faithfull
executo[r] and that John Porter John Baker Richard Fowle and John Byrcham
my sonnes in lawe shall have the governance Rule and order of all the same
goodes catalls and detts and to pay all detts Bequests Reconynge and chardges
untill my said son Thomas be of the full age of twenty and one yeares
And then and at all times afterwards at his reasonable request or demande

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they and any one of theym having hadde any doynge medlynge or hayving any of the
premyses shall yield give and make a good free and lawful accompte thereof to
the son Thomas or his assignes of all such things as they and any of them shall so have
in chardge And any one of theym so taking paynes shall have for his lab[our] vj^lixiiij^s
iiij^d beside his ordynarye chardge Theise being witnesses Richarde Maynarde John
Relf in thole Will[iam] Pankhurst w[ith] dyvers other This ys the last will of me
Joane Istede widowe declared in wryting the daye and yere above wrytten first my
will and mynde is that Margarete Istede the daughter of Richard Istede my late
husband shall have all my lands in the marsh lienge and being in the parishe
of in the countie of Sussex durall all the terme of her natural lief And
after her decease to remayne to Thomas Isted my sonne and his heyres for ever
Item my will and mind is that the said Thomas my sonne and his heyres shall have
all my landes manours tenements rents rev[ers]ions and [Ser]vice w[ith] all thapp[u]rtun[an]ces w[ith]
I have sett lieng and being in the parishe of Byttersden in the countie of Kent for ever
Nevertheless my veraye will and mynde is that if the said Thomas my sonne
happen to die before the tyme he be of the full age of xxiiij^tie yeres and have no
heyres of his bodie lawfully begotten That then all the forsaid lands mano[r]s tenements
rents rev[ers]ions and [Ser]vice w[ith] all theire app[ur]te[na]nces in the said countie of Kent shall
remayne to John Porter and Agnes his wife my daughter for terme of theyr lives
and the longest liver of them And after their decease to Richard Porter theire
sonne and his heyres forever Any gifte to my sonne Thomas before made in any wise
notw[ith]standing The said John Porter and Agnes and Richarde there sonnethere heyres?
executors and assignes yelding and payeing therfore to any one of my other thre
daughters theyre heyres executors and assignes one hundred marks^[2] of good and
lawfull money of England w[ith]in thre yeares next after the decease of the said Thomas
in maner and forme following to be payde That is to saie within the first yere
above said to Helino[r] Fowle my daughter one hundred marks w[ith]in the seconde yere
then next ensuing his said decease to Elizabeth Baker my daughter one hundred
marks and in the thirde yere next after the decease of the said Thomas to Alice
Byrcham my Daughter one hundred marks in full payment of the said thre[e]
hundred marks And if the said John Agnes or Richard theire sonne theire heyrs
executors and assignees refuse to paye the forsaid thre[e] hundred marks or any
part of yt contrary to the maner and form above written And reasonable
demande or request therefore made That then all the said manors landes ten[emen]ts
rents rev[ersi]ons and [Ser]vice w[ith] all theire app[ur]te[an]nces w[ith]in the said countie of Kente
shall remayne to the next heyres of me the said Joane for ever Item my will and
mynde is that my said iij sonnes in law shall have the devysing grantinge
and lettinge out of all my manors landes rents and leases in Sussex
as in Kent w[ith] all theire appurte[na]nces to suche p[er]sones as they shall thinke mete
and covenyent according to theire discretions and to take and receave the issues
revenues and proffittes thereof until the tyme of the said Thomas my sonne be
of the full age of XXj^tie yeres And then they and any of them so having or
receaving any suche issues and proffitts to make a good ?wise and true accompte

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to the said Thomas or his assignes Provided always the same Thomas to have sufficient
meate drink apparell and money for his reasonable expenses and chardgs duringe
all the said time of his noneage and thereof they and any one of them to be allowed
at the forsaid accompte to Witnesses to those above named.

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Acknowledgements

Many thanks for invaluable help with the more difficult parts of this transcription to Ann Browning

References

1. ↑ The National Archives, Kew Prerogative Court of Canterbury PROB 11/41/260 Will of Joanne Istede, Widow of Mayfield, Sussex Date: 07 November 1558 Catalogue Entry
2. ↑ A 'mark' was worth two-thirds of a pound, or 13s 4d. This was never a physical amount of money represented by a coin, but was a common amount used for accounting purposes