Location: City of London, England

The Will of Lettys Lane, widow of London, written on 20 August 1551 and proved on 8 April 1552, Prerogative Court of Canterbury. Administration granted to William Lane.[1][2]
Spelling, punctuation and line breaks are as per the register copy. Capital F is rendered as F rather than ff. Abbreviations are expanded and additions noted in [square brackets]. Paragraph breaks (where added) and bold text for names are my own for ease of reading. Very difficult to read towards the end, the Ancestry copy is better.
People mentioned in the Will.
- Lettys Lane, widow (testatrix)
- Nicholas Lane (husband. deceased)
- William Lane (brother)
- Luke, Anne, Gabriell, Elizabeth Lane (William's children)
- Cosyn Heyford
- Cosyn Jenyns
- Mr Baron Saxby
- Mr Richard Adams
- William Wever of London, merchant
- Elizabeth Wever, Mary Wever, Thomas Wever (his children)
- Agnes Jones, William Jones (sister and her husband)
- Thomas Agbrowe (brother)
- Agnes Harrys (servant)
- John Clare of Worcester (uncle)
- George Wever (cousin)
- Lettys & Frannces (his daughters)
- Symon Clare (cousin)
- Francis Clare (his son)
- Lettys Ryse (aunt)
- Elizabeth Jenyns (goddaughter)
- Lettys Wright (goddaughter)
- Anne Gwynne (goddaughter)
- syster Lane (William's wife?)
- Mistress Saxby
- Annes Heyford (cousin)
- Mighell [Michael] Heyford (cousin)
- Harry Marwood
- Peter Osborne (brother in law?)
- John Osborn (his brother)
- John Michell (servant)
- Joan Exon (servant)
- Sybbell Lane
- Marget (servant)
- Costyan Nante
- Thomas Glasyer
- John Cheke
- John Blakman
- Thomas Hale grocer (neighbour)
- Thomas Howe gent
- Edward Jakman
- Mistress Burley
- William Malory (cousin)
- Richard Adams
- William Golding, Thomas Kurber, Annes (servants)
- Doctor Fryer
- Jerman Fryer (godson)
- Elinore Penyngton
- Ellys Gadbery
- Edmond, Curate of St Stevens, Henry Cocke priest, John the sexton
- goodman Noble
- Chamber (brother?)
- Lettys Chamber (goddaughter)
- Thomas Castell
- Edward Saxby
- Thomas Lane of Fysshbourne (father in law)
- Uncle Lane of Chichester
- Richard Lane (brother in law?)
- Mistress Osborne the elder
- Elizabeth Bowland
- Humfrey Bowlande
- Morgan (Mr Saxby's boy)
- William Malory (godson)
- Elizabeth Gadbery
- William Muklowe
- Lettys & Robert Muklowe (his children)
- Johan (servant)
- Jane Spendelowe of London
- a poor woman dwelling in Antwerp (brother William's daughter perhaps?)
- John Malarry (witness to codicil)
- Places mentioned: St Stephen Walbrook (London), Kesher myster (Kidderminster?), Worcester, Bucklersbury (London), Margaretting (Essex), Fishbourn & Chichester (Sussex), Antwerp
In the name of god Amen The xxth daie of August in the yere of
our lord god, a Thousand fyve hundreth fyftie and one / I Lettys Lane widow late the
wief of Nicholas Lane of London marchant deceased being of p[er]fytt mynde & memorie
thankes be unto Almightie god. do make and ordeyne this my last will and testament in
maner abd forme folowing / that is to saye/ First I bequeathe my soule to Almightie god
my bodye to be buried within the p[ar]ishe churche of saynt Stevyns in Walbroke within
the Citie of London . as nygh my late husbonde as may be / And yf it please god that
I dye without the Citie / that then I wolde be brought unto the next gate of thesaide
Citie And from there to be carryed to the foresaid p[ar]ishe of saynt Stevyns with suche
priestes and Clerkes as shalbe thought meete by the discrecion of myne Executours / Also
I will that there be xxiiij £ bestowed in gownes for xxiiij poore people that ys xij poo[re]
men and xij poore women . to bring me unto the Church with all and xxd to eche of
theym towards the making of the same / Also I will that eny of theys p[er]sons folowing
have at my buryall ablacke gowne of my gyfte . That is to saye my brother William
Lane and his wief / my Cosyn Heyford and his wief / my Cosyn Jenyns & his wief
Mr Baron Saxby and his wief / and Mr Richard Adams and his wief / and eny
of my s[erva]nntes / and three of Mr Saxbies men to have eche of the[y]m ablack Cote / Also
I give to eche of my brother Lanes foure Children tenne poundes over and besides fourtie
poundes . that my husbande gave ^to eche of theym . being in his death bedd / And Luke . Anne
and Gabriell to have eche of theym one pott of sylver with their Covers / And Elizabeth
Lane my goddoughter . to have the byggest gilt bolle of sylver and a dosen of sylver
spones with mayden heddes / Also I will that Elizabeth Wever and Mary Wever
doughters unto William Wever of London marchant have eche of them twentie poundes
And eche of them a gilt bolle of sylver / Item I will that Thomas Wever sonne unto
the said William Wever shall have tenne poundes in money / Item I will that my syster
Agnes Jones wief unto William Jones of the p[ar]ishe of Kesher myster w[i]th[i]n the Countie
of Worcetter have my best salte of sylver and gilt and one ale pott of sylve[...] gilt
with a Cover / and xiij spones of sylver w[i]tthe knoppes gilt called the postelles and tenn[e]
poundes in money / And to eche of her Children fyve poundes whiche money I wolde shuld
Remayne in some honest yongmens handes . to be occupied to the said yongmens moste
profytt withoute any interest given . until thesaid Children com[m]e to full age or mariage
And yf any of them channce to dye in the meane tyme . thene the Survivours to have
their parte or partes emongeste theym . So that the said yong men fynde sufficient
surties to myne Executours forthe repayment thereof / I will also that my brother
Thomas Agbrowe have my house w[i]t[h]in Buklersbury called the Cristofer to hym &
to his heyres / So that he make alease to Agnes Harrys widowe sometyme my s[erva]nnte
of the said house for the space of Twentie yeres yet to com[m]e According to my husbandes
will paying therfore yerely to my said brother Agbrowe and to his heyres Eight
poundes / And all my land lying in Brystoll / and my two fayrest stone potts all
gilt with my said husbands marke upon the Cover / and eight payre of [...] shetes
two payre of huswiffes clothe of the best sorte / and viij pilloughbers of Kentishe clothe
and two table clothes of brode Normandy clothe / two dosen of newe Napkyns of
huswiffes clothe / and foure playne towelles of thre quarter clothe / Also to eche of his
Children fyve poundes whiche money I will yt shulde remayne in some honest yongme[ns]
handes to be occupied to their most profytt withoute eny interest givyng untill the
said Children come to full age or mariage / And yf eny of theym dye in the meane
tyme / then the Survivors to have their parte or partes emongest theym / So that the
said yongmen fynde sufficient Surtie to myne Executours for the repayment therof
Item I give to my uncle John Clare of Worcetter pewterer Tenne poundes in redie money
And to his wief my worsted Cassoke and my Kertill of lyon tawney Chamblet / Item I
give to my Cosyn George Wever a Ringe of golde weying halfe an ounce / And to his
doughter Lettys fourtie shillinges / And yf she dye before she come to full age / than yt to
remayne to her syster Frannces / Item I give to my Cosyn Symon Clare my newe Nest
of goblettes weying lxvj ounces or thereaboutes / And after his decease to Remayne to his son[n]e
Francis Clare / Item to my Cosyn Symon Clares wief foure of my best wrought Cusshens
[Page 2]
and my Kirtell of ^[...] Grograyne[3] / Item I give to my Aunt Lettys Ryse foure fyne Kerchers[4]
foure fyne doble Raylles of the best . and foure of my best Smockes / Item I give to the
poore people of Wydford to praye for me and my said Aunte Ryse fyve poundes / Item I
give unto my Cosyn Jenyns and to his wyfe eche of theym a howpe of golde weying
half an ounce / And to my goddoughter Elizabeth Jenyns Tenne poundes / And yf she dye
before she come to full age then the said Tenne poundes to be distributed to poore people
And to my goddoughter Lettys Wright fourtie shillinges / And to my goddoughter Anne
Gwynne fourtie shillinges / Item I give unto my brother William Lane my nest of bolles
of sylver p[ur]cell gilte with acover / And to my syster Lane my Tables and my hald dosen
of Cusshyons with the grocers Armys . and my best Carpett / Item I give to maistres
Saxby my payre of brastletts of golde being of the value of xj£ marked with a
N and a L / Item I give to my Cosyn Annes Heyford a flower of Rubyes with a
Dyamond in the myddes . and the cheyn to hit / And to my Cosyn Mighell [Michael] Heyford
a Ringe of golde weyinge one ounce / and to eche of his s[erva]nntes iij s iiij d / And to eche
of Mr Saxbies s[erva]nntes iijs iiijd / Item I give to Harry Marwood my newe Bedstedd
standing in the Chamber over the Kychyn / and my newe Bedd of Downe w[i]t[h] the Bolsters
of three Breddes cottened of the one syde and playne of thother syde / and two payre
of huswieffes shettes . and three pilloughbers of fyne clothe being pyrreld / and the best
Coverlett of the olde making of the worke of bestes which was woule to [...] my
brother Lanes bedd . in the Towre Chamber / and a payre of newe Curteyns of fyne
blewe [...] / Item I give to my brother Peter Osborne a fyne Cov[er]lett of the work of
bestys and a blacke gowne / yf he be at London at the tyme of my buriall / And to
his brother John Osborn . a howpe of golde weying half [...] / Item I give to
my s[erva]nnte John Michell Twentie poundes / And to John Amare tenne poundes /
And to Joan Exon my maydon s[erva]nnte fourtie shillinges / And to Sybbell Lane xls
And to Marget my brother Lanes mayden twentie shillinges / And to Costyan Nante
vj£ xiijs iiijd / And to Thomas Glasyer Twentie shillinges / And to John Cheke xxs
Also I give to John Blakman or to his wief a ringe of golde weying half a ounce /
And to my neghbor Thomas Hale grocer or to his wief a ringe of golde waing half
a ounce / And to Thomas Howe gent a ringe of gold weying half a ounce / And to
Edward Jakman or to his wief a Ringe of gold waying half an ounce / And to
mystres Burley . a ringe of golde weying half a ounce / And to my Cosyn William
Malory and to his wief eche of them a Ringe of golde weying hald a ounce / And to
Richard Adams or to his wief tenne poundes in redye money / Item I give to Will[ia]m
Golding sometyme my Ser[va]nnte fourtie shillinges / And to Thomas Kurber sometyme
my s[e]rv[a]nnte fourtie shillinges and his Indenture / And to Annes sometyme my s[e]rv[a]nnte
nowe wief to a fishemonger dwelling in newe fysshestrete fourtie shillinges / Item
I give to Doctor Fryer and his wief eche of them astone pott gilt with a sterr in
the Cover / and after theyr decease . I will that my godsone Jerman Fryer have them
bothe / And to Elinore Penyngton my Salte of sylver gilt with my husband Asshe
his mark in the toppe of yt / Item I forgive Ellys . Gadbery vij£ whiche he owithe
me and standith bounden to me by a bill of his hande for the payment therof / Item I
give to [...] Edmond the Curatt of theforesaid p[ar]ishe of saynt Stevyns xxs / And to [...]
Henry Cocke priest there xxs / And to John the Sexten there xxs / And to the goodman
Noble and his wief fourtie shillinges / Item I give to the poore people of Newgate
Ludgate . the Kings benche and the marshalsee . Twentie poundes for the discharging
of suche as lye their for there fees / and the residue therof to be bestowed to the rest of
the prisoners there / Item I give towardes the making of the highe waye adioyning
to the newe Cawsey of Crowche in the p[ar]ishe of M[ar]gettyng[5] vj£ xiiijs iiijd / And to
the poore people of M[ar]getting p[ar]ishe fyve poundes/ to be distributed according to the
discretion of myne Executours /. Item I give to the poore nedy householders w[i]t[h]in the
Citie of London twentie poundes to be lykewise distributed / Item I give to my brother
Chamber and his wief eche of theym a Ringe of golde weying half a ownce / And to
my goddoughter Lettys Chamber xls / Item I give to Thomas Castell or to his wief
a Ringe of golde waying half a ounce / Item I give to Edward Saxby my husbandes
godsonne a broche of golde lying in the grene boxe amongest my Juelles in the cubberd
in my Chamber / Item I give to the poore Scollers of Oxford and Cambridge yerely
for the space of Eight yeres fyve poundes / Item I will that myne Executours delyver
Immediatly after my deathe Two hundreth poundes . to two honest younge [...piers] of
the Company of the grocers to occupie to the said yongmens most profytt / for one hole
yere . fynding sufficient suertie for the Repayment therof without any interest taking
And so the said two hundreth poundes to be yerely delyvered . for the space of Twentie
yeres . to two honest [...piers] of the said grocery withoute eny Interest takinge / at the
discrecion of myne Executoures / if they lyve so longe / And if they dye before / then the said
two hundreth poundes to be delyvered to two of the wardens and to two of the yomanry
[Page 3]
of the same Company of grocers that they shall delyv[er] yt to the intent aforesaid
untill the tyme of the said Twentie yeres be expired / And I will that after the
said twentie yeres so expyred that Eight score poundes p[ar]cell of the said two hundred
poundes be bestowed by my said Executours . or by thother p[er]sones aforesaid as shall
then happen to have the money aforesaid . upon the mending of the highweye when
as yt shalbe thought by theym most convenient within fyftie myles of London /
And fourtie poundes the residue of the said two hundreth pounds . I give unto them
as shall see the bestowing therof / Item I give unto poore maydens mariages to
whome myne Executours shall thinke meate twentie poundes / For the p[er]formance of
this my last will . I make and ordeyne my brother William Lane and my Cosyn
Maghell Heyforde pewterer Jointly and severally to be myne Executoures / and Mr
Baron Saxby overseer of the same / to the whiche Mr Saxby I give for hys
paynes herein and other his trobles tenne poundes / The residue of all my goods
Cattells bothe moveable and unmoveable what soever they be in my saide will
or in the Codisell therunto Annexed not specified nor mencioned / my dettes fin[er]all
paid and dischargyd , I freely give unto my said Executours / In witnes wherof I
thefore named Lettys Lane have signed this my present Last wyll with myne
owne hande and setto my seale the daye and yeare above wrytten / Lettys Lane
Signed and sealed in the presens of Mr Baron Saxby & Harry Marwood
by me Edward Saxby / by me Harry Marwood /
[Codicil]
I Lettys Lane before named will that althinges
in this Codicell annexed unto my will by me given, shall stande in as greate
effecte as though it had byn resited in the said will / Viz / First I the said Lettys
Lane do give unto Thomas Lane of Fysshbourne in the Countie of Sussex my
husbandes Father / my husbandes gowne Lyned with Grograyn / and my husbandes
Best doblet of Satten / and my husbandes Clok gardid with velvet / Item I give unto
hys wyfe a Ringe of gold weying half a ounce with a deathes hedd in hit / Item I
give unto my Uncle Lane of Chichester one of my husbandes gownes faced with
damaske / and a Cote of damaske furryd . Item I give unto my brother Willyam
Lane one other of my husbandes gownes faced with Damaske which shall please
hym / and his tawny satten Cote / and his doblet of redd Grograyne / Item I give
unto my brother Richard Lane my husbandes Ringe of golde with his Signet / I doo
give unto Mr Saxby [Aface?] for agowne of Newe blacke satten whiche was my last
husbandes / Item I give unto the said Mr Saxbies wief my cassoke of grograyn
my kyrtell of blacke Damaske / and my Ringe with the poynted Diamond in hit the
bygger / Item I give to my Cosyn Heyfordes wief my newe fyne gowne Clothe lyeing in
the presse in the Chamber over the Kichyn / and a yarde and a quarter of newe velvet
Lying in the Cheste betwene the Buttery and the parlor and my lesser [talle?] diamond
Item I give unto my Cosyn Jenyns wief my Cassock furred with Marterens my kirtell
of black grograyn lyned with redd / and my Ringe with a Ruby the bigger / Item I give
to Mystres Osborne thelder my weding Ringe / Item I give unto my brother Thomas
Agborowe my husbandes best gowne furred with Marterens / and his cote of blacke
Damaske Lyned / Item I give unto Elizabeth Bowland my rounde gilt goblet with the
feete of [...] garnettes with the cover / Item I give to Humfrey Bowlande my stone
Cruse with the cover / and the sote of sylver all whyte marked with / N. and L. in
the Cover / Item I give to Morgan Mr Saxbies boy / A Drencher Salte
and apeperboxe of sylver / Item I give to my gooddoughter Johane Smythe my
Litel; flatt sylver pott with a Cover / and my two Ringes of golde / thone of them
with a Ruby thother with a Dyamond / Item I give unto my godsone William
Malory a lytell pott of sylver withoute a Cover / foure spones of sylver with
wrethed Knoppes lying in in the Cubbard in the parlor / Item I give unto
Mr Fryer two sovereignes of gold lying in aboxe emongest my Juelles and
my greate payre of Andyrons / Item I give unto my Cosyn Heyfordes wief
one other Sovereigne Lying in the same boxe / Item I give unto Elizabeth
Gadbery my Cassake furred with coney and Sixe yardes of newe unwatred
Chamblet lyeng in the litle Table in the greate Chamber over the towre
Item I give to my syster Lane my best Cassoke of clothe with agarde wro[u]ght
uppon the same / my Kyrtill of Tawnye striped Sylke & my Bygger table
Dyamonde / Item I give unto my Cosyn William Malory and his wyfe eche of
them a black gowne / Item I give unto Lettys Muklowe doughter of William
Muklowe dwelling in Westminster churcheyarde fyve markes / Item I doo
^[In left margin: I gyve to Robert Mucklowe her brother fyve markes]
freely forgive thesaid Robert Muklowe all suche Billes of debt as do remayn
in my Custodie or otherwise / Item I do give unto the said Lettys two other systers
[Page 4]
dwelling in Worceto[r]shire eche of them fyve markes / Item I do fordive Agnes Harrys
widowe twentie poundes p[ar]cell of the debt that she owith me / Item I give to Mrs
Adams my Cassock of unwatred tawnet Chamblet gardyd with velvet / Item
I give to Johan Mr Saxbies maydon my redd peticott / Item I will that there be
Tenne poundes given to Jane Spendelowe of London the whiche my husbande gave
her in his death bedd / Item I give to apoore woman dwelling in Andwarppe / fyve
poundes whiche my husband bequeathed her in his death bedd / John Malarry
Sources
- ↑
Will:
"England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858"
The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 35
Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 5111 #937256 (accessed 8 November 2023)
Will of Lettie Lane, granted probate on 8 Apr 1552. Died about 1552 in London. - ↑ PROB 11/35/131 Description: Will of Lettys Lane, Widow of London Date: 08 April 1552 Held by: The National Archives, Kew
- ↑ A coarse fabric made of a silk mixture
- ↑ handkerchiefs
- ↑ Margaretting, Essex
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