Notes on the will of John Harte

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]

WORK IN PROGRESS

Contents 1 Rough Notes 2 People 3 Places 4 Notable Bequests 5 Other Details 6 Sources

Rough Notes

• Request to be buried at St Swithin’s at London Stone whereof now patron
• Emphasises wish that there be no conflict between wife ‘Dame’ Anne and his daughters, or between them and executors, over his estate, that everyone may be happy with their portion, encourages executors to deal ‘lovingly and kindly’ with wife and not quarrel with her over ‘trifles’
• Seems to have had a very good relationship with Anne, speaks very highly of her and their relationship
• Manor of Okehampton in the county of Lincoln [=Oakham, Rutland?]
• Children of Judith Hart and Edward Cage (was a son of Anthony Cage, step-son of John Harte’s second wife, Anne):
  • John Cage
  • Anthony Cage
  • Nicholas Cage
  • Daniel Cage
  • Bartholomew Cage
  • Anne Cage
  • Elizabeth Cage
• Made bequeath to Anne Bolles, daughter of Jane Hart and George Bolles
• 100 pounds made to Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Grocers in the city of London/Company of Grocers, with the intent that the company will from time to time give out same sum to two honest young men free of the City
• 20 pounds given to company of Grocers so they may have a dinner on the day of John’s burial, also given two great livery pots for their feast dinners when they meet at the hall
• Large sums of money bequeathed for relief of poor, sick, widowed at various London hospitals, prisons, towards marriages of threescore poor maids, and poor of parish of St Swithins (now parishioner), St Bartholomew near the Royal Exchange in London (was sometime parishioner), Lime Street ward in London (now alderman), East Ham in county of Essex, Coxwold in the county of York, Kilburn in the county of York, and Helmsley in the county of York.
• Worshipful good friend, Mr Toby Wood, counsellor at law
• Son-in-law (=step-son) Nicholas Cage [child of wife Anne from previous marriage to Anthony Cage]
• Edward Bull and Matthew Bull, sons of late wife Jane from previous marriage, and their sister Mistress Jones, and other sister Elizabeth Taylor, wife of John Taylor, mercer
• John’s sister, Barker, of Helmsley in the county of York, three daughters of her mentioned
• Cousin, Elizabeth Thornden
• Loving friend, Mistress Hawes, widow
• Cousin, George Hart, apprentice with Mr Egles [=Eagles?]
• Cousin, brother of above, Richard Hart, dwelling with John’s son-in-law George Bolles, was bound apprentice unto John,
• Francis Harte now dwelling at Nether Silton in th county of York
• Ralph Harte of Aldesworthe in the county of Northampton
• Cousin, John Harte, dwelling at Sneaton in the county of York
• Ralph Harte of Sneaton in the county of York, and his wife, John’s cousin
• John Harte, son of above, now apprentice with Mr Heydon,
• Cousin, Dorothy Race, now dwelling with John (the testator),
• Cousin, Anne Thompson of Kilburn of Kilburn in the county of York, and her four children by first husband Richard Markendale
• Old familiar friend and acquaintance, Mr Robert Johnson of Lugnham [=Luffenham?] in the county of Rutland, and his son, Abraham Johnson, student at law
• Godson, John Clark, son of Mr Clark, preacher
• Mr Jackson, parson of parish church of St Swithins
• Mr Graunge, school master of John’s free school in Coxwold [which he opened in ~1600]
• Money to Sydney College in Cambridge [=Sydney-Sussex College] towards furnishing of new library with books they are in need of, numerous other bequeaths made to the college esp money to go towards exhibition and maintenance of former students of Coxwold school
• Manor and lordship of Low Borrowby in the county of York
• Brother-in-law, John Newman, grocer
• Loving friends, Lady Webbe, Mr Francis Cherry, Mr Benjamin Decroe, the agent, Julinus Beamish, bookkeeper of Muscovia Company, Mr John Merrick, our agent in Russia
• Willed rings with his initials and death heads engraved to many friends/family in remembrance of his love for them
• Mr Richard Wright, Secretary of the Muscovia Company
• Money to be paid to Richard Bridges of Scampton in the county of Lincoln, towards building and repairing the hall of John’s manor house there
• John Wilbraham of East Ham in the County of Essex, wills house to him which John Harts owns that John Wilbraham now occupy as long as good behaviour towards Hart’s sons-in-laws and their wives
• Thomas Wilbraham, cook, son of above, wills him money and tenement where he dwells near parish of St Swithin, which Hart bought from Mr Goldsmith
• Margery Pryce, wife of (blank) Pryce, bricklayer
• Mistress Warner, widow
• William Lawson, apprentice with Mr Wren, cooper
• Gives money to his household servants
• John Cooper, his clerk
• Richard Mountaine, his serving-man
• William Cartwright, his cook
• Elizabeth Bond, his wife’s chambermaid
• Agnes Marsh, his maidservant
• Suzanne Man, his maidservant
• Anthony Foster, his kitchen boy (money towards binding of him to be an apprentice)
• Money to executors for whatever shall be needed for funeral ‘for the decent and comely bringing of my body to the ground according to my degree & calling’
• Wills one hundred gowns of strong cloth to 60 poor men and 40 poor women who shall attend on his body at funeral, and to all of them money for their dinners
• Remainder of goods, chattels, and credit, all debts and legacies being paid, to go to son-in-law George Bolles and daughter, Joan, his wife
• George and Joan Bolles appointed executors, along with their son John Bolles, and ‘trusty and loving friend’ Humphrey Smythe, grocer (later married Anne Bolles, granddaughter)
• ‘Worshipful good friends’, Mr Richard Haile and Mr Oliver Stile, grocers, appointed overseers of the will, also each given a mourning gown
• Praying executors and overseers see will performed as much as is within their power ‘as they will answer it at the last day when the secrets of all hearts shall be revealed before Jesus Christ the Righteous, to whom be all power, praise and dominion for evermore, Amen’. [further Puritan overtones?]
• Mansion/dwelling house on Candlewick Street in St Swithin, London Stone given to wife Dame Anne, together with use of wainscots and hangings about the house, for her dwelling there
  • Together with house or tenement over the gate leading into the mansion, occupied by Edward Cage, son-in-law
  • Also cellar without great gate of mansion, occupied by William Wiles, clothworker
  • All for Anne during her natural life
• Four messuages/tenements/houses in court or yard adjoining St Swithins churchyard + rents and profits from them given to Dame Anne, appurtenances in occupations of Thomas Hunt, George Hawkins, Griffith Hinton, Cavaliero Maycott
• 'Great warehouse' within great gate of mansion house given to son-in-law George Bolles, along with raisen? lofts on other side of house, free egress+regress of cart/carriages between lofts and warehouse

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