Will of William Pearce Hall 1725-1783

Date: 29 Sep 1782
Location: Ludlow, Shropshire, England
Surname/tag: Hall and/or Pearce

Contents 1 Introduction 2 People List 3 Property List 4 Will Transcript 5 Proving Transcript 6 Sources

Introduction

This is a transcript of the register version of the will of William Pearce Hall of Shropshire, with probate.

The will was signed 29 September 1782 and proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in London15 April 1783.

Spelling, punctuation, line breaks, and big bold text are as per the register copy. The names of individuals who don't have a profile are in red.

Abbreviations are expanded and additions noted in [square brackets]. Individuals mentioned are linked to their profiles if a profile exists. Page breaks and numbering, and names in bold, are for my own convenience.

People List

Testator William Pearce Hall

Other names in the order in which they appear

Catherine Boughton Rouse (Catharine Rouse-Boughton)daughter of the testator

Charles William Boughton Rouse (Charles William Rouse-Boughton) Esquire, son-in-law of the testator

Charles Pearce, brother of testator

William Thomson, Brother in law of testator

James Waterman Newport, Brother in law of testator

Thomas Browne, Brother in law of testator

Hugh Hamersley Esquire, of Lincolns Inn

John Woodhouse Esquire, of Brideswell Hospital London

Elizabeth Pearce, Widow deceased and mother of testator

Mr Edward Lea, Lessor

Miss Harriot Price

Catherine (Comyns) Hall, wife of the testator

George Harris Doctor of Laws

Rob^t Comyn Witness to the will

James Kinnersley Witness to the will

W^m Bach Witness to the will

Property List

Estate and Manor of Downton

Freehold Manors

Orphanages (general)

Tenements (general)

Household Goods, Plane Linen and Furniture for Housekeeping

Speciified

Two Orphanages or Tenements with the Land and Appurtenances thereunto belonging situate in the Township of Clunton in the Parish of Clunbury the said County of Salop

Messuages Lands and Tenements in the Township of Clunton

Messuage or Tenement with the Garden and Appurtenances thereto belonging situate in the Broad Street in Ludlow

Hereditaments

Will Transcript

William Hall otherwise Pearce Esq

This is the Last Will
and Testament of me William Hall otherwise Pearce late of Downton
and now of Ludlow in the County of Salop Esquire as follows first
subject to and charged and chargeable with the payment of all
outstanding Debts on Mortgages and Bonds or otherwise as are by
certain Articles of Agreement bearing date the seventeenth day of
May last by me and others entered into on the Treaty of and
previous to the Marriage of my daughter Catherine then Catherine
Hall otherwise Pearce with Charles ^WilliamBoughtonRouse Esquire her now
Husband stipulated to be paid and discharged by the said ^Charles William
Boughton Rouse or to such so many or so much of the said Debts
as now remain unpaid by him and subject to the payment of
the several life Annuities or Yearly payments ^{for the life or lives of any person or persons whomsoever due or secured by my Bond} or otherwise and
payable by me my Heirs Executors or Administrators and also
subject and conformable to the Terms conditions or agreements in
the said Articles mentioned or stipulated for making a Settlement of
my Estate and Manor of Downton in the said Articles for that
purpose mentioned on my said Daughter in Jointure and the Issue
of her then intended Marriage between her and the said Charles
William Boughton Rouse her now husband All that my said
Manor of Downton by the said Articles agreed to be settled in manner
therein mentioned and also all and every other my Freehold Manors
Orphanages Lands Tenements and Hereditaments whatsoever and
wheresoever situate except only all those my two Orphanages or
Tenements with the Land and Appurtenances thereunto belonging
situate in the Township of Clunton in the Parish of Clunbury in
the said County of Salop now in the several possessions of
I give and devise unto the said Charles William Boughton Rouse his

[Page 2]

Heirs and Assigns for ever and I do hereby order will and direct that
he the said Charles WilliamBoughton Rouse his Heirs or Assigns
do and shall with all convenient speed after my decease convey
release and settle in Jointure as aforesaid all my said Estate and
and Manor of Downton in the said Articles for that purpose
mentioned conformable to the stipulations and agreements therein
also mentioned and contained and that freed and discharged by him
the said Charles William Boughton Rouse his Heirs Executors or Administrators
of and from the Mortgage now subsisting thereon and whereas it
is in and by the said Articles stipulated and agreed that on failure of
I put on the Body of my said Daughter by the said Charles William
Boughton Rouse to be begotten the reversion in Fee of and in the
said premises so to be settled in Jointure as aforesaid should by the
said Settlement so to be made as aforesaid be vested in him the
said Charles Boughton Rouse his Heirs and Assigns and that
the same Reversion should be subject to the payment of such Sum
or Sums of Money not exceeding in the whole the sum of five thousand
pounds to such person or persons in such shares and proportions
and at such time or times after the said contingency should take place
as I should by any Deed or Deeds or by my last Will and
Testament in writing to be by me executed as therein is mentioned
give order direct or appoint the same Now I do hereby in case of
failure of such Issue as aforesaid give order direct and appoint the
said sum of five thousand pounds to be paid to the ^several persons herein
after named or mentioned in the proportions following that is to say
to my Brother Charles Pearce Esquire the sum of one thousand
pounds and to such of his Daughters as shall be living and
unmarried at the time of my death the Sum of two thousand
pounds to be equally divided amongst them share and share
alike if more than one and if there shall be but one such Daughter
living wwwwwwwwww at my death then solely to one such Daughter
and to my Brothers in law William Thomson Doctor of Physics
and James Waterman Newport and Thomas Browne Esquires the
Sum of one thousand pounds to be equally divided between them
share and share alike and as to the Sum of one thousand
Pounds ^{residue of the said Sum of five thousand pounds} I do hereby give and release the same to the said
Charles William Boughton Rouse his Heirs and Assigns for ever
and I so hereby order and direct that the said three first above
mentioned Sums of one thousand ^pounds two thousand pounds and one
thousand pounds making together the Sum of four thousand
pounds part of the said Sum of five thousand pounds shall on
my decease become vested Interests in the several above mentioned
persons to whom I have given or directed the same to be paid
respectively as aforesaid and in the proportions aforesaid in case
the Contingency on which the raising or or payment of the said Sum
of five thousand pounds depends by virtue of the said Articles
shall take place and that the same shall be paid to them
within six Months next after that event Item all those the
aforesaid excepted MessuagesLands and premises in the Township_of

[Page 3]

Clunton aforesaid I give and devise unto Hugh Ha~mersley of
Lincolns Inn in the county of Middlesex and John Woodhouse of
Bridewell Hospital London Esquires Trustees named in a certain Act of
Parliament made and passed in the twelfth year of the Reign of His
present Majesty King George the third intitled "An Act for vesting
part of the Estates late of Elizabeth Pearce Widow Deceased and
William Hall Esquire otherwise Pearce her oldest Son in Trustees to
be sold for payment of the portions of her younger children and other
Incumbrances and for settling other part of her Estates to the same
uses and for other purposes To hold the same excepted premises to them
the said Hugh Hamersley and John Woodhouse their Heirs
Assigns to for and upon the several uses Trusts intents and
purposes in the said Act of Parliament mentioned and contained
concerning the same and which would or ought to have taken
place in case the said excepted premises had not been sold or conveyed
to or in Trust for me and my Heirs by the said Trustees and which
the same having been comprized in the said above mentioned
Marriage Articles the said Charles William Boughton Rouse has
lately released to me and my Heirs and Assigns for ever they the
said Hugh Hamersley and John Woodhouse deducting or allowing
out of my Account with them the Sum of one thousand seven hundred
and seventy pounds being a proportionable share of the Sum of
three thousand pounds for which the said excepted premises with
other premises in Clunton aforesaid also sold or conveyed by the said
Trustees To or in Trust for me and which I have since sold to several
persons for several Sums of Money making in the whole the Sum
of one thousand two hundred and thirty pounds were rated at by
the said Trustees Item all that my Estate situate at or near Downton
aforesaid which I hold by Lease under Mr Edward Lea of Ludlow
aforesaid for the now remainder of a certain term of ninety nine
years I give and bequeath unto the said Charles William Boughton
Rouse his Executors Administrators and Assigns for and during all my
Term and Interest therein and all that my Messuage or Tenement
with the Garden and Appurtenances thereto belonging situate in
the Broad Street in Ludlow afore said now in the possession of Miss
Harriot Price and which I hold by Lease under the Corporation of
Ludlow aforesaid and all the other my Leasehold Estate whatsoever and
wheresoever I also give and bequeath unto the said Charles William
Boughton Rouse his Executors Administrators and Assigns for and during
all my Terms Estates or Interests therein Item subject to the payment of
such as my Debts as are not in and by the said Articles stipulated or
agreed to be paid by the said Charles William Boughton Rouse
other than the aforesaid Annuities and of all such Interest as shall
be or remain due from me at the time of my death for such of
my said Debts in the said Articles mentioned and of all arrears of
the said Annuities down to Lady Day last inclusive all my ^ready Money
Household Goods Plane Linen and Furniture for Housekeeping and
all Rents and Arrears of Rents and proportionable parts or shares
of Rents that shall be or remain due to me at the time of my
death and all other my Personal Estate of what nature or kind
soever not by me herein before otherwise disposed of I give and
bequeath unto my loving Wife Catherine Hall otherwise Pearce

[Page 4]

to and for her own use and Disposal she also paying my Funeral
Expenses and the probate of this my Will in common form in the
proper Ecclesiastical Court and Lastly I do hereby nominate and
and appoint my said wife sole Executrix of this my Will and
hereby revoke all former Wills by me heretofore made and declare
this only to be my last Will and Testament in witness whereof
I the said Testator William Hall otherwise Pearce have to this
my last Will and Testament contained in four sheets of paper to
the three first Sheets thereof set my Hand and to this fourth and
last Sheet thereof my Hand and seal this twenty ninth day of
September in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred
and eighty two W^m P Hall (LS) Signed Sealed Published and Declared
by the ^said Testator William Hall otherwise Pearce as and for his last
Will and Testament in the presence of us who in his presence and
in the presence of each other have subscribed our names as a
witness thereto Rob^t Comyn _ James Kinnersley_ W^m Bach

Proving Transcript

This Will was proved at London the fifth day of
April in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and
eighty three before the Worshipful George Harris Doctor of Laws
& Master Keeper or Commissary of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury
lawfully constituted by by the oath Catherine Hall otherwise Pearce
widow the Relict of the Deceased and the sole Executrix named in
the said will to whom Administration was granted of all and
singular the Goods Chattels and Credits of the said Deceased having
been first sworn by duly to Administer.

Sources

<references\>

• 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: 1102
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 5111 #307823 (accessed 15 July 2023)
  Will of William Pearce Esq, granted probate on 5 Apr 1783. Died about 1783 in Ludlow, Shropshire, England.

• https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D436389
  

Reference: PROB 11/1102/113
Description: Will of William Hall otherwise Pearce of Ludlow, Shropshire
Date 05 April 1783
Held by: The National Archives, Kew