Will of Richard Arnold, Citizen and Goldsmith of London 1644

Date: 8 Nov 1644 [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: Arnold Lofty Anthony

Will of Richard Arnold, Goldsmith of London^[1]

Transcription conventions:
Spelling, punctuation and line breaks are as per the original document.
Crossings through have been included struck out
Spelling, punctuation and line breaks are as per the original document.
Crossings through have been included struck out
Paragraph breaks at change of bequest, and bold text are my own for ease of reading.
Where present, the obsolete letter Thorn has been rendered as th, and ff has been rendered as F
Abbreviations and breviographs have been expanded in [square brackets]
The image quality was good and the writing very legible.
Non standard spelling as per usual for this time period, which has been transcribed verbatim.

Persons mentioned

• Richard Arnold Citizen and Goldsmith of London testator
• William Short my late Uncle deceased
• Richard Hoyet? and Thomas Lawson tenants
• Richard Arnold of Killingworth in the County of Warwickshire the son of Richard Arnold one of my fathers brothers deceased
• Richard Arnold of Kelshall in the County of Suffolk the sonn of William Arnold another of my fathers brothers deceased
• Thomas Arnold who is now supposed to be in New England or some other part beyond the seas) son of William Arnold of Kelshall, Suffolk
• Richard Baylye late of Gillingham aforesaid Rope maker deceased testator purchased land from
• Sarah Baylye widdow tenant possibly widdow of above named Richard Baylye
• my loving kinsman William Short the sonne of James (Short who was the sonne of William Short my mothers brother)
• Margaret Walton of Radford in the County of Warwickshire widdow my fathers sister
  • William her sonn and to Elizabeth, Mary, Susan and Hanna, her daughters children of Margaret Walton
• Benedict, Katherine and Anne the children of Joane Wright my fathers sister
• Alice Wood of Ipswich in the County of Suffolk daughter of Elizabeth another of my fathers sisters
• the children of Alice another of my fathers sisters whom I suppose doo now inhabitt in or about the Isle of Thannett in the said County of Kent
• Joane Edwardes of Hartlipp? in the County of Kent widdow my mothers sister
• my kinswoman Mary Lofty daught[er] of the said Joane Edwardes and wife of Thomas Lofty my Executor
• William Berry and Thomas Berry the sonnes of another of my mothers sisters
• Joane Wilson and Susan Grandson the daughters of another of my mothers sisters
• my loving master John Anthony Doctor in Physicke
  • Samuel and John sonnes of my said master
    • Mary Elizabeth and Rebecca the daughters of my said master
• my loving kinsman Thomas Lofty of Frendstead? in the County of Kent yeoman Executor and residual legatee
• John R......, Richard Howe, James Holmes witnesses

In the name of God amen I Richard Arnold Citizen and Goldsmith of London being sicke and weake in body but
of perfect mind and memory I praise God for the same this eighth day of November Anno
Domini 1644 in the twenteth yeare of the reigne of our Soveraigne Lord Charles by the
grace of God King of England Scotland France and Ireland Defender of the faith doe make and declare this my Testament contayning my last Will ^{in forme as} followeth That is to say princi=
pally I commend my soule into the handes of Almighty God my maker faithfully beleeving
through the merrittes and passion of my Saviour Jesus Christ to have free remission of all my
sinnes and to be made a partaker of his Kingdome of glory My body I commeitt to the earth
And if I dy in London my desire is to be buried in the churchyard of St Bartholomew the
Greate London and if it happen to deceese in the County of Kent I desire to be buried
in the churchyard of the parish of Gillingham in the said county att the ........end of
either of the said churchyards And of my estate and temporall blessings as it hath
pleased God to bestow upon mee I thus dispose Imprimus I give and bequeath........
Messuage or Tenement scituate and being at a certaine place called Gadshill in the
parish of Gillingham and County of Kent aforesaid withall profittes hereditaments
and appurtenances thereunto in any wise belonging by what name or names quantified or qualli=
ties soeever the same premisses are now knowne or distinguisshed being to and given? and bequeathed
by this last Will and Testament of William Short my late Uncle deceased and now
in the tenure or occupacon of Richard Hoyet? and Thomas Lawson or their Assignes or
some or one of them unto Richard Arnold of Killingworth in the County of Warwickshire the
son of Richard Arnold one of my fathers brothers deceased and to Richard Arnold

of Kelshall in the County of Suffolk the sonn of William Arnold another of my
fathers brothers deceased and to theire heires and Assignes for ever to be equally
divided and enioyed between them part and part like And my Will and mind
is that they the said Richard Arnold and Richard Arnold theire heires and
Assignes shall within one yeare next after decease satisfie and pay unto every of
their brothers and sisters(ioyntley to be accompted between them) which shall be then
living longest (except Thomas Arnold who is now supposed to be in New England or
some other part beyond the seas) the sum[m]e of twenty shillinges of lawfull mony
of England
and shall also satisfie and pay unto the said Thomas the sume of twenty
shillinges of like mony within the said tearme of two years next ensuing my decease or other=
wise within the space of one month that any time ^then afterwardes upon lawfull demand to be
made by the said Thomas or his Assignes for the same provided alwayes and my Will
and mind is that if the said Richard and Richard their heires and Assignes shall
make default in payment of the said severall somes of money to all or any the persones

[page 2]

aforesaid contrary to my true meaning before herein declared then my bequest of the
aforesaid Messuage or Tenement with all and Singular the appurtenances unto them the
said Richard and Richard ^{& to} there heires and Assignes shall determine and be utterly
voyd, any thing above said to the contrary thereof not withstanding And in such case I
give and bequeath all and every the same p[r]emisses unto such of the brothers and sisters
of the said Richard and Richard ioyntly to be accompted and to their heires and
Assignes for ever as shall happen to bee unsatisfied the legacies or sumes of mony s
o to them bequeathed as aforesaid They the said brothers and sisters ioyntly satisfying
and paying to the said Richard and Richard that is to say unto each of them their
and each of them their heires or Assignes the sum[m]e of twenty shillinges of lawfull mony of
England within six monthes next after I have? severall legacies and to them due and pay=
able attending to the limitations aforesaid
Item I give and bequeath all my part and
property (That is to say) two parts in three parts to be divided, of and ⁱⁿ one edifice or
...house with a garden and a peece or parcell of pasture ground contayning by
estimation one acre and a halfe moore or lesse called Millfeild or by what other name
or names quantities or qualities soever the same premisses or any of them are reputed or
distinguished scituate at Millfleet Key in the aforesaid parrish of Gillingham in the County of
Kent w[hi]ch I heretofore bought and purchased ofRichard Baylye late of Gillingham aforesaid
Rope maker deceasedtogether with all profittes hereditaments and appurttenances thereunto in
any wise appertayning being now in the tenure or ocupacon of Sarah Baylye widdow or her
Assignes unto my loving kinsman William Short the sonne of James (Short who was the
sonne of William Short my mothers brother) and to his heires and Assignes for ever
Item I give and bequeath unto Margaret Walton of Radford in the County of Warwickshire
widdow my fathers sister a Ring of gold with a seale theron engraven having the letters
W.S. and R.A. with a deaths head betwixt them
Item I give and bequeath unto William
her sonn and to Elizabeth, Mary, Susan and Hanna, her daughters That is to say unto
every of them t
he sum[m]e of twenty shillinges of lawfull mony of England
Item I give and bequeath unto Benedict, Katherine and Anne the children of Joane Wright my fathers
sister unto every of them the sum[m]e of twenty shillinges of like mony
Item I give and bequeath
unto Alice Wood of Ipswich in the County of Suffolk daughter of Elizabeth another
of my fathers sisters the sume of twenty shillinges of like mony
Item I give and bequeath
unto every of the children of Alice another of my fathers sisters whom I suppose doo now
inhabitt in or about the Isle of Thannett in the said County of Kent which shall be living
at the time of decease the sum[m]e of twenty shillinges of like mony And I request my Executor
to use his diligence in the inquiry and finding out of the said children and to satisfie
unto them theire severall legacies according to my true meaning ^above said
Item I give and
unto Joane Edwardes of Hartlipp? in the County of Kent widdow my mothers sister a Ring
of gold with a seale engraven thereon having the letters T.E. and W.S. with a deathes
head betwixt them
Item I give and bequeath unto my kinswoman Mary Lofty daught[er]
of the said Joane Edwardes and wife of Thomas Lofty my Executor herein after named
the sum[m]e of twenty shillinges of like mony
Item I give and bequeath unto William
Berry and Thomas Berry the sonnes of another of my mothers sisters unto each of them
the sum[m]e of twenty shillinges of like mony
Item I give and bequeath untoJoane Wilson
and Susan Grandson the daughters of another of my mothers sisters unto each of them
the sum[m]e of twenty shillinges of like mony
Item I give and bequeath unto my loving master
John Anthony Doctor in Physicke a silver Canne of which I entreat his acceptan[ance]
Item
I give and bequeath to Samuel and John sonnes of my said master unto each of them
a silver Wine Taster
Item I give and bequeath to Mary Elizabeth and Rebecca
the daughters of my said master unto every of them an enamelled gold ring to weare
in my remembrance
Item I give and bequeath unto the poore people of the parish of
Gillingham aforesaid where (I was borne) the sume of five pounds of lawfull mony
of England to be distributed amongst them within the space of one month next after


[page 3]

my decease by the ioynt discrec[i]ones of the supervisores for the bpoore of the same parish and
my Executor where they find oest need
Item I give and bequeath unto the poore people
of the parish ofSt Bartholomew the greate aforesaid where I now inhabitt the sum[m]e
of twenty shillinges of like mony to be distributed amongst the in time and manner
according to the limitation of the bequest to the parish of Gillingham abovesaid And
and I doo herebt declare that all and singular the ringes and plate before bequeathed
doo remaine in my propper Custody and I further declare And my Will and mind is
that all such legacies in mony before hereby givenb or bequeathed without any certaine
time limited for the payment thereof shall be satisgied and payed by my Executor to
the legatees aforesaid within the space of one yeare next ^o[r] immediatly following ^after my decease
The reside of all and singular my landes Tenementes Goodes Cattelles Chatelles ready
mony Plate Apparell Debtes and sum[m]es of mony with all other dues and rightes to me or
my Assignes due owing on any wayes belonging (my funerall charges with Debtes and aforesaid
Legacies being first discharged and payde) I give and bequeath unto my loving kinsman Thomas
Lofty of Frendstead? in the County of Kent yeoman and to his heires Executors and Assignes
vor ever And I doo consitute ordaine and appoynt the said Thomas the sole Executor of
this my last Will and Testament desiring him duely to execute and performe the said
according to my true meaning herein declared And I doo herebt revoke and disadnull
all former Wills Codicilles Legacies Bequestes Exercutors and Executrixes by me att any
time heretofore made willed bequeathed devised or appoynted and doo pronounce and
declare their p...... to be and remaine and to be a...... and taken to all intentes and
purposes as my last Will and Testament In witness whereon I the said Richard
Arnold to this my Will being written in eight sheetes of paper; to every of the same
sheetes I have sett my hand and to all of them - in the upper most parte thereof have putt
my seale the day and year first above written.Richard Arnold Sealed signed published
and delivered by Richard Arnold the Testator above named, as his last Will and
Testament in the p[rese]nce of us: The word (Twenty) in the last line of the seacond sheete
being first interlyned John R......, Richard Howe, James Holmes

Research Notes

Father Thomas, mother Alice Short

Thomas married Alce Short on 7 October 1594 in Gillingham, Kent, England.^[2]

Willmi died in about 1616 in Hollesley, Suffolk, England. Their will passed probate on 24 February 1616.^[3]

Thome died in about 1599 in Gillingham, Kent, England. Their will passed probate on 3 October 1599.^[4]

Richard Arnold of Kelshall in the County of Suffolk probably Kelsale^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ 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: 192
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 5111 #1018425 (accessed 22 November 2023)
   Will of Richardi Arnold, granted probate on 28 Nov 1644. Died about 1644 in London.
2. ↑ Marriage: "England & Wales Marriages, 1538-1988"
   Place: Gillingham, Kent, England; Date Range: 1559 - 1648; Film Number: 1042490
   Ancestry Record 1352 #370207 (accessed 22 November 2023)
   Thomas Arnolde marriage to Alce Short on 7 Oct 1594 in Gillingham, Kent, England.
3. ↑ 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: 129
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 5111 #901839 (accessed 22 November 2023)
   Will of Willmi Arnold, granted probate on 24 Feb 1616. Died about 1616 in Hollesley, Suffolk, England.
4. ↑ 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: 94
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 5111 #938336 (accessed 22 November 2023)
   Will of Thome Shorte, granted probate on 3 Oct 1599. Died about 1599 in Gillingham, Kent, England.
5. ↑ https://www.suffolkarchives.co.uk/collections/getrecord/GB173_IC_AA1_131_66