Will and Inventory of William Bridges of Coventry 1685

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

This is a transcription of the original will of William Bridges of Coventry, Warwickshire written in his own hand on 25 December 1683.
William died on 10 March 1684/5, and his will was proved at the Diocesean Court of Lichfield and Coventry on 30 March 1685. His wife Anne ("Lady Boughton" in the will) was sole executrix of the will and sole legatee.^[1]
The will had not been updated since the birth of William's only child Anne baptised 13 February 1684/5 and she is not mentioned in the will.
The inventory of his household good and chattels taken on 21 March 1684/5 was submitted with the will.
Lady Anne Broughton's chamber was by far the most expensively furnished room in the house (£36).
The inventory mentions property in "M^rs Maryes Chamber". Potentially this could be the room used as a nursery for baby Anne with the wrong name entered by the Inventory takers. There was no known family member named Mary living with them at the time.

Spelling, punctuation and line breaks as per the original.
Paragraph breaks (at start of new of bequest) and bold text are my own for ease of reading.
ff has been rendered as F, and ligatures and abbreviations have been expanded in [square brackets].

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In The Name of God Amen

Know all men by these pr[e]sents that I William Bridges
of Whitley In the City and County of Coventry: Being
now in p[e]rfeckt health both in body and mind: (Thanks be to
god) Do make publish and Declare This my last will and
Testiament In manner and forme following And In the
first place I commend my soul Into the hands of
Allmighty god my Creatour: And my body I committ
to the earth whereof it was formed to be decently Interred
in the Church at Keynsham in the County of Som[ers]ett
And as for that portion of Earthly things w[hi]ch god hath sent me
And left to my dispose I do will order and Devise
As Followeth Imprimis I give and bequeath unto my dear
wife the Lady Boughton all my personall estate
In money jewells plate houshould stuff: And I do also give and
bequeath unto the Lady Boughton all my personall Estate
without decres as Cattall and allmanner of Cattle
And all that tearmes personall Estate: And If
It shall please god that there happen any estate In
in Land to fall to me after the weighting of these pr[e]sents
I do from the date of these pr[e]sents give and forever
Devise grannt and settle it unto the s[ai]d Lady Boughton
And I do Constitute and appointe my Deare wife the
s[ai]d Lady Boughton to be my sole Exequitrix of this my
Last Will and Testiament And that she may the better
performe the said trust of my Exequitrix I do give unto her
that portion of worldly goods that god hathe given me to
dispose of And this I confirme to being last will and testiament
And to stand In force against person or persons whasover that
shall pretend to mollest or trouble my wife the s[ai]d Lady Boughton
And this I confirme to be my last will and Testiament
In witness whereof I have sett my hand & seale this

[reverse of page]
Twenty fift day of December December In the six and thirtieth
yeare of our Souveraigne Lord King Charles the
second And In the the yeare of our Lord God one Thousand
Six hundred eighty three

William Bridges {seal}
Sealed and delivered in the pr[e]sents of
John Oton
William Barbare
Witnes Mary Bot her mark
Witnes Elizabeth Poners her marke

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A True and perfect Inventory of all and singular the
goods and chattells rights and credditts of William
Bridges late of Whitley in the County of the Citty of
Coventry Esq'r Deceased taken and appraised the
one and twentieth day of March 1684 by us whose
names are hereunto Subscribed

Imprimis One hog and one sow 10 18 00
Item two mares 32 00 00
Item the two geldings 17 00 00
Item three bridles 00 03 00
Item the harness and bridle 02 00 00
Item the saddles and one pannell 01 00 00
Item the hey 00 10 00
Item one old chest 00 01 00
Item two stone troughes 00 01 00
Item one charriott 16 00 00
Item one coach 22 00 00
Item one horse and one fole 02 10 00
Item the bill cartt 00 10 00
Item the things In the brewhouse
[line illegible in fold]
Item one chezle w [illegible in fold]
Item one paire of noles one be*icer (30 --weight) 30 10 00
Item the wood 00 10 00
Item In the sellar two groase of bottles and
seven hogsheads 01 10 00
Item some small barrells 02 00 00
Item six pairs of fine sheetes 06 00 00
Item six pairs of roughe sheetes 03 00 [torn]
Item fifteene Diap[er] Table cloathes 04 0[torn]
Item nine Diap[er] towells 00 [torn]
Item ten flaxen Table claothes 01 [torn]
Item other linnen 01 [torn]

In the drawing room
Item ten chairs and ten cushions hangings
of the roome & window curtaines one
fireshovell and one paire of tonge and
andirons and china ware 13 00 00

In the white chamber
Item one sett of curtains and vallands
and one feather bed & one boulster one
Rugg and blanketts one bedstead
nine chaires & stolles window curtaines &
rodds table & carpett one fireshovell & tongs
and one grate 12 00 00

Tot pag sum 144 14 02

[next page]
In my Ladyes chamber
One bedstead one sett of curtains and
vallands one feather bed one bolster
pillows mattris & hangings of the roome
two tables two stands one lookeing
glasse six chaires one screen & window
curtaines one chest of drawers and some
pictures 36 00 00

In the roome over the little parlor
It[em] one bedstead one sett of curtaines and
vallands one feather bedd two bolsters
pillows and blanketts quilt table & carpett
and one side saddle 09 00 00

In M^rs Maryes roome
It[em] one bedstead curtaines one feather
bedd blanketts one Rugg one Table and chaires 04 00 00

In the Cookes and housemaides roome
It[em] One feather bedd blanketts Rugg & pillows 03 00 00

In the corne chamber
Some corne and some cheese ^[2] 02 00 00

In the Kitchen
It[em] Eight pewter dishes 02 00 00
It[em] six [illegible in crease] plates [illegible]
It[em] One fack racke and otehr houseware 02 10 00
It[em] Two potts three kettles three skellettes
the Dripping panne spitte and
one beddpan 03 00 00

It[em] some other lumber 00 19 00

In the landery
One still one grate & a wooden horse 01 15 00

In the larder
[torn] ..tte & other things 01 00 00

In the little Parlor
[torn] ..ix chaires one squob one screene
[torn] ..artances on clock three Tables 06 10 00

In the Hall
It[em]Four chaires 00 12 00

In the garden Parlor
It[em] One bedstead and things belonging thereto
and hangings for the roome window
curtains one Table & stande & one
looking glasse six chaires and other
things 14 00 00

[Total] 87 02 00

[next page]
In the inward Roome
Item one bedstead curtains blanketts and
other things 03 10 00

In the great Parlor
Item one Table and one carpett six cushions
ten chaires one grate one fire shovell one paire
of Tongs and sconses 06 00 00

In the Dining roome
Item nine chaires three Tables & carpetts one
grate two sconces & window curtaines 07 00 00

Item The Plate 30 00 00
Item money in the house 30 00 00

Sum tot 307 16 02
Samuell Monck
William Smyth

Sources

1. ↑ Probate: "Staffordshire, Dioceses Of Lichfield And Coventry Wills And Probate 1521-1860"
   FindMyPast Image - FindMyPast Transcription (accessed 15 January 2022)
   No archive reference number for the will given on FMP
2. ↑ best guess