Will of Charity Rivers, widow of Combe, Hamsey, Sussex 1655

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Hamsey, Sussex, England
Surnames/tags: Rivers Doyly Eldred

Will of Charity (Shurley) Rivers (1602-1655)^[1]
This is a transcription of the register office copy of the will of Charity Rivers. Written on 27 April 1655 and proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury on 3 July 1655

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

• Charity Rivers of Combe in the parishe of hamsey in the Countie of Sussex, widdow testatrix
• my deare sonne S^r Thomas Rivers' sole executor
• my loving brother M^r Nigell Rivers received twenty pounds
• my daughter Dorothie various bequests of material and clothing
• my daughter Charitie various bequests of material and clothing
• 'my daughter 'Doyly various bequests of material and clothing
• my daughter Elizabeth various bequests of material and clothing
• my daughter Mary various bequests of material and clothing
• my daughter Cislie various bequests of material and clothing
• my daughter Fiduria various bequests of material and clothing
• my seaven daughters and my twoo sonns John and James' received six pairs of Sheetes a peece And the rest of my linnen - the seven daughters named above
• M^r John Smith Minister of hamsey witness to will

Sussex Aprill 27 1655
Hamsey

In the name of God Amen
I Charity Rivers of Combe in the parishe of hamsey in the Countie of Sussex, widdow being
sicke in bodie but of perfect mind and memorie Doe make this my last will and testament
in manner and form following

First I com[m]end my SOule unto God who Redeemed me
with the blood of his deare sonne and my bodie to be buried with christian Buriall in certaine
hope of a blessed Resurrection

Item I give to my deare sonne S^r Thomas Rivers all my library
of bookes

Item I give to my loving brother M^r Nigell Rivers twentie pounds of lawfull
money of England to buy him an herse?

Item I give all my wearing clothes to my seaven daughters
to be equally distributed amongst them

Item I give to my daughter Dorothie all the furniture in the
parlour Chamber which belongeth to mee the white Bedd wrought with twoe Blew? which is not
yet sett up but was intended to be sett up there with the Andirons fire pann and Tongs my suite
of new pewter I last bought and the greate Glasse

It[em] I give to my daughter Charitie the blacke Bedd
that now standeth in the parlour Chamber with all that belongeth to it

It[em] I give to 'my daughter
Doyly the gray clothe which I intended to make a Bedd of and tenn pounds of lawfull money of
England to finish it

Item I give to my daughter Elizabeth my yellow Bedd wrought with greene
with all belonging ^to it

It[em] I give to my daughter Mary that Bedd which is wrought w[ith] severall
colours withall belonging to it

Item I give to my daughter Cislie the pink tadoe to make her a
Bedd w[ith] all belonging to it

It[em] I give to my daughter Fiduria as much Alomoad as will make
her a Bedd and all things belonging to it

It[em] I give to my daughter Dorothie my best suite of
Dsmaske and to my daughter Doyly the second suite of Damaske and to my daughter Charitie the
third suite of damaske and to my daughter Elizabeth the fourthe suite of Damaske

Item I give to my
daughter Mary my best suite of Diaper and to my daughter Cislye my second suite of Diaper
And to my daughter Fiduria my third suite of dyaper

Item I give to my daughter Doyly my redd
sattin matle and to my daughter Dorothie my black mantle

Item my fine flazen yearne in
my Closett I desire maie be woven and twoo paire of sheetes made of it and then I give to my
seaven daughters and my twoo sonns John and James' six pairs of Sheetes a peece And the
Rest of my linnen I desire may be equallie devided amongst those my children

Item the rest
of my Goods I desire may be empliled first for the paiment of my debts and legacies and
funerall expenses And what remaines may be equallie devided amongst all my children my sonne
S^r Thomas Rivers to have his share in it whome I make my sole Executor of this my last will
and Testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand this seaven and
twentith of Aprill one thousand six hundred fiftie and five Charity River Charity RIvers
In the presence of M^r John Smith Minister of hamsey

This will was proved att London the third day of July in
the yeare of our Lord God one thousand six hundred fiftie and five before the judges for
probate of wills and granting Administrations lawfully authorized by the Oaths of S^rr Thomas
Rivers the sonne of the said deceased and Sole Executor named in the said Will to whome
the Administration was Com[m]itted of all and singular the Goods Chattles and Debts of the
said deceased he the said S^r Thomas RIvers being first sworne in due forme of lawe
well and faithfully to administer the said

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: 248
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 5111 #386626 (accessed 26 December 2022)
   Will of Charity Rivers, granted probate on 3 Jul 1655. Died about 1655 in Hamsey, Sussex, England.