Will of Dame Grace Pickering

Date: 17 Aug 1730 [unknown]
Location: Whaddon, Cambridgeshire, England

Will of Dame Grace Pickering:

I Dame Grace Pickering Widow & Relict of Sir Henry Pickering Bart. of Whaddon in the County of Cambridgeshire deceased, being at this time not in very good health of Body but in good and perfect mind and memory Blessed be God for the same, do make, ordain and appoint what is herein after contained to be my last Will & Testament, in manner and form following, that is to say........to be interred in the Parish Church at Whaddon, under a black marble stone I have already laid for that purpose and next the body of my dear Husband Sir Henry Pickering that the sides of the coffins may actually touch one another and my further desire is that my Body may be put into a leaden Coffin covered with Black Cloak & handsome hinges & that any six or eight Gentleman of the County may hold up the pall at my burying, & that Christall Rings of five & twenty shillings apiece may be given to them, together with handsome Silk Scarves, Hatbands & Gloves accordingly And to every Farmer that lives in the parish of Whaddon & comes to my burying (as I believe they all will) I would have given to them plain black ...Rings of twenty shillings apeace, with Black gloves and hatbands & to their Wives white gloves & Rings of the same Value & for all the Rest of the Parish both men and Women that are housekeepers & above the age of Twenty Years, I would have them at my funeral & the children & younger people (except servants) I desire they may have a shilling in money and a six penny Loaf of Bread given to each of them at the time last mentioned/ and all things else that are decent & according to such Solemnities, which perhaps I have forgot to mention I leave wholly to the discretion of my Executors here after named, only Rings of the first mentioned Value I would have given to Mr Glover and his Son & Daughter at Royston. And as to the rest of my Estate, both Real and Personal, that it shall please God to Bless me with at the time of my decease, I hereby dispose of it as followeth: First I give and bequeath to the Parish Church of Whaddon my largest Turkey Carpet to be constantly laid under the Communion Table of the said Church, also fifty pounds of good and lawful money of England, five and twenty pounds of it to set up a good Clock in the Steeple of that Church with handsome dials each way, and the other five and twenty pounds to keep it in repair and wound up, at so much a year, as long as the said money shall last, and then I think the Parish may be able to afford to do it for themselves. Item I give to the poor of Whaddon parish the sum of fifty pounds of good English money to be distributed amongst them as follows, the first twenty pounds to be given (as far as it will go) in gowns, petticoats, Coats, Britches, Shirts and Smocks to the poorest Men and Women of the Parish, within the three months next after my decease, and the other three Ten pounds the three Winters following to be given them at Church by ten shillings worth of bread at a time, the twenty cold Sundays of the Winter, when they will most want it, so that I would have it begin to be given out the first Sunday in November & to continue till the Ten pounds are out/ and for this purpose I would have the money deposited in Mr Glover's hands if he shall be living at the time of my decease, but if not, then into his Daughter Betty's hands, believing she will do it justly for me, according to the full intent and meaning of this my last Will & testament......... three hundred pounds to be levyied in with the Company managing Queen Ann's Bounty & for the full benefit and augmentation of the Vicarage of Whaddon for ever (but if it shall so happen that I have finished this affair before I dye, then this article of my Will to be void). Item, I give and bequeath unto little John Robinson, that I put out to prentice to William Ratford Carpenter at Wimple the sum of one hundred pounds ...of my South Sea Annuity Stock that not be sold out till a full year after he come out of his Apprenticeship when it may be hoped he will know what the value of money is so as to put it to a right use, but my Will and desire is that the said John Robinson if he shall be living at the time of my decease shall have the full interest or Dividends of the above mentioned Stock to find him in clothes till the whole money becomes one to him, but if he should dye before his time is out, or before he is to sell the Stock, then the whole upon his account to cease & be of no effect. Item - I give and bequeath to Ann Horner of Royston (formerly Ann Boot & a Servant of mine) if she shall be living at the time of my decease the sum of thirty pounds...... this goes on for pages.... I give unto William Luck of the parish of Whaddon aforesaid Gardener if he shall be living at the time of my decease, the sum of fifty pound...in consideration likewise of a small debt that he says was due to him from Sir Harry Pickering his Master, tho I believe he has been more than paid it ten times out of the gardens.......

more pages ........ to Mrs Elizabeth Glover, eldest daughter of the above named Mr John Glover of Royston, if she shall be living at the time of my decease, fifteen hundred pounds of my Stock in the Bank of England, which according to the price it is now at is worth upwards of Two Thousand pounds, which Legacy I leave her in consideration & acknowledgement of her kind Friendship never so much as once offered me by any of my own Relations, therefor I also give and bequeath to the said Mrs Betty Glover my Gold repeating Watch Number 367 made by Tompion & Graham, the Hair Locket I constantly wear with twelve diamonds round it, my large silver Salver, Soup Spoons & Sauce Pans, also my little silver Hand Candlestick & Snuffers & my six Silver Spoons that are almost new, as I keep them Lockt up from common use, but when they are just wanted, all the plate above here mentioned having my Coat of Arms in Lozenge upon them, I likewise give to the said Mrs Betty Glover my yellow Haritoon Bed Bedding Curtains Valences & all the furniture, as large Glass Cabinet, Hangings that stand in that Chamber next mine also my best Union Dressing Glass the great Easy Chair that runs upon Box Castors in the Hall, the round Mahogony Table , the Wallnut tree Beaufet & the Wainscoat corner Cubbord that stands in there, also the Wallnut tree Writing Table with the two drawers covered in the green Cloth that I usually write upon, my best Japan Tea Table with all the furniture as, Basons, Glass bowl, Cannisters, teapot, cupps, Sawcers, both Guilt Spoons, Tongs, Tea Pitcher etc that belong to that Table * generally stands..... more page........and pages........I also give and bequeath to my dear nephew Mr Richard Worsam of the Island of Barbados & of Gerrad Street London my remaining two thousand pounds stock in the Bank of England........to the said Richard Worsam all my pictures in general but that of my self in the oval frame & all the small ones to Mrs Betty Glover (and that collection of pictures round the Hall at Whaddon, given to Lord Oxford when he bought the Estate & which he by agreement is to have as they now stand at the time of my death, all the rest of the pictures I say again I give to my Nephew Richard Worsam, as likewise all my Tapestry Hangings, Turkey Carpets etc the Crimson Damask Bed & all things belonging to it in the best Chamber & the Damask

Hangings in the Closet belonging to it . I also give him the Crimson Mohair Bed ? with White ? and all things belonging to it, with the Hangings, Window Curtains, pier Glass in that Chamber. my right Japan Cabinet upon the Carved & Guilt Frame, the peer Glass the blue Calimanro Window Curtains, the largest Fire screen of my own work upon a Mahogony frame, the Cane Squab Couch, Cushions & pillows belonging to it & the green velvet Easy Chair paint with my own work all the last named things standing generally in the Great Parlour at Whaddon, I also give to the said Richard Worsam my Nephew the eight pieces of my own work unmade up card the same work scallops of the green velvet Chair, the six leaved Guilt Leather Screen that I use in the Hall, my best cahin stitch Quilt that I worked mtself & is lyned with a Persian Sarsanet, my large Silver Soup Plate & Silver Hand Waiters, all three havimg my Coat of Arms in Lozenge upon them, my Emerald Ring with a Diamond at each end of it, with all my other Locketts & Rings whatsoever, & all my Gold & Silver Medalls, excepting one Gold & one Silver one , of Queen Anne & one of my two peaces of old Gold of King Charles the first worth three Broadpeaces apeace, which two peaces of Gold and one of Silver here last named I give to Mrs Betty Glover forgetting them in the p[roper place when I was naming the things for her.

And lastly I give unto my dear Nephew Mr Richard Worsam my Coach lyned with Crimson Coffoy, with the Crimson Coffoy Hammercloth, Harness and all things belonging to it except the Coach Horses, & those after they have drawn my Body up to the Church I give and bequeath to Mr John Glover Sen at Royston believing that he will take care of them kindly.

Item - I give to Mrs Mary Worsam and Mrs Henrietta Constantia Worsam the sum of Ten pounds apeace of good lawfull money of England, not to putt them into that Hipocriticall Dress of Mourning for me, but purely to putt them off from all manner of Claims, Right or Title that they may possibly think they can have to anything that belongs to me and for this they may thank themselves, because till they had so entirely disobliged me by their intollerable Rude words & actions, even to my very Face I had always designed to have left them almost equall to their Brother but they deserve this dishonour not only upon my own account but in Justice to their Mother from whom they had all they have & yet they asways endeavour to lessen her to agrandize their Father who was no ways equal to her in Fortune since the Hundred pounds apiece he left them in his will was more than in reallity he had of his own to give them & this they all know tho they are not willing to own it.

Item - I give to my own particular servant in Fitzhugh's place if I shall have such a one living with me at the time of my decease the sum of thirty pounds...with most of my Wearing Clothes , Linen etc not already given...my two men servants and my two Maid Servants twenty pounds...

And I am now going to name my Executors & as perhaps the World may wonder that I do not have my Nephew Worsam in that office, I shall declair it is not out of any personal prejudice to him (tho he has not been quite so Civill to me as he ought to have been) but purely from a Resolution I made, when Mr Worsam his Father used me very ill,& I then vowed I would never leave him, or any that belonged to him my Executors so as to have the Disposal of any thing of mine after my death, so now I only give my nephew Worsam liberty as Heir at Law to recover, to his own use, and Bonds, Debts etc (that shall be due to me from any person in the Island of Barbados) and if there should be any part of my Annuity of five hundred pounds a year due to me from Mrs Pare [Peer] in Barbados and not paid by Mr Tryon here in England at the time of my decease, I then give and bequeath the money so due to my obliging Friend Mr Nicholas Paxton as an addition to what I have already left him, Mr Tryon only reserving Forty pounds out of it, to send a pretty Ring sett round with Handsome Diamonds to Mrs Pare in Barbados, which I desire her acceptance of.

Lastly I Nominate and Appoint the Reverend Mr George Trigg, Minister of the Parish of Whaddon aforesaid if he shall be living at the time of my decease and Mrs Elizabeth Glover of Royston joint Executor and Executrix of this my last Will & Testament...etc etc ...and whereas by Agreeent upon the Sale of Whaddon Estate to the Right Honourable the Earl of Oxford, my Executors are to have the Liberty of the House & Gardens etc (just as I now have it) for the first six months next after my decease.... Lastly I do declair this Writing containlin seven side of paper, all writ & interlined in some places, with my own hand, Sewed together on the Topp with green Silk & Sealed upon the Silk with three black Wax Seals of Sir Harry's Coat of Arms, Crest & Cypher, & each sheet signed and sealed with my own hand & usual Seal on Black Wax/ I say I do declair this to be my last Will & testament ...this seventeenth day of August in the year of our Lord one Thousand seven hundred & Thirty .../Dame Grace Pickering in the presence of Paul Mansfield, Martha Mortimer, Joseph Hewitt, Joseph Harris.

Codicil or Amendment to the Will of Dame Grace Pickering:

In the Name of God, Amen. I Dame Grace Pickering Widow and Relict of Sir Henry Pickering etc, being at this time not in very good health of Body, but in good and perfect mind and memory blessed be God for the same, do make ordain and appoynt what is herein afetr contained to be my last Will and Testament.....[More instructions for her funeral, seemingly the same as in the first draft]....Item I give and bequeath to William Lucas of Whaddon aforesaid if he shll be living at the time of my decease, the sum of twenty pounds in money in consideration of a very small debt that he says was due from Sir Harry to his father Old William Lucas. I also give and bequeath to William Luck Gardiner of the Parish of Whaddon aforesaid if living at my decease the sum of Forty pounds in money, in consideration likewise of a small debt that he says was due to him from Sir Harry Pickering his Master, tho for my own part I believer nothing of the matter & that if there was once a debt as he speaks of, I as positively believe he has basely wronged me more than that sum fifty times over, both in the Gardens & other particulars, in which he has been a most deceitful fellow & ungrateful Servant, But I do this only in respect to his Master's Memory, for he has no Merritt of any kind belonging to him. bequests to Mrs Elizabeth Harris, her daughter Elizabeth, daughter Ann Harris, son Thomas Harris, members of the Paxton family, Rev M George Trigg, instructions for William Ratford, Carpenter at Wimpole about making her Coffin, Mr John Glover & his son John Glover Jnr, his daughter Mary Glover.

Proved at London the thirtieth day of April in the year One Thousand seven hundred and Thirty three....by the oaths of Reverend George Trigg and Elizabeth Glover

Transcribed by Jennifer Greet Oct 2023