Will of Dame Penelope Street of Cotheridge, Worcestershire, 1696

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

This is a transcript of the register copy of the will of Dame Penelope Street neé Berkeley, the widow of Sir Thomas Street of Cotheridge, Worcestershire. Penelope drew up her will when she was "weake in body" on 11 April 1696. It was proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury on 25 May 1696. ^[1]

Transcription conventions used in this text:
Spelling, punctuation and line breaks are as per the original document.
The text was originally in one block of text. Paragraph breaks at change of bequest ("Item"), and bold text for names have been added for ease of reading.
Where present, ff has been rendered as F, and the old letter Thorn has been rendered as th.
Abbreviations and breviographs have been expanded in [square brackets].
Additions and margin notes, where they occur, have been added where indicated in the text.
Crossings through, where they occur, have been included Struck out.
The image quality was acceptable, and the handwriting legible.

Persons mentioned:

• Dame Penelope Street of Cotheridge in the County of Worcester widow Testatrix
• my dear Father Sr Rowland Berkley
• my nephew Rowland Greene received the property left to Testatrix by her father
• my neeces (all of whom receive £50)
  • Margaret Greene
  • Jane Greene
  • Mary Greene
  • Anne Greene
  • Elizabeth Greene
  • Bridgett Greene
• my Neece Penelope Greene executrix of will, residuary Legatee. Also received pearl necklace and pair of pendants
• my neece Rebecca Greene diamond bracelet and gold watch
• my Neece Dorathy Greene diamond ring and second largest pair of silver candlesticks
• my good freind Mrs Perrin silver Coffee pots, second best ring and piece of gold
• my cosen Joyce Jeffreys five pounds
• my cosen Elizabeth Wright five pounds
• my godaughter Elizabeth Price a piece of gold
• my sister Dorathy Berkley' my Turkey ring and my silver bason
• my sister Margaret Bromley ten pieces of gold
• my sister Mary Nash ten Guineas
• my godaughter Mercy Bromley five pieces of gold
• my dear husband Sr Thomas Street deceased
• my trusty kinsman Ben: Jeffreys Esqr to distribute her late husband's possessions
• my neece Dorathy Bromley two pieces of gold
• my Nephew Henry Greene ten pounds to buy a horse
• my kinswoman Dorathy Vochell one piece of gold
• Martha Higgs witness to will
• Elizabeth Hill witness to will
• Thomas Bowles witness to will

---

[Folio 285 recto]
In the name of God Amen I
Dame Penelope Street of Cotheridge in the County of Worcester widow
being weake in body but of a perfect and disposeing mind Doe make this my
last Will and Testament revoking all other former Wills and Testamentary
Declarations whatsoever first I recommend my soul unto the hand of that
God which gave it being and for my body I desire it may be decently buried
in the vault of Cotheridge and for that estate which god hath blessed mee
with I devise the same in manner following Imprimis whereas my dear
Father S^r Rowland Berkley did by his last Will and Testament devise
severall houses in Worcester and ^the liberty thereof unto mee and my
heirs now I doe hereby devise them same unto my nephew Rowland
Greene and his heirs upon this speciall trust and confidence that hee the
said Rowland or such person to whom the said houses shall come shall
out of the rents issues and profitts of the same pay unto my neeces Margaret
Jane Mary Anne Elizabeth and Bridgett Greene the sum of fifty pounds a
peece which said sums shall bee paid unto them by fifty pounds a yeare the
eldest of my said Neeces to have her fifty pound the first yeare and the rest
rest of them as they are in birth every year after

Item I devise unto my said
Nephew my two silver flagons my two biggest silver Candlesticks my

[folio 285 verso]
two largest silver salvers and my guilt cupp all which said plate my Will
and meaning is shall alwayes goe along with the mannor at Cotheridge and
come to such person to who the estate shall belong

Item I devise unto my Neece
Penelope Greene my pearl necklace and my pair of pendants unto my neece
Rebecca Greene my Diamond Bracelett with my gold watch unto my
Neece Dorathy Greene my best diamond ring and my second largest
pair of silver candlesticks

Item I devise my second best ring and ten peeces
of broad Gold unto my good freind M^rs Perrin with my biggest and lesser
silver Coffee potts unto my cosen Joyce Jeffreys five pounds unto my cosen
Elizabeth Wright five pounds unto my godaughter Elizabeth Price one broad
peece of Gold

Item I devise unto my sister Dorathy Berkley my Turkey
ring and my silver bason that is the least unto my sister Margaret Bromley
ten peeces of broad Gold and unto my sister Mary Nash ten Guineas unto
my godaughter Mercy Bromley five peeces of Broad Gold

Whereas my
dear husband S^r Thomas Street did by his last Will and Testament Devise
unto mee all his goods att Cotheridge except what is particularly mentioned
in the said Will I doe hereby devise the said goods unto my trusty kinsman
Ben: Jeffreys Esq^r to bee disposed of amongst such of my said husbands
relations as hee shall thinke fitt and whereas my said husband
became bound unto my said father S^r Rowland Berkley
in a penal bond unto some other person for the purchasing of lands of the
yearely value of two hundred pound or some such sume of money to be settled
upon mee his intended wife and my heires relation being thereunto had
it doth more fully appeare now I doe hereby divert and appoint and and ^[2]
my Will and meaning is that noe person claiming under mee shall take
any benefitt or advantage by it but that the said bond immediately upon my
death shall bee void to all intents or purposes to the end the Executor of my
said husband may be enabled [blank space] to pay his Legacies given by
his said Will and I doe hereby order and divert that all the securitys for
money which I have in my custody may bee delivered up unto him
presently after my death

Item I devise unto my said Kinsman Ben:
Jeffreys the sum of fourscore pounds and doe desire him to assist my said
Neece Penelope Greene who I make sole Executrix of this my last Will
and Testament

Item I devise unto my neece Dorathy Bromley two
broad peeces of Gold unto my Nephew Henry Greene ten pounds to buy
him a horse unto my kinswoman Dorathy Vochell one broad peece of
Gold

Item I devise unto the poor of Cotheridge tenn pounds to bee
distributed amongst them and I desire no dole may bee gave att my
funeral all the rest and residue of my personnall estate in whatsoever it
consister my debts funeral and legacies being first paid I doe hereby
devise unto my said Executrix In witnesse whereof I have hereunto set
my hand and seal the eleventh day of Aprill in the yeare of our Lord God
one thousand six hundred ninety six them mark of Penelope Street signed
published and declared to bee the last Will and Testament of the said
Penelope Street in the presence of Martha Higgs, Elizabeth Hill, Thomas
Bowles

Probate [in Latin] This will was proved at London before Master Richard Raines, Knight and Doctor of Laws, presiding at at court constituted by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury the twenty fifth day of May AD 1696 Judgement given to Penelope Green the sole executrix named in that will, who was sworn to administer truly and faithfully all and singular the goods and credits of the said deceased.

Sources

1. ↑ Will of Dame Penelope Street 1696: "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: 431
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 5111 #953958 (accessed 4 August 2022)
2. ↑ "and" repeated