Will of Demetrius James

Date: 1674
Location: Ightham, Kent, England
Surnames/tags: James Will

Notes

The following is the typed transcription of Demetrius James' will, using the original language. Any unknown/unsure words are in [] brackets. Demetrius wrote the will in his own hand 27 November 1674, it was proved 7 January 1679.

Transcription

1. In the Name of God Amen I Demetrius James of Ightam in

2. the County of Kent Knight being of perfect health and memory thanks be

3. given to God do make and ordaine this my last Will and Testament in a manner

4. following Imprimis I do comend my Spirit to God that gave it my Body I will to

5. be interred next to the body of my dear father in the Parish Church of Ightam

6. between eight and nine of the clock at night without any funeral solemynity

7. or Imitacon Item I give and bequeath unto my deare wife Dame Anne my coach

8. and horse and all my plate and one moyety or half of all my linen an house-

9. hold stuff Item I give unto the poore of the Parish of Ightam five pounds to

10. be paid onto the church wardens of the said Parish and by them with the consent

11. of the minister of the same to be distributed to such as they shall think fitt and to

12. the end that a Provision may be made for all my younger children both for raising

13. Portions for them and also for theire present maintenance during theire minority

14. or until the respective marriages of my daughters that shall happen to marry before

15. theire age of one and twenty yeares. I do devise unto my loving friends S Roger

16. James of Rygate in Surrey Esquire all those my lands and tenements

17. hereafter particularly mentioned that is to say All those severall Peeces

18. of marsh Ground being in Lesnes Marshed in the Parish of Earith in the

19. County of Kent conteyning in the whole by estimacon one hundred and

20. Thirty acres more or less and all that my moyety of Ightam Parke or the

21. Mast Parke of Wrotham conteyning the Severall particulars following

22. That is to say all that close or parcell of land lately divided into Two

23. called moat fields conteyning Eight Acres And all that parcell of meadow

24. Thereunto adiojning conteyning nyne acres and all that little meadow

25. conteyning Three Acres And all that Class of arable land conteyning

26. Six Acres And all that other Class of land conteyning Eight Acres And

27. all that Close called Bushfield conteyning Seaven Acres and a half And

28. all those fower Severall pieces of land conteyning fyfteene Acres And

29. all that parcel of land called the Lawne conteyning fyfteene acres And

30. all those my Lands called the Warren and Low lands in Wrotham aforesaid

31. purchased by me of Doctor Vintner and are now in the occupation of John

32. Feilder and all those my Eighteen acres of Land in Wrotham aforesaid purchased

33. by me of my sister Jane and are in the occupation of William Hawley And all that

34. my farms situate in a certeine place called Charte in Ightam aforesaid in the

35. occupation of Turner And all that parcell of Land in Wrotham formerly in the

36. occupation of Ellis and now in Woods And all that parcell of Land in Ightam

37. formerly in [dinise] to Nicholas Brattle being parcell of the Demesne of the

38. Manor of Ightam aforesaid And all that parcell of Land called Wyfield

39. Mead being in Wrotham and Ightam late in the occupation of John Martin

40. And all that my hophouse in Wrotham aforesaid with all and singular

41. the appurtenances to the same or any part thereof belonging To have and

42. to hold unto them the said Roger James for and immediately after my decease

43. for and during the time of five hundred years from there next

44. ensuring fully to be compleat and ended neverless upon this special trust

45. and Confidence the said Roger James shall out of the Rents and profitts of

46. the said Lands or by Mortgage or sale of the said Lands or any part of them 47. for all or any part of the said terms raise and pay the several sumes of

48. moneyes as are hereby by me appointed limitted divested and bequeathed 49. unto my several children hereafter mentioned that is to say the sum of

50. Thirty pounds per annum to each of my younger children during theire

51. Minority for their maintenance which said Severall sums of thirty pounds

52. per annum I do appoint shall be paid annually to my loving wife of the feasts

53. of St John the Baptist and the Nativity of Christ by equall porcons to be

54. employed by my said wife and disposed of for the education and maintenance of

55. my respective younger children in such manner as shee shall think fitt And my

56. will Is that if I have any Posthume child borne after my decease the life

57. sum to be paid and in like manner for his or her maintenance And my will

58. further is that the Acquittance of my said wife be shee sole or under Coverture

59. shall be a sufficient discharge therefore to the said Roger James And upon

60. this farther trust the said Roger James shall also pay unto my daughter

61. Jane at her age of one and twenty years or day of marriage the sum

62. of one Thousand Pounds which I bequeath unto her for her Portion And

63. unto my daughter Elizabeth at her age of one and twenty years or day

64. of Marriage the sum of Eight hundred Pounds for her Portion And all

65. to my daughter Anne the life sum of Eight hundred Pounds at her age of

66. One and twenty years or day of Marriage for her Portion And if either of my

67. said daughters Jane, Elizabeth or Anne shall happen to dye before theire respective

68. ages of one and twenty yeares or day of Marriage Then I will the Portion

69. of one Thousand or Eight hundred Pounds so allotted to her that dyed shall go

70. to the surviving sisters equally to be paid unto them in like manner and at such

71. time and times as their respective Portions are appointed to be paid And in-

72. case a second of my said three daughters should depart this life before the above

73. mentioned dayes or times appointed then one moyety of the Portion of the

74. latter sister so dying shall inure to the benefitt of the surviving sister And the

75. residue to and for the advantage of my Executor And shall also pay unto my

76. son George at his age of one and twenty years the sum of eight hundred

77. Pounds which I do bequeath unto him for his Portion And shall also pay

78. unto my son Henry at his age of one and twenty yeares the sum of

79. Eight hundred Pounds which I do bequeath unto him for his Portion

80. And if either of my said sonnes George or Henry shall happen to depart this

81. life before such time as their respective portions shall become due then my

82. Will is that such Portion or the residue thereof in case any part have been

83. disposed to his benefitt shall redound to the benefitt of the survivor of these

84. Two brothers And in Case such survivor shall happen to dye before his Portion

85. become due and payable by this my will my meaning is that his Portion shall

86. redound to the benefitt of my Executor And shall also pay unto my daughter

87. Sarah the sum of Eight hundred Pounds at her age of one and twenty yeares

88. or day of Marriage which shall first happen for her Portion And shall also pay

89. unto my sonn Hastreich the sum of Eight hundred Pounds when he shall

90. have atteyned the age of one and Twenty yeares for his Portion And if either

91. of these two my said daughter Sarah or sonn Hastreich shall happen to dye before

92. their respective Portions shall become due The Portion of him or her so dying

93. shall accrew to the survivor together with such Posthume Child of mine and

94. shall be borne after my decease equally to be divided between them and to be

95. paid at such time and in such manner as their respective Portions are herein

96. before limited and appointed And if no such Posthume child shall happen to be

97. borne or if any be borne and dye before the age of one and twenty years Then

98. one moyety of the aforementioned Portion shall be to the advantage of my

99. Executor And my Will also is that in Case it shall be thought fitt by my said

100. wife and the said Roger James to place out any of my younger sonnes as Apprentices

101. or other wise to dispose of them for their preferment before they shall come unto

102. the age of one and Twenty years that then it shall and may be lawfull for the

103. said Roger James by and with the Consent of my said wife to pay and dispose of

104. Three hundred Pounds part of the Eight hundred pounds hereby appointed and

105. bequeathed unto them for their respective Portions for such therein placing forth

106. and disposal of them And if it shall happen my wife to be with Child at the time

107. of my decease Then my will is that such Posthume Child borne after my decease shall

108. likewise out of the Rents and profitts of the said Lands have the life sum of

109. Eight hundred Pounds To be paid at his or her age of one and Twenty yeares

110. And my will is that after the severall Portions raised by the said Roger James

111. out of and by the Rents and profitts of the said Lands as after said and the severall

112. sumes of Thirty Pounds per annum for the maintenance as aforesaid of my younger

113. Children and such Posthume Child as shall be borne after my decease That the said

114. terms for yeares hereby devised to the said Roger James and all theire Estate and

115. interest in the said Lands shall utterly cease and be void And I do devise and

116. bequeath the Revercon and inheritance of all and singular the said Lands unto my

117. son William and his heires forever and further my will is that it shall and may

118. be lawfull to and for the said Roger James to default out of the Rents and profitts of

119. the said Lands all such Caste Charged and Executed which he shall lay out and expend

120. in or about the execution of the trust hereby reposed in him or in the necessary repaires

121. or suite in Law or otherwise concerning the premisses or any part thereof and shall

122. yearly at the feast of St John Baptist make a true account of all Receipts and

123. disbursements unto my said wife or such other person or persons as shee shall appoint

124. to take the same And my will is that the said Roger James shall be charged or chargeable

125. with or for any more of the premisses then only with and for his own Act or

126. receipt And my meaning is that for the respective Portions hereby demised

127. and appointed to be paid to my Children at their respective ages of one

128. and Twenty yeares or said of marriage no interest shall be paid or allowed

129. therefore in the meantime And if it should so fall out by reason of the great

130. decay of Rents that these foregoing Provisions should fall short upon the part

131. of such my Lands hereby instated upon my Executer my meaning is that all my

132. younger Children shall be equally shared in such loss and disaster and shall to avoid

133. any difference arising stand by what shall be agreed by my dearly beloved

134. wife and my Executer before mentioned And I do give and bequeath unto my

135. loving friend Roger James as a testimony of my thankfulness for his Care in

136. the managing of the Trust hereby in them reposed the sum of five Hundred

137. to be paid within Three months after my decease And as this my last Will

138. I do make and ordaine my son William full and sole Executor and do Committ

139. him and his Estate to the Care tuition ordering and management of his mother

140. during her Widdowhood And in Case shee marry again after my decease Then my

141. Will is that the said Roger James shall have the ordering and management of his

142. Estate during his minority And for as much as my father in law Doctor Bate did

143. by his last Will bequeath onto my son George his Grandchild and Godson the

144. sum of fifty Pounds for a Legacy which said Legacy hath since by his Executors

145. been paid into my hands My Will is that within three yeares after my decease my

146. Executor pay onto my said son George the sum of one hundred Pounds to be

147. disposed to his best advantage by the direction of my wife and my Trustee in Lieu of

148. his Grandfathers Legacy bequeathed him And in Testimony that this is my last

149. Will and Testament all written with my own hand in Seaven sheets of paper and

150. subscribed with my name I have hereunto this last Close setting my hand and seale

151. the Seaven and Twentyth day of November In the one and twentieth year of

152. the Raiyne of our Soveraiyne Lord King Charles the Second over England Anno

153. Dm one thousand six hundred Seaventy and Four De: James Signed Sealed

154. published and declared the day and year above written by the said Sr Demetrius

155. James to be his last will and testament in the presence of James Hickford William

156. Lawley Thomas Brigden

Will transcribed by Mary Koler, Yorkshire team on 10 December 2023, but added to this page 15 December 2023.

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