Will of Edward Lacon, gent of Willian, Hertfordshire

Date: 1624 to 1638
Location: Willian, Hertfordshire, England
Surnames/tags: Lacon Wilson Brockett

This is a transcription of the register office copy of the will of Edward Lacon. The will was written on 1 September 1624 and proved on 9 November 1625^[1]

The will images were good and very readable

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

• Edward Lacon of Willian inthe countie of herts Esquier testator
• Joan my late loving and deare wife Joan/Johanna unknown Wilson Edward was her second husband
• my daughter Elizabeth Neale
• George Karon? gent of Kenley? in Shropshier
• Walter Neale my Grandchild sonne to my saied daughter Elizabeth
• Henry Neale Esquier my sonne in lawe
• Fraunces Neale my grandchild daughter of the saied Elizabeth Neale
• Edward Burr of great Wimondlye tasked to look after legacies for some of the Neale children
• Benjamin Kinton of Willian tasked to look after legacies for some of the Neale children
• my loving friends M^r Chapman of Willian Clerke and John Skinner of Hitchin gent oversee Burr's and Kinton's handling of the money they are enrusted with
• Lacon Neale my grandchild sonne and heyre apparent of Henry Neale my sonne in lawe grandson of testator
• my sonne in lawe Mr Thomas Willson stepson
• my daughter in lawe M^[istre]ss Ann Butleir stepdaughter
• John Brockett sonne and heyre Apparent of John Brockett Esquier John Brockett (abt.1599-abt.1640) my sonne in lawe grandson
• Lacon Brockett daughter of the saied John Brockett my sonne in lawe and Jane his wife my daughter deceased granddaughter and daughter of testator's daughter Jane
• t Edward Bromely Knight one of the Barrons of his Maj[esties] Court of Exchequer joint overseer of will - no relationship stated
• Francis Lacon Knight joint overseer of will - no relationship stated
• John Skinner witness to will - mentioned earlier as above
• John Chapman witness ro will likely the same as Mr Chapman, Clerke mentioned earlier
• William Goodes witness to will
  
  

In the name of God amen the first daie of September 1624 and in the
two and twentie yeere of the Raigne of o[ur] soveraigne Lord Kinge James of England Frannce and Ireland
defender of thye Faith etc And of Scotland the eight and fiftieth I Edward Lacon of Willian in
the countie of herts Esquier being at this present in good health, yet knowing whereof I am madeAnd
being desirons to settle my estate, that peace may be settle in my family when I am dep[ar]ted this life Do ...
and ordaine this my last will and testament in manner and forme following First and principally I

[second page folio 191]

commend my soule to Almightie God my maker and to Jesus Christ my Redeemer by the merittes of whose
death and passionb and faith in him I hope to have full pardon and forgiveness of all my snnes And to be p[ar]taken
of his kingdome of glorie And for my bodie being the good creture of God I com[m]itt it to the earth to be buried in the
Chancell belonging to the Church of Willian aforesaied as neere unto Joan my late loving and deare wife (who is laied
there before me) as conveniently maie be, w[i]th as little solemnity as maie be

Item I give unto my daughter Elizabeth
Neale the some of one hundred pounds wh[i]ch George Karon? gent of Kenley? in Shropshier oweth ^me

Item I give the
saied Elizabeth my daughter one Bason and Ewer of silver p[ar]cell guilt, which was bought at her christining

Item I give to Walter Neale my Grandchild sonne to my saied daughter Elizabeth one hundred pounds being the
some that Henry Neale Esquier my sonne in lawe oweth me

Item I give and bequeath unto Fraunces Neale my
grandchild daughter of the saied Elizabeth Neale the some of one hundred pounds, to be paied unto her at the age
of eighteen yeeres or day of her marriage which shall first happen, And my will and meaning is that the said
hundred poundes so devised to the Fraunces be w[i]thin six monthes next after my decease deliv[er]ed into the
hands of Edward Burr of great Wimondlye and Benjamin Kinton of Willian to be by them Imployed to
and for the benefitt of the saied Fraunces untill the saied age of Eighteen yeeres or day of marriage And my
further will and meaning is That the saied Edward Burr and Benjamin Kympton doe once every yeere
so long as they shall have the saied monie ^{in their handes} accompt and make knowne unto my loving friends M^r Chapman
of Willian Clerke and John Skinner of Hitchin gent howe bothe saied money is imployed

Item I give and
bequeath unto Lacon Neale my grandchild sonne and heyre apparent of Henry Neale my sonne in lawe all
my messauges lands tenem[en]ts and heriditaments whatsoever w[i]th the Appurtenan[c]es in Willian aforesaied
Bonningford als Buntingford in the saied countie of Herts hornely and hogesden in the countie of Midd[lesex]
or in any other place within the Realme of England and Wales or either of them, To have and to hold the saied messuages
lands tenem[en]ts ad heriditam[en]ts whatsoever with the appurtenances unto the saied Lacon Neale his heyres and assignes
for ever uppon Condic[i]on notw[i]thstanding that the saied Lacon Neale his heyres or Assignes doe paie unto his
mother Elizabeth Neale my daughter yeerly and every yeere during her natral life, the some of twentie pounds
of currant English money at fower usuall feasts in the yeare (that is to saie at the feast of St Michael the
Archangell the nativitie of o[ur] Savior Christ comonly called Christm[a]s daie, the annuncion of o[ur] blessed ladie
virgin mary & St John Baptist by even and equall porc[i]ons

Item I give unto my sonne in lawe Mr Thomas
Willson and to my daughter in lawe M^[istre]ss Ann Butleir to either of them a Ringe of goold of xx^s

Item I
give unto John Brockett sonne and heyre Apparent of John Brockett Esquier my sonne in lawe xx^liw[hi]ch his
father doth owe me

Item I give unto Lacon Brockett daughter of the saied John Brockett my sonne in
lawe and Jane his wife my daughter deceased xx^li to be paied unto her at her age of eighteene yeeres or daie of
marriage whch shall first happen

Item I devise to the poore of Willian xx^s

The Residue of my goods
and chattells my debts paied my funerall discharged & this my last will and testam[en]t p[er]formed, I give unto
Lacon Neale my grandchild whome I no[min]ate and appoynt sole executor of this my last will and testament
And I doe name and appoynt Edward Bromely Knight one of the Barrons of his Maj[esties] Court of Exchequer
and Francis Lacon Knight Overseers of this my last will and testament. And I give to the saied S[ir] Edward
Bromley a Ringe of gold of xl^s. In witness that this is my will I have sett my hand and seale the daie and
yeere first abovesaied/ E Lacon/published in the presence of John Skinner, John Chapman, William
Goodes

First Grant of Administration

Translated from Latin

On the ninth day of the month of November in the year of the Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-five, a commission issued to Henry Neale aforesaid etc, to administer the goods etc of Edward Lacon late of Willian in Hertfordshire, deceased, according to the tenor and effect of the deceased's own will, during the minor age of Lacon Neale, the executor named in the said will, to well etc by the power of the Holy Gospels, the commission issued before Master John Buckley, clerk, otherwise in that respect, sworn. Presented.

Second Grant of Administration

Contained in a marginal note, immediately to the right of the original grant of probate, and written in a different hand. Translated from Latin

On the seventh day of the month of June in the year of the Lord 1638, a commission issued to Walter Neale, grandson by the daughter of the said deceased, having etc, to administer the goods, rights and credits of the said deceased according to the tenor and effect of the deceased's own will, on account of Henry Neale aforesaid, administrator with will of the said deceased during the minor age of the said executor recently deceased, being likewise now deceased, to administer well etc, sworn

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: 147
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 5111 #838033 (accessed 8 October 2023)
   Will of Edwardi Lacon, granted probate on 9 Nov 1625. Died about 1625 in Willian, Hertfordshire, England.