Will of Gamaliell Beamont of Easthorpe, Essex 1641

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

This is a transcription of the original filed will of Gamaliell Beamont Clerk in Holy Orders of Easthorpe, Essex, England. Gamaliell had his will drawn up on 26 April 1639 when he was "diseased in body" and it was proved at the Court of the Bishop of London on 2 November 1641. ^[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 very good (full colour image) and the handwriting legible.

Persons mentioned:

• Gamaliell Beamont of Easthorp Clerk of the parish of Easthorpe, Essex. Testator
• Beniamin (Benjamin) Beamont my brother twelve pence
  • Beniamin Beamont the son of Beniamen Beamont my brother Twenty pounds
• Annis my wife Executrix and residuary legatee
• Mary Pipple my sister the wife of William Pipple Clarke Twelve pence
  • their children, Twelve pence each
  • Stephen
  • Mary
  • Martha
  • Elizabeth
  • William
  • John
  • Thomas
• my sister Martha deceased
  • her daughters, the first three twelve pence each
  • Susan Hammond
  • Martha Hammond
  • Alice Duxbury
  • Mary Duxbury the youngest child, left in the care of Testator and his wife
• Mr John Preston, Clarke will preach the funeral sermon. Receives all Testator's books. Overseer of Will
• Thomas Ham of Much Byrch Overseer of will
• Mary Boyford Witness to will
• Daniell Ravens Witness to will

---

In the name of god amen / Aprill the xvj th in the yeare of our Lord god one thousand six hundred thirty & nine & in the yeare of our soveraigne King
Charles the xvth / I Gamaliell Beamont of Easthorp in the County of Essex Clark, though diseased in body yet of sound & perfect memory thankes
be unto god: revoking & renouncing all former wills made or demised by me make and ordeyne and appoynt this my last will and testament as followeth
First I bequeath my soule into the hands of the Almighty god my creator and redeemer, and my body to the earth to be buryed in decent buryall at the
discretion of my executrix:

Item I give unto the poore people of the parish of Easthorp twenty shillings to be payed unto them within six weeks
after my buryall

Item I give unto Beniamin Beamont my brother the sum[m]e of twelve pence to be payed when it shall be dem=
=anded. Item I give unto Beniamin Beamont the sonne of the sayd Beniamin my brother the sum[m]e of twenty pownds to be payed in manner
as followeth: Viz th[a]t if Annis my wife shall happen to marry again th[a]t then she shall pay unto him ten pownds of the sayd twenty w[i]thin halfe a yeare after
the day of hir marriage day & the other ten pownds w[i]thin ten weekes after the day of hir death: but if she marry not, th[a]t then the whole twenty pownds shalbe payed unto
Him w[i]thin six weekes after the day of hir death yet provided th[a]t my will and meaning is, th[a]t if Beniamin Beamont my brother his father shall any wayes molest
or trouble my wife by any suites at Law or otherwise either by himself or his procurement, th[a]t then the guift of the aforesayd twenty pownds his sonne shalbe voyd, and his
sonne only to have twelve pence to be payed when it shall lawfully be demanded.

Item I give unto Mary Pipple my sister the wife of William Pipple Clarke
twelve pence to be payed when it shall lawfully be demanded: Item I give unto her severall children now living , viz: unto Stephen, Mary, Martha, Elizabeth
William, John & Thomas to either of them twelve pence a peece to be payed unto them when it shalbe lawfully demanded:

Item I give unto Susan
Ham[m]ond & Martha Ham[m]ond, and Alice Duxbury the daughters of my sister Martha deceased twelve pence a peece to be payed unto them when it shall be lawfully
demanded.

Item whereas my aforesayd sister Martha did uppon hir deathbed give & bequeath hir youngest child called Mary Duxbury unto Annis my
wife to bring her up, I leave hir to the discretion of my wife according to the trust com[m]itted to hir, to be provided for by Annis my wife: Yett my will and
meaning is th[a]t if Annis my wife shall fayle in hir care towards th[a]t child, th[a]t then out of those goods th[a]t I shall leave the said Mary Duxbury shall have
twenty pounds payed unto hir either within half a yeare after the marriage day or day of Death of Annis my wife, w[hi]ch of them shall happen first

As for any further guift or legacy to any of my kindred aforenamed, I leave it to the will & discretion of my wife to better or increase it, towards such
of them as she shall finde most loving to hir

Item I give unto Annis my wife the book of Martirs in two Volum[m]es ^[2] Item I give unto Mr John Preston
all my other bookes uppo[n] conditio[n] th[a]t he preach my funerall sermon the w[hi]ch if he doe not then I give them to Annis my wife Item I give unto
Annis my wife all my money, plate and all my goods chattells, within doores, without doores moveable or unmoveable of what nature & kind soever discharging
my debts & legacyes aforesayd, and my decent buryall, whom I make and appoynt my only & sole executrix unto this my last will & testament, intreating my
beloved freinds Mr John Preston, Clarke above mentioned & Thomas Ham of Much Byrch ^[3] to be supervisors unto the same: In witnesse whereof I have hereunto
Sett my hand and seale the day & yeare above said

Gamaliell Beamont {seal}

Sealed and subscribed by the within named Gamaliell Beamont in the pr[esen]ce of us
(Thomas Ham of Much Birch being first interlined)
The mark of Mary Boyford
The m[ar]ke of Daniell Ravens

[Probate in Latin] This will was proved before the Venerable Master Roberto Aycliff doctor of laws.... on the second day of November AD 1641, judgement to Agnita Beamont the relict of the deceased and executrix named in this will...

Sources

1. ↑ Will of Gamaliell Beamont of Easthorpe 1641: "London, England, Wills and Probate, 1507-1858"
   London Metropolitan Archives and Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section, Clerkenwell, London, England; Reference Number: DL/C/421; Will Number: 115
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 1704 #413019 (accessed 26 September 2023)
2. ↑ Foxe's "English Martyrs"
3. ↑ Thomas Ham is a replacement for a name scribbled out which may be "Robert Cockes of ----"