Location: London, England

Surname/tag: Style
Will of Humphrey Style PCC 1552
This is a transcript of the will of Humphrey or Humfrey Style of Langley in the parish of Bekenham, Kent. It was proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in London on 21 April 1552. [1]
The spelling is as per the manuscript of the copy will made for the Prerogative Court of Canterbury and now held by the National Archives at Kew.
Letters in [square brackets] are expanded abbreviations.
Capital F is rendered as F rather than ff
Line breaks and punctuation are as per the original will, but paragraph breaks and highlighting are my own for ease of reading.
T[estator] D[ominus] Humfridi Style mi[lit]te
In the name of the blessed Trinite the father
the sonne and the hooly gost three p[er]sons and one god The sixth daye of maye
In the yere of our Lorde god a Thousand and five hundreth fiftie and one / And in the
fyfe yere of the Reign of our most Dread Soveraign Lorde Edward the Sixte by
The grace of god of England and France and Irelande kinge defender of the faythe
and in earthe of the Churche of Englande and of Ireland the Supreme head. I
Humfrey Style of Langley in the p[ar]ishe of Bekenham in the Countie of Kent
Knyght . Being in bodily helth and p[er]fyt remembrance at this p[rese]nte tyme thankes be
to our merciful lorde by good and Delyb[er]ate Advyse w[hi]ch my self and other my frends
make this my preent testament indentyd . in form folowing
First I com[m]ytt and give
my soule to the mercifull --- of Jhus Christ the second --- in trinitie my Redemer
Salvior and mediator which hath suffered Deathe and shed his precious bloude for the
Redemption of me and of all mankynde / my bodye to be buried within the Channcell in
the p[ar]ishe churche of Bekenham aforesaid on the north side of the high Aulter on the walle
at the fote of the stepps that goethe Upp to the place where the highe Aulter -scoil- in the
same place where my welbeloved Dame Bryget my la[te] wife lyeth burrid if it shall
please god to call me oute of this worlde within the said countie And if not then where
yt shall please god to --- into the myc---s of myn Executors / And my bodye to be brought
to the earthe as it shalbe some a good Christian man according to my vocacion / And yf my
bodye be buried within Bekenham Churche aforesaide in the aforesaid place in the
walle . I will then be made A memoriall of me my wife and children / and of the tyme
of hir decease and of my decease at the discrecion of myn executors /
Item I will and bequeathe to the p[ar]son of the said p[ar]isshe Churche in recompense and Satisfaction of
my tithes and offerings necligently forgotten or withholden Twentie shillings / And to the
p[ar]son of Bromley for lyke entent Twentie shillings / And to the p[ar]sone of Hayes for lyke
entent tenne shillings /
Item I will as sone as tyme convenient may Be that my Executors
p[er]use and oversee all my goodes and cattalls pl--- Inells corne debts & redy money
that I have or that shalbe receyved of my dettors as they shall growe and come to thandes [2]
of my executors after then suche goodes and cattalls as hereafter foloweth / that is to saye
all the bruying vessells and all other utensills in my brewhouse at Langley and the myll
there and all thereto belonging / And the glasse and the glasse and s--linge in and about all my holehouse
And the great clock and and the bell with all other things thereto belonging / and my greate
Iron chest / And the scalles and stoles in the Chappell / And all manne of bynnes and
shelves and all other utensills and thing being fastened fixed or annexed to Any parte of
my said house with nayles or pynn of woode or otherwise fastened with stone morter
chalke or claye According to the custome of the ---e of Co---y in suche case used / whereas
said thinges I will shall remayned and be to myn heyre / and so from heyre to heire / As
heireLoomes or hustlements [3] Belonging to my --house / And that myne Executors shall
in nowyse bargen or sell nor make any divysion of the same premisses nor no p[ar]cell ther[e]of
before appoynted or assigned for heirelomes or hustlements to my said house / But the
Residue of my said goodes and Cattalles Plate Juells Corne debts and Redie money, I
will my Executors shall cause to be preysed [4] to the Uttermost valewe / And they so p[er]sed
I will that the value shall indifferently and equally Be partyd and devyded in three p[ar]tes
whereas one p[ar]te of the same three p[ar]tes I give and bequeath to Dame Elizabeth Style my
wellbeloved wief over and beside certeyn Juells and other things to hir given & bequeathed
as in a Sedule [5] hereunto annexed more playnly shall appere /
Item I give and bequeath
one other parte of the said three partes to my Children equally amongst them to be
devided and delivered at their several ages of xxj yeres / or at the daye of their severall
mariags / And if it fortune any of my Children to dye afore they come to thage [6] of
xxj yeres or mariage / then I will that parte and porcion of hym or theym soo
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deceased shall remayn to thother of my Children then onlyving / And yf it fortune all
my Children to decease or they shall come to their severall Ages of xxj yeres or marriage
Then I will and bequeathe the one half of the said two partes and porcions until my said
Children assigned and bequeathed unto Guye Awood my nephewe if he be then alyve
And thother half therof I will shalbe equally devyded amonge my sister Kemps
Children if they or any of them be then lyvinge / or els it to remayne to myn Executors
to dispose in deds of charite for my soule and all Christen soules by their dyscrecion / And
the thirde parte and porc[i]on of all my said goodes and Cattalls plate Juells Corne debts
and Redie money I give and bequeathe to myne executors towards the Charges of my
buriall the payment of my debts and Legacies the bringing upp and fynding of my
Children during their several noneages [7] reayring and mayntayning of my houses &
Landes and to the p[er]formance of this my p[rese]nte testament So that no parte of my Childrens
porcion be demynynsshed for any payment for the same /
Item I will that all suche legacies
and bequests as hath byn given and bequeathed unto any of my Children by my mother
my brother Kempe / or by any other / And also alsuche other things as have ben given unto
them or any of them by their godfathers or godmothers or by any other shalbe truely delyvered
unto theym according to their severall gyftes and bequests to theym given and bequethed
or the very value therof at their severall ages of xxj yeres or at the daye of their
severall mariages /
Item I will that my detts be paide in as shorte space as conveinently
may be so that no man lose any peny by me that he ought to have of right / Also I give &
bequeathe to every of my godchildren being on lyve at the tyme of my decease that will
come and demande yt vj s viij d
Items I will and bequeathe to suche poore householders
in Beckenham Bromley Hayes Wyckham and Lewisham as be not able to lyve by ther
hand Labors and to none other Twentie pounds that ys to saye to Bekenham fyve pounds
To Bromley fyve pounds / To Wyckham Fourtie shillings / To Hayes three poundes
and to Lewisham fyve poundses / over and beside my legacies given to the -omey boxes
of the foresaid p[ar]isshes to the reliafe of the poore of the same p[ar]isshes where I will shalbe
Twentie shillings to every of the said boxes / And yf it shall fortune all my Children to dye
before their said Ages of xxj yeres or daies of mariage / Then I will that one hundred
poundes shalbe given by myne Executours to the said poore people of the said p[ar]isshes last
before remembered that ys to saye to Bekenham xxv L . to Bromley xxv L to Lewisham
xxv L . To Hayes xv L / to Wyckham x L / over and beside the legacies before the
presents severally given and bequeathed / And I bequeathe to every of the said Comey
Boxes Fyve pounds for the more releef of the poore of the saide p[ar]isshes yf all my said
Children fortumne to dye as is aforesaide /
Item I give and bequeathe to every one of my
s[er]vantes as well men as woman that ben dwelling w[i]t[h] me the ddaye of my decease half
a yeres wages besyde their dutie / And to suche as take no wages I give & bequeathe
to every of them Twentie shillings /
Item I will that every of these p[er]sones whose
names dothe Immediatley folowe shall have a black gowne at the daye of my buryall yf
they be then lyving that ys to saye to Sir Raff Wanell and my lady / my brother Nicholas
Robertson . Nicholas Rokewoode . Richard Heydon . Mr William Rooper / my cosyn Edmond
Style and his Wief William Style clerk Guye Awood and his wief . James Kempe
and his wief . Humfrey Kempe . Ellys Wymarke and his wief / Robert Rokewoode the
yonger and Bryget his wief / my cosyn Anne Dawbeney wife of Oliver Dawbeney
William Draper R[o]bert Knyght . William Topham and my cosyn Anne his wief /
Item I give and bequeather to the mending of the highewey Ledyinge from Bromley to
Farnborough to be bestowed in such places most nede yt tenne pounds /
Item I give and bequeathe to the mendyng of the Wey leding from Lewisham Myll unto
Bekenham Churche to be bestowed from the nether parte of the foote of Stumpes hyll
next ynto the myll towards Bekenham churche in suche places where as most nede
shallbe tenne pounds /
Item I will that my Executors shall cause to be made twentye
Ringes of fyne golde of suche fassion as to theym shall seme most mete to be given to
these x p[er]sones next ymmediatly folowing yf they be then lyving to have my soule in
Remembrance / of the wiche xx Rings I will every these p[er]sones whose name dothe
next Immediately folowe shall have every of them one Ringe weying xx s of fyne
gold / That ys to saye / my brother Nicholas Robertson, Mr William Rooper / Nicholas
Rokewood . RichardHeydon Guye Awood . James Kempe / Humfrey Kempe / Edmond
Style / Florennce Wymarke , Brygett Rokewood, Anne Dawbeny / And to every
of these other whose names next Immediatly folowe a Ringe weying xv s of fyne
golde / that ys to saye / my Cosyn Edmonde Stiles wief . Guy Awoods wyfe . James
Kempes wyf Robert Knight William Draper and my Cosyn Ann Loph--- / Also I
give and bequeather to my foresaid nephewe Guy Awood yf he be then lyving at the
tyme of my decease Twentie poundes / over and above twentie pounds that he ys indetted
unto me by a bill Obligatory of his hande / the which by this my last will & testament
I thereby remytt and forgive hym / And where I by my last will and testament have willed & devysed
my londes and Ten[amen]ts and other my heriditaments with thappurtenances as well in
Beckenham aforesaid ans in dyvers other Townes within the said Countie of Kent / As
also in dyverse other townes and counties specified and declared in my said last will . to
Dyverse uses and intents specified and declared in my said last will / my very will & intent is
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that the said will and devyses therin conteyned shalbe to thonlye uses and intents specified
and declared in the same last will / The Residue of all my goodes & cattalls before
not bequeathed as well the profytts that shall aryse and growe uppon my said Londes
and tenements and other my hereditaments / As also all other my goods and cattalls
Plate Juells Corne Debts and Redye money devysesd and assigned in my last will and
testament towards the p[er]formance of this my p[rese]nte testament / my debts and legacies
paide and this my present testament p[er]formed . I give and bequeathe to my Executors
whom I do ordayne and make thafore namyd Nicholas Rokewood and Richard Heydon
they to dispose them for the welthe of my soule and of all Christen soules / as they will
Answere before god at the daye of Judgement / And I give and bequeathe to every of
them to thenetent they shall take upon them the seyd charge for them busynes and labor
in that behalf Twentye pounds / And I make and ordeyne the said Guy Awood my
Nephewwe and my Cosyn Edmonde Style overseers of this my p[rese]nte testament / and I
bequeathe to the saide Guye Awood for his paynes and labour in that behalf tenne pounds
And to the said Edmond Style for his lyke paynes and labors in that behalf vj L xiij s
iiij d / In wytnes whereof . I the said Humfrey Style knyght have published my name
and setto my seale of Armes . the daye and yere above said / And where sithe the making
of this my p[rese]nte tstament it hath pleased Almightie god . to have sent me a daughter
who was borne this xviijth daye of marche last past Anno D[o]m[ini] mt VC Lj to and hath to name
Mary / I therefore give and bequeathe to the said Mary if it shall please god that she lyve
unto hir Lawfull yeres of mariage / Cxxxiij L vj s iij d over and above a childes p[ar]te
as heretofore in the thirde leffe of this my p[rese]nte testament emonges my children to be
devyded is declareyd / In wytnes wherof I have not only wrytt this changse with myn
owne hande but also subsctibed my name for a ferther testimonye of the same /
The Codicell to be annexed to Sir Humphrey Style his will / tercio die
Augustis Anno mt vC Lij o / I give to my wif three cheans at her choise my
two best and greatest Chaynes excepted /
Item I give to James Warde Fyve
markes over and before the bequest to hym given by my mother /
Item I give to the
Reliff of Scollers in Oxforde and Cambridge Twentie poundes /
Item I give to the
maydes marrages . Twenty pounds /
Item I give to the hospitall or Spitall of Seynt
Bartholemewe in London iiij L or v L /
Item I give to Mr Stopes twentie Markes
before his wages . and I desire that he may be provided of a Benyfice /
Item I give to
James Plege vi L xiij s iiij d / And I will that if the same James Plege do not owe me
above xl s upon his Rekenyng / that then he be discharged and forgiven Witnes
Edmond Style grocer of London Guye Awood Mercer William Dane Robert Dusstyn
clarke persone of Bekenham and other
Probate granted at London 21 April 1552 to Nicholas Rokewood
Sources
- ↑ Will of Humfrey Style in: Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 35: Powell (1552) The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England. Accessed on Ancestry 29 May 2021 free viewing images Page 1 Page 2 Page 3
- ↑ come to the hands
- ↑ Household funishings
- ↑ appraised
- ↑ schedule
- ↑ the age
- ↑ minority
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