Will of John Fuller the elder of Redenhall, Norfolk, 1609

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Redenhall, Norfolk, England
Surnames/tags: Fuller Cotton

Will of John Fuller the elder of Redenhall 1608 ^[1] Written on the 16 December 1608 and proved in the Episcopal Consistory Court, Archdeaconry of Norwich on 2 January 1609/10

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

• I John Fuller the elder of Redenhall in the County of Norff yeoman testator
• Margaret my loving wife wife of testator
• John Fuller my sonne
• Thomas Fuller my sonne under 21 years of age
• Will[ia]m Fuller my eldest sonne
• Mr Thomas Cotton of the Citye of London Esquier Supervisor of will
• f Thomas Fuller witness, presumably not the testator's son
• Thomas Evered witness
• William Reade Snr witness

[Page 1 folio 222 verso, image number767]

In the name of god Amen/ The sixteene
day of December in the yere of our Lord God one thousand six
hundred and eyght And in the yeres of the Raygne of our
Soveraygne Lord James by the grace of God of England
France and Ireland Kinge Defender of the faith etc the sixt
and of Scotland the twoo and fortye I John Fuller
the elder of Redenhall in the County of Norff yeoman being
sicke of bodye but in good and p[er]fect remembrance laude and
prayse be unto Almighty God doe make ordayne and declare
this my last will and Testament in manor and forme following
vizt First and before all thinges I com[m]ende my soule into
the handes of Almighty God my maker hoping assuredly
by the only meritts of Jesus Christ my redeemer to be made
protaker of everlasting life And my bodye I com[m]ende to the earth
where it was made the same to be orderly buried in that
church yard where it shall please God to call me to his
mercye

Secondly I give and bequeath unto Margaret
my loving wife all that my Inclose called and knowne by the
name of Hollands sett lying and being in Redenhall aforesaid
holden by Copye of Courtroll of the Manour of Redenhall
to the said Margaret my wife and her Assignes for and during
the terme of her naturall life And after the decease of the
said Margaret my wife I give and bequeath all the said
Inclose called Hollandes with all and singular the appurten[an]ces
unto John Fuller my sonne To have and to holde the said
incloser with all and Singular thappurten[a]nces unto the said John
my sonne his heyres and assignes forever
Item I will and
bequeath unto the said Margaret my wife all other lands
whatsoever holden by copy of Courtroll of the said Mannour of
Redenhall hall to have and to holde all and singular the said
last writed landes with theappurten[a]nces unto the said Margaret
my wife and her Assignes for and towards the education and
bringing up of my children that I now have and shall have by the
said Margaret my wife untill such tyme as Thomas Fuller
my

[page 2., folio 223 recto, image number 767]]

my sonne shall ( or should if he had lived accomplished and come
to his age of one and twenty yeres And then I will all those
my said lands last bequesthed ( the aforesaid Inclose called
hollands onlye excepted) shallbe solde by the said Margaret
my wife to the best prise And the money for the same to be
taken and receyved and ................. I will it shall be
equally devided by the said Margaret my wife amongst
all those my children that I now have and shall have by
the aforesaid Margaret my wife Provided alwayes and I
will all my tenementes and meaning is that if my said
children or such of them as shalbe living at the tyme when
as the said Thomas Fuller shall or should as is aforesaid
accomplish and come to the age of one and twenty yeres
shall not lay in such sufficient ser.... unto the said Margaret
my wife as she shall like as for the payment of six pounds
Thirteene shillings and fower pence of lawfull English money
unto the said Margaret my wife yerely every yere
during he naturall life Then I will that she shall
have the bsaid lands appoynted to be solde as is aforesaid
to her owne use during the terme of her naturall life
And if it happen the said Margaret my wife be dep[ar]ted this
present life before any sale be made by her of my said
lands herein this my last will and Testament
nominated and appoynted for her to sell as is aforesaid
Then I will and my true intent and meaning is that
the aforesaid lands w[i]th all and singular their appurten[a]nces
and every parte and p[ar]cell of the some herein this my
last will and Testament nominated and appoynted
and appoynted to be sold by the said Margaret my wife
shall wholly remayne and be unto my said children and
every of them their heyres and Assignes and to be equally
divided amongst them accordinge to the true intente and
meaning of this my last will and Testament
Item I will
that Will[ia]m Fuller my eldest sonne shall have the
offer

[page 3, folio 223 verso`, image number770]

offer and p[re]ferment to buye my said lands in this my
last will and Testament appoynted to be solde soe
as he the said Will[ia]m give for the farme lands as much
money and as ready payment as any other man will
give for the same
Item I will that w[i]thin one month
next ensuyng after my decease all my moveables goodes
cattells and stuffe of household whatsoever shalbe sone
valued and prised at the full value and prise that the
sam4 shalbe thought worth by three or fower indifferent
p[er]sons of my neyghbours dwelling in Redenhall aforesaid
The one halfe whereof I wholly give and bequeath unto the
said Margaret my wife for and towards the education and
bringing up of my said Children as is aforesaid and for and
towards the payment of my debts and discharging of such
Legacies as in this my last will and Testament I
shall give and bequeath And the full value of the other
halfe of my said moveables goods cattells and stuffe of
household soe valued and prised as is aforesaid I will
shalbe equally divided amongst my said Children that
I nowe have and herefater shall have by the said Margaret
my wife to be paid and delivered to them and every of them
as they shall accomplish and come to their severall ages of
one and twenty yeres Provided alwaayes and I will and
my true intent and meaning is that the said Margaret
my wife shall w[i]thin six weeks next ensuying after my
decease stande and become bound in one sufficient
writing Obligatory unto Mr Thomas Cotton of the
Citye of London Esquier in the som[m]r of one hundred pounds
truly discharge satisfye paye and p[er]forme all such Legacies
and bequests as in this my last will and Testament I
have given and bequeathed according to the true intente
and meaning hereof and the trust I have reposed in her
And if she the said Margaret my wife shall refuse to
enter

[page 4, folio 224 recto, image number 770]

enter into such bonde as is aforesaid w[i]thin such tyme as
is afore by .... (be... hereunto reasonably required
by the said Mr Thomas Cotton or his Assignes) then she
the said Margaret to forfeite and loose the whole
benefitte of every Legacye and bequest before in this my
last will and Testament given or bequeathed unto
her anything herein mentioned to te contrarye
notwithstanding and then I will nd my true intent
and meaning is that all and every legacie gifte and
bequest before in this my aslt will and Testament given
and bequeathed unto her the said Margaret my wife
shall wholly remayne and be unto my said last recited
Children to be equally devided amongst them
|Item further
I will that if it shall happen any of my said Children to
depart this p[re]sent life before he she or they have recyved
his her or their said Legacies before i this my last will
and Testament given and bequeathed unto rhem Then I
will that the Legacie of him her or them soe deceased shall
remayne and be to the other of my said last recited children
surviving to be equally divided amongst them
Item I doe
ordayne and make the aforesaid Margaret my wife sole
Executrix of this my Testament and last will charging
her as the will answeres before God that she be carefull to
p[er]forme this my will according to the true intente and
meaning hereof And that she see that my bodye may be
brought orderly to the grave and discharge all duetyes
and payments for my burial expenses and for the probate
of this my Testament and last will And I ordayne and
make the aforesaid Mr Thomas Cotton Supervisor of
this my last will and I give unto him for his paynes in
this behalf [Ten ? obscured rather by a blot] shillings of golde And for a further
testimony that this is my Testament and last will and that I have revoked all former wills before this tyme
by

[page 5, folio 224 verso, image 772]

by me made I have in the p[re]ens of certayne witnesses hereafter
named sette my hand to the three sheets before going and to
this last sheet I have sette my hande and seale in the p[re]ens
and Testimony of Thomas Fuller Thomas Evered and
William Reade Snr

THis will was proved on the 2 January 1609
.

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSND-QSNX-S?i=766&cat=278818