Will of Jonas Verdon of New Buckenham, Norfolk, 1618

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

This is a transcription of the register copy of the will of Jonas Verdon of New Buckenham, Norfolk. Jonas drew up his will on 30 March 1617 when "weake in body". The will was proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury on 20 November 1618. ^[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 good, and the handwriting legible.

Persons mentioned:

• Jonas Verdon of newe Buckenham in the county of Norff gent: Testator
• my deare and lovinge wife unnamed. Her father is named later as P Eldred. Received £400, her jointure of £40 a year, all Testator's household stuff
• my mother Mrs Mary Verdon £35
• my sister Elizabeth Gouch £40
• my sister Mary Seaman £50
• my sister Jane Kendall £50
• my sister Anna Dade £40
• John Eldred sonne of Jeromye Eldrede £20
• my father in Lawe P: Eldrede and his wife £4 each
• my cosen Chr: Wragge £5
• my cosen Catherine White 40 shillings
• Jo: Gilford minister of St Michaells Bassishawe (City of London) £5
• Mr Robert Swete £5
• my cosen Mr Kendall and his wife each two pieces of gold worth 44 shillings
• Anna the wife of Richard Goodwyn 20 shillings a year for life
• Robert Dade witness to will
• John Kendall Junior witness to will
• Tho: Seman witness to will
• Tho: Seman sen[ior] witness to will
• John Baron witness to will
• John Adcocke witness to will

[folio 237 recto]
In the name of God Amen &c I Jonas Verdon of
newe Buckenham in the county of Norff gent: this thirtieth of March

[folio 237 verso]
Anno, One thousand six hundred seaventeene, beinge in perfect memory though
weake in body Doe make this my last will renouncinge all former willes here=
tofore made

First I doe bequeath my Soule into the hands of Allmighty
god my heavenly father trustinge through the merritts of Christ Jesus
to be p[ar]taker w[i]th him of the everlastinge Joye in the kingdome of hea=
ven

Item I doe give unto my deare and lovinge wife the somme of foure
hundred pounds Currant English money ^{of England} to be paid her w[i]thin six moneths
next after my death More I doe give unto her the somme of one hundred
pounds w[hi]ch is due unto me by my father in lawe his promise when I
should make my wife a ioynture of xl^Li p[er] annu[m] or at his death w[hi]ch should
be first, not doubtinge but that he will paye her the same reddylie Also
I doe give unto my wife all my housholdstuffe

Item I doe give unto my
mother M^rs Mary Verdon thirty five pounds I doe give unto my sister
Elizabeth Gouch the somme of forty pounds I doe give unto my sister
Mary Seaman fifty pounds I doe give unto my sister Jane Kendall
fifty pounds I doe give unto my sister Anna Dade forty pounds I doe
give unto John Eldred sonne of Jeromye Eldrede twenty pounds I doe
give unto my father in Lawe P: Eldrede and his wife fower pounds

I give unto my cosen Chr: Wragge five pounds I give unto my
cosen Catherine White forty shillings I doe give unto Jo: Gilford mini=
ster of St Michaells Bassishawe five pounds I doe give unto M^r Robert Swete
five pounds I doe give to the towne of newe Buckenham to sett the poore
a worke to keepe them from begginge twenty pounds I doe give unto my
cosen M^r Kendall two peece and to his wife two peece of gold of fourty
fower shillings All these lagacies I doe will to be paid within one yeare
next after my death

Item I doe give unto Anna the wife of Richard
Goodwyn twenty shillings a yeare duringe her life To this my last will
written w[i]th my owne hand I doe make my full and whole Executor
my lovinge brother William Verdon not doubtinge of his care in per=
forminge the same Havinge hereunto sett my hand and seale this
thirty daye of March in the yeares of the raigne of our Soveraigne
Lorde Kinge James of England France and Ireland the sixteenth And
of Scotland the fiftye and one &c: Jonas Verdon; Sealed and delivered
in the presence of us Robert Dade John Kendall Junior, Tho: Seman,
Tho: Seman sen[ior], John Baron, John Adcocke

Probate [in Latin] This will written above was proved at London before Master Arthur Ducke Doctor of Law surrogate for the Venerable Sir John Bennet knight and also Doctor of Law and the master of the Commissioners of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury constituted the twentieth day of November AD 1618 Judgement to William Verdon the natural and lawful brother of the said deceased and executor named in this will

Sources

1. ↑ Will of Jonas Verdon 1618: "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: 132
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 5111 #911459 (accessed 28 December 2022)