Will of Joseph Eldred of New College Oxford, 1646

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

This is a transcription of the register copy of the will of Joseph Eldred Bachelor of Law and Fellow of New College Oxford. Joseph drew up his will on 31 October 1645 when he was "visited with sickness" and the will was proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury on 20 January 1645/6 by his brother John Eldred. ^[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 poor on the Ancestry version, and slightly better on the images from the National Archives site. The handwriting was legible secretary hand.

Persons mentioned:

• Joseph Eldred Bachellor of lawe and fellowe of Newe College in Oxford Testator
• my Sister Corbett wife of Miles Corbett £40
• Miles Corbett
• Andrewe Henley sonne to Robert Henley £10
• Robert Henley
• Fellows of New College
  • John Lucas £10. Witness to will
  • John Bayley £10. Witness to will
  • Henry Hobby £5
  • Robert Grebby £5
  • Anthony Hodges
  • Elizabeth his [Anthony Hodges] wife £5
  • John Lamphire £5
• my Sister Dorothy Eldred wife of my brother John Eldred £100
• my brother John Eldred Executor and residuary legatee
  • my Brother Johns Children £100 between them
• George Jackson £40, clothes, musical instruments
• M^r Sheldon of Harthall pair of organs
• John Mathewes Witness to will

[folio 10 recto]
In the name of God Amen
The One and Thirtith day of October in the yeare of our Lord God
One Thousand six hundred forthie and five, I Joseph Eldred Bachellor
of lawe and fellowe of Newe College in Oxford beinge now visited w[i]th
sicknes but (praised bee God) of sound and perfect minde and memorie
Doe make and ordaine this my last Will and Testam[en]t in manner and
forme followinge, First I doe bequeath my soule to Allmightie God and
Christ Jesus mine onely Saviour and Redeemer and my bodie to the earth
from whence it was taken w[i]th full assurance that I shall rise againe at the
resurrection in the last day And as for the worldly goods w[hi]ch God hath
given mee I bestowe as followeth

First I give unto New Colledge in
Oxford the som[m]e of Tenn pounds, to bee bestowed in some use to the Colledge

[folio 10 verso]
as M[aste]r Warden and the Deanes of the Lawe shall thinke best fitt, And I give
To the Colledge near Winton to the use of the Colledge Five pounds.

To my Sister Corbett
wife of Miles Corbett Fortie pounds

To Andrewe Henley sonne to Robert Henley
Tenn pounds

And to my Fellowes and freinds in Newe Colledge I give and bequeath
as followeth Vizt to John Lucas Tenn pounds (Besides the said som[m]e of Eighteene
pounds w[hi]ch I doe owe unto him, w[hi]ch som[m]e of eighteene pounds I desire my
Executor hereafter named forthw[i]th to pay unto him)

To John Bayley Ten pounds
To Henry Hobby Five pounds. To Robert Grebby Five pounds, To Anthony Hodges
Five pounds and to Elizabeth his wife Five pounds. To John Lamphire Five
pounds,

To my Sister Dorothy Eldred wife of my brother John Eldred the
Som[m]e of One hundred pounds, To my Brother Johns Childrens One hundred
pounds to bee equally devided betweene them

To George Jackson Fortie pounds
together w[i]th aswell all my wearinge apparrell Woollen and Lynen as all my
Musicall instrum[en]ts and my bookes thereunto belonginge (except my paire of
Organs w[hi]ch I bequeath to M^r Sheldon of Harthall, And I desire the Gentlemen
of New Colledge uppon view and perusall of my books w[i]thin my Studdie, to take
from thence to the use of the Colledge such books as they have not alreadie
and likewise what goods I have in my Chamber, I leave to bee disposed of by the
Colledge, And as for all other goods goods and estate whatsoever unbequeathed
(my debts legacies and Funerall expenses beinge first paid and discharged w[i]th
my Debts and Funerall expenses I will shalbe forthw[i]th paid and my legacies
paide w[i]thin one yeare next after my decease) I doe wholy give and bequeath
to my Brother John Eldred whome I doe hereby make constiture and ordaine
the whole and sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament, revoakinge
all former Wills In witnes, whereof I have hereunto put my hand and seale
Joseph Eldred /. Signed sealed and published to the p[rese]nce of John Mathewes
John Bayley, John Lucas /.

Probate [in Latin] This will written above was proved in London before Sir Nathaniell Brent knight and Doctor of Law presiding at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury the twentieth day of January AD by the computation of the English Church 1645 Judgment awarded to John Eldred the brother of the said deceased and the executor named in the will

Sources

1. ↑ Will of Joseph Eldred 1646: "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: 195 Twisse, Quire Numbers 1-52 (1646)
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 5111 #814242 (accessed 28 December 2022)