Will of Margaret Cok of Hingham 1509

Date: 1509 to 1509
Location: Hingham, Norfolk, England
Surnames/tags: Coke Cooper Cook

Contents 1 Introductory Notes 2 Transcription Conventions 3 Persons Mentioned 4 Will 5 Probate 6 Footnotes

Introductory Notes

The will of Margaret Coke^[1] of Hingham, Norfolk, England was written on 21 May 1509 and proved in the Archdeaconry Court of Norfolk on 12 July 1509.^[2]

The will is a register copy, written in English over 3 pages. Where the page is undamaged, the text is reasonably clear and generally easy to interpret. However, there is significant moisture damage to the top-right of the register, which means that some text has been lost as it is on a part of the page which no longer exists. Additionally, the part of the parchment that is close to the missing area has significant staining, making the text very faint and difficult to read. The will starts two-thirds of the way down folio 208 recto and the probate statement ends at the bottom of folio 209 recto.

Transcription Conventions

The conventions used in this transcription are:

• spelling, punctuation, line breaks and capitalisation are recorded as in the document, with the following exceptions to aid readability:
  • capital I is silently modernised to I or J as appropriate (eg "Joan", rather than "Ioan")
  • ff at the start of a word is silently modernised to F (eg "First", rather than "ffirst")
  • additional paragraph breaks may be included to increase readability of large amounts of text
• superscript letters are silently lowered, except where these relate to money (eg ^{li s d}), dates (eg ^th) or titles (eg M^rs)
• abbreviations/breviographs are expanded with the additional letter(s) in square brackets, except symbols for money (li s d) and the ampersand (&)
• the letter thorn is recorded as "th" in square brackets (eg "[th]e", rather than "ye")
• the letter yogh, which often appears like a "z", is recorded as "gh" or "y" (depending on the context) in square brackets (eg "[y]ellow", rather than "zellow")
• short series of missing/illegible letters are recorded with a period for each letter thought to be missing/illegible in square brackets; longer gaps are described with an editorial note
• editorial notes are italicised and in square brackets
• names and relationships are highlighted in bold
• footnotes are used to clarify archaic terms, difficult text and discrepancies
• u/v and i/j are recorded as they appear; even where modern usage would dictate one over the other (eg "haue", rather than "have" if the third letter is clearly a "u"; "vnto", rather than "unto" if the first letter is clearly a "v")
• the virgule, signifying a pause (comma, semi-colon, colon or full-stop), is recorded using a forward slash /, but only when such intent is obvious (the virgule is often indistinguishable from various check marks and otiose flourishes that are of no significance)

Persons Mentioned

The will mentions the persons below. Modern/alternative spellings for names have been included where appropriate, to help ensure this page is listed in relevant web searches.

• Margaret Cok of hengh[a]m wedow: Margaret Cock of Hingham, widow, testator
• Elizabeth Coup[er] my Syst[er]: Elizabeth Cooper, sister
• John Coup[er] the yong[er]: John Cooper the younger, relationship not stated
• wat[er] Coup[er]: Walter Cooper, relationship not stated
• Cat[er]ine Coup[er] my nece: Catherine Cooper, neice
• Unnamed Coup[er]: Unnamed Cooper, relationship not stated
• petir Coup[er]: Peter Cooper, relationship not stated
• Thomas Coup[er]: Thomas Cooper, relationship not stated
• Audry my husbond[es] doughter: Audrey Cock[?], step-daughter
• Jone my s[er]uand: Joan, seravnt
• Daut[er] of Rob[er]t Coup[er]: Daughter of Robert Cooper
• Alis the wyff of will at Moor: Alice Atmore, wife of William Atmore
• [th]e wiff of Thomas at Moor: Wife of Thomas Atmore
• Isabell[e] Cushyn: Isabel Cushing
• Margaret busshe: Margaret Bush
• Margaret Kempe: Margaret Kemp
• Margar[et] the s[er]uand of John Coup[er]: Margaret, servant of John Cooper
• maid Cusshyn: Maid Cushing
• Agnes Wryte: Agnes Wright
• John Coup[er]: John Cooper, executor

Will

[folio 208 recto]

In dei Nome[n] Ame[n] the xxj day of May in the yere of
o[ur] lord god M^t D ix I Margaret Cok of hengh[a]m wedow
hole of mende and in good reme[m]brans beyng make this
my testame[n]t & last will[e] in this man[er] folowyng Fyrst
I comende my sowle to god almyghty our lady Seynt
Mary and to all[e] the holy company of hevyn my body
to be beryed in the Churchyerd of hengham seynt Andrew
forseyd unto the which hegh auter ther I beqeth for my

[folio 208 verso]

[tythys & offeryng[es] forgotyn &] [wit]h[old]y[n]^[3] xx^[s] It[em] I bequeth
[to the] rep[er]ac[i]on of the Church ij^s It[em] to the light of Corpus
[Christi] seynt andrew seynt petyr our lady in the Chapell[e] our
lady of pyte to eche of these light ij^d It[em] to ev[er]y light of
custom kepte w[i]t[h]ine the Church j^d It[em] I bequeth onto the
Churche of hengham iiij mar[c]s to the entent to helpe to
byghe w[i]t[h] a Crosse to the same Churche It[em] I will[e] haue a
honest p[re]ste to syng for my husbands soule & myn be the
space of on hole yere in the churche of hengham forseid It[em]
I will[e] haue songyn for my husbands soule & myn a trentall[e]
It[em] I will[e] [tha]t my Messe the whyche I dwell[e] In w[i]t[h] a lytill
house standyng at [th]e ende of Baxsterrowe & vj acr londe lying
in iij pec[es] in the felde of hengham Called Estfeld be solde be
myn executo[ur] to pay my dett[es] & to p[er]forme myn husbond[es] will[e]
and this my testame[n]t & last will[e] It[em] it is my will[e] [tha]t if myn
executo[ur] leke to haue eny of my lande to bye yt he to haue it
a for any other man It[em] I gyff to Elizabeth Coup[er] my Syst[er]
my best materas my best Cou[er]lite & my best hedkerche It[em] I
gyff to John Coup[er] the yong[er] my second matras my second
cou[er]lyte colo[ur] rede & white my brasse pott my falte tabyll[e] a
Stole ij Cuschyns a steyned hangyng ou[er] my bede It[em] I geff to
wat[er] Coup[er] my best Shete and an other Shete and a candelstyk
on of the best It[em I gyff to Cat[er]ine Coup[er] my nece a gyrdell colo[ur]
Grene & violett It[em] I gyff to [blank space] Coup[er] a [y]elow cou[er]lite and a
possenet of brase It[em] I geff to petir Coup[er] my white hangyng
of my bed a schete & my gret bason It[em] I gyff to Thomas Coup[er]
ij shet[es] of the best a Candylsteke of white laton a cofer w[i]t[h] a key
the grettest It[em] I gyff to Andrew Audry my husbond[es] doughter
a cou[er]lite of diu[er]se colorrs ij Shet[es] ij blankett[es] It[em] to Jone my

[folio 209 recto]

s[er]uand [rest of first line missing/illegible due to damage]
shet[es] an olde pott[e] and on olde panne It[em] I gyff [last third of second line missing due to damage]
Daut[er] of Rob[er]t Coup[er] i cou[er]lite blue & red It[em] I gyff to [last quarter of third line missing due to damage]
a Ryng of sylu[er] & gilte It[em] to Alis the wyff of will at Moor^[4] [one or two words of fourth line missing due to damage]
of Sylu[er] & gylte It[em] to [th]e wiff of Thomas at Moor^[5] my maser^[6] It[em] to
Isabell[e] Cushyn a fyn hedkerch[e] It[em] I geff to Margaret busshe[? - very faint]
a Fyne hedkerche and my best white cappe It[em] I gyff to Margaret
Kempe an hedkerche & a neckerche It[em] I giff to Margar[et] the s[er]uand of
John Coup[er] my dubbyll[e] nekkerch[e] & a ne an hedkerch It[em] I geff to
maid Cusshyn a Chafer to set be the fyer and a Glasse to drynk
In It[em] I bequeth to litull[e] Mary gilde to th[e] aut[er] my best tabull[e] clothe
It[em] I geff to th[e] gilde of th[e] nat[ivitie] of our lady Corpu[s] [Christ]i seynt Andrew
Seynt Jamez to eche of these gildez xij^d It[em] I giff to Agnes Wryte
a cou[er]lyte colo[ur] red the best Also I desier and requir my Cofeoffez and
iche of them infeffed in my mea[suages] & land[es] befor rehersed to geff astate
to my executo[ur] of to any other be hym assigned whensoeu[er] ther be
hym desyered or required The resydue of my good[es] not gefe nor
assigned I assigne to my execut[or] the which I ordeyn and make
John Coup[er] to use & dispose them as he semyth most best to
the pleso[ur] to god and to [th]e well[e] of my Soule on to the whiche I geff
for his diligens labo[ur] xiij^s iiij^d mor ou[er] aforgod^[7] I charge my
exec[utour] and also the execut[our] of them [tha]t he & thei shall[e] p[er]form &
fulfyll[e] this my testament & last will[e] wretyn the day & yerr
a boveseid

Probate

[folio 209 recto continued; translated from Latin]

The aforesaid testament was proved at Hingham before the venerable Simon Dryver, the twelfth day of July in the year of Our Lord one thousand, five hundred and nine, and the administration of the goods etc was granted to the executor named in the said testament, being sworn in due form of law and who confesses faithfulness etc

Footnotes

1. ↑ pronounced "Cook"
2. ↑ Court of the Archdeaconry of Norfolk, Registered copy wills, v. 2 (Shaw), 1460-1509, fol. 208 recto, no. 105, will of Margaret COK of Hingham, proved 12 July 1509; images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ : accessed 24 April 2022) DGS no. 8004746, image 127 of 289; Norfolk Record Office.
3. ↑ Missing text inferred from analysis of other Hingham wills at this time, where this clause was used
4. ↑ ie William Atmore
5. ↑ ie Thomas Atmore
6. ↑ mazer, a drinking vessel
7. ↑ before God