Will of Margaret Neville, 29 March 1546

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: Neville Parr

This is a transcription of the registered will of Margaret Neville (Nevell or Nevill) held at The National Archives, Kew, England, UK. The will was written on 23 March 1545/6 and was proved on 29 March 1546 at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.^[1]

Transcription conventions used in this text:

• Spelling, punctuation and line breaks are as per the original document.
• Bold text for names have been added by me for ease of reading.
• Where present, ff has been rendered as F.
• where present the letter thorn (ye) has been rendered the.
• Additions and margin notes, where they occur, have been added where indicated in the text.
• Abbreviations have been expanded in [square brackets].
• Amendments added between the lines, when present, have been formated as superscript.
• The image quality was moderate. The handwriting was mostly legible.

Persons mentioned:

• Margaret Neville (Nevell or Nevill), the testator
• Kateryn Parr, the executrix and her stepmother
• Elizabeth Garett ot Fitzgarett, friend and beneficiary
• Dorothy Fountayns, maid and beneficiary, part of Kateryn Parr's household.
• Margarett Paye, beneficiary
• Nicholas Pryott, beneficiary
• William Savage, beneficiary and Kateryn Parr's groom.
• W Essex, witness, probably William Parr Kateryn Parr's brother and then Earl of Essex.
• Nicholas Trockmorton, possibly Nicholas Throckmorton, witness
• Frances Goldsmith, witness
• John Cockes, procurator, probably John Cocke MP who was Kateryn Parr's attorney and part of her Learned Council.

I Margaret Nevell beinge of p[er]fett mynd and memorye do make this my testament and last Will the

xxiij ^ti daye of marche in the xlv^ti yere of o^r lorde after this manner and forme folowinge / First I bequethe yeld upp and commytt

to the handes of my most mercyfull father my soule yet all my hole substance as well spirituall as corporall most stedfastlye

trustynge unto his mercye that he thorowe the merites of my saviour and onlye medyator Jh[es]us crist Will nowe p[er]forme his

promys unto me that death maye have no power over me But that thorouwe his grace I maye boldlye saye o deathe

where is thy victory o hell where is thy stynge Being above all other thinges most certeyne that all that trust in him

shall not be confounded I knowe that thowe wilt receyve me under the wynges of thy marcie not for my Worthynes

But for the worthynes of criste my saviour in as muche as thowe hast promysed to gloryfie all his membres for

whome he prayed here that they myght be gloryfied And thoughe I be most vile yet is is he riche thoughe I most synfull yet

is he hollye fynally I fynde in my selfe nothinge but damnacon but in him Fynde dwellinge all the treasures of thy mercy goodnes graces

and vertues I therefore thorowe him Whome thowe o Father with all his riches and treasures hast geven unto me do approche

unto the throne of thy mercy besechinge the to p[ar]don me of all my offences by Whiche I have manny tyme of all my lyffe offendid the

and that thowe wilt blott them out of thy memory and never Impute them unto me for then who shall save anny thinge farther to

my charge Whom thowe Hast remytted yea Whome thowe hast receyvid for amember of thy mystycall bodye And nowe in

in so muche as I have receyvid ^{of my mercyfull father} dyvers and sundry talentes whiche it hathe pleased him to commytt unto my handes that I maye

not be comutid lyke unto the unprofitable servinte w[hi]^ch hid the talentes of his Lorde in the earthe / I shall most humblye beseche my

Dere soveraygne Mistres the Quenes Highnes to take all and sing[u]ler my saide talentes unto her handes to be disposed to the glorye

of god as her highnes shall thynke most best. And for somuche I ame never able to render to her grace sufficient thankes for the godlye

Educacon and tender love and bountifull goodnes whiche I have ever more founde in her highnes and knowinge farthermore

that her grace is of suche p[er]fite godlynes and wysdome that she canne muche better dispose them to the hono^r of and discharge of my

dutie Then I canne my Selfe devise I shall most humblye desire her grace to take the orderynge of the same First of all

therfore for the entyre frendeshipe and great gentilnes that I have evermore founde in Misteres Elizabeth Garrett and to be

to her as a token and p[er]ptuall memory that she shall come when it shall please god to the same estate that I am at nowe

I geve and bequethe unto the same mysteres Elizabethe Fitzgarrett twentie pounde in monneye / Item I geve and bequethe unto

Dorothye Fountayns my mayde iiij ^Li yerlie duringe the lyffe of the saide Dorothye Item I bequethe unto Margarett paye xl^s yerlie

durenige the lyffe of the saide margarett Item I bequethe unto Nycholas Pygott fortie shillinge yerlie durynge the lyffe

of the saide Nycholas Item I bequethe to Will[ia]m Savage fortie shillinge yerlie durynge the lyffe of the saide William

All the rest of my goodes and Catalls as well movable as unmovable Whiche I have in my handes as anny manne to my

use hathe or ought to have at this tyme present or herafter and aswell the thousande marcs ^[2] whiche my father gave

unto me to my marriage as all that right interest and tytle w[hi]ch I have into the mannor of Jummonnton lyinge and beinge

w[ith]in the countie of yorke / I Fully geve graunte and bequethe unto my dere soveraigne mystres the lady Katheryne

Parr Quene of Englande fraunce ad Irelande Whome I make my onlye and soole executrix In wittnes wherof

I have to this my present testament and last Will setto my name and seale the daye and yere above written Margaret

Nevill Wittnes to this present Will W Essex Nycholas Throkemorton Fraunces Goldsmythe and sealed w[i]^t[h]

all there Seales

The written above Will was proved on the twenty ninth day of March of the year of Our Lord one thousand five hundred

and fourty-six the esquire John Cockes gentleman ^[3] was sworn as procurator of the most serene Lady the Queen the executrix named in the said will was approved and taken and committed to administer all and singular the rightful goods and credits of the said deceased and her will in any way concerning said executrix having sworn on the Holy Gospel to well and faithfully administrate the same exhibiting the inventory &c as well as plain and true accounts and payment

Katherina Queen of England, France and Ireland...

Sources

1. ↑ United Kingdom, Richmond. The National Archives, Kew. Will of Margaret Nevell or Nevill. 29 March 1546. PROB 11/31/94.
2. ↑ marks
3. ↑ translation of Armiger