National Archives Kew, England

PROB 11/404/307

Description: Will of Nicholas Gould, Merchant of Upway, Dorset

Date: 02 May 1691

Transcribed by Helen Ford

In the name of God Amen, I Nicholas Gould of Upway in the County of Dorsett, Mechant doe make my last will and testament in manner following, revoking all former wills by mee.

Imprimis I give up and committ my soule into the hands of my creator hopeing through the meritts of his sonns and my Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ to obtaine the pardon of all my sins and an inheritance with the saints in heaven And my body I comitt to the earth from whence it was taken and to bee decently buried according to the discretion on my beloved wife Elizabeth and I leave the ordering of my funerall wholly to her and as she shall please.

Item I give to my said wife, my coach with a paire of my best horses my watch, my clocke and all my bookes plate Jewelss rings pictures hangings housewhold goods household stuff household implements and household provision and two hundred pounds in money besides what monies she hath of her owne or in accompted or deemed to bee her owne

Item I give to my brother in law Simon Beale and his wife Elizabeth five pounds a piece and to his fower children, viz Benjamin, Simon, William and Elizabeth tenn pounds a piece to bee paid unto their said father for them and to bee paid to them respectively when they shall attaine their respective ages of one and twenty yeares.

Item I give to my two sisters Margareet Loades widdow and Barbarah Clapcott widdow forty shillngs a piece.

Item I give to the poore of the parish of upway aforesaid tenn pounds and to the poore of the parish of Broadway five pounds both the dame summes to bee distributed by my said wife to such poor of the said respective parishes as shee shall thinke fitt

Item I give to my servants' hereafter named and to my weavers breakers and spinsters now in my service the several summes hereafter mentioned if they shall bee in my service at the time of my decease viz to Nathaniell Holland Joseph Baty and Robert Drans[?] forty shillings a peece to Martha Hillard fifty shillings and to all other of my maide servantes twenty shillings a peece. To my nowe seven weavers tenn shillinges a peece And tenne shillings a peece to my two Breakers William Hopkins and to all my Spinsters who now worke for me and whose names are in my books one shilling a peice.

Item I give to my cozen James Gould Esq my nephew, Anthony Floyer Esq William Pennington Merchant and Richard Onslow Merchant and Mr George Fry twenty shillings a peece

All the test of my goods chattles and creditts not hereby given or bequeathed my debts paid and funerall rites discharged I give and bequeathe unto my fower children Nicholas Elizabeth Sarah and Barbarahequally divided amongst them And I doe make my said wife Elizabeth sole executrix of this my will and testament and doe make my said wife and my good friends my cosen Edward Bovey of London Merchant my nephew John Lawrence gent and Thomas Winrup of London aforesaid Merchant my guardians and friends in trust to and for my said children during their respective minorities and untill the time that their severall legacies hereby givenare to bee paid as hereater according to the tenors of this my will. And I doe hereby will [___order] and appoint my said wife to sell away and dispose of all my goods and chatells hereby given my said children and to receive in all my debts and whatever moneys are and shall bee att the time of my death due oweing or payable to mee assoone as it my bee conveniently done And all such monies as shall within one year next after my decease bee made on the said sale and recovered as aforesaid to pay in unto the said Edward Bovey John Lawrence and Thomas Winrup and the survivors and survivor of them at the end of the said yeare And the residue of the said monies shee shall make or recover as aforesaid after the expiration of the said yeare to pau in assoone as the same can bee made or recovered unto the said Edward Bovey John Lawrence and Thomas Winrup or the survivors or surviver of them of the executors or administrators of the survivor or survivors of them who together with my said wife my will is and I do hereby desire may from time to time put out manage and dispose of all the said monies soe to bee paid in as aforesaid either at land or at sea or abroad during my said respective childrens minority for their respective benefits in such manner as my said wife and the other guardians and the survivvors and survivor of them shall from timeto time thinke fitt And when my said sonne shall attaine his said age of one and twenty yeares or my said daughters shall attaine respectively their respective ages of one and twenty yeares or bee married which shall first happen shall pay over to the respectively the severall legacies and portions hereby given them respectively together with all such profitts advantages and income as shall bee made thereof before that time except what of the said proffits benefitt advantage and income shall bee by my said wife and the other said Guardians their executots or administrators or any of them laid out disbursed or disposed of for or towards the respective mainetenance and well breeding of my respective children I leaving to them and the survivor or survivors of them and the executors and Administrators of the survivor of them the whole breeding of my said children and to be done in such manner as they shall from time to time thine fitt order or appoint.

Item I give to the said Edward Bovey, John Lawrence and Thomas Winrup or to such of them as shall undertake this trouble forty shillings apeece provided alwaiees and my will is that if my said sonne Nicholas shall happen to die before hee shall attaine his said age of one and twenty yeares or if my daughters or any of them shall happen to dye before they or any of them shall attaine their respective ages of one and twenty yeares or bee married that then and in such case the portion and portions legacy and legacies hereby given to him her and them soe dyeing as aforesaid shall goe remaine and bee paid unto the survivor and survivors of my said children when they hee or shee shall attaine their his or her repective ages or age of one and twenty yeares or the survieing daughters or daughter that bee married which first shall happen the monies to bee disposed of or paid for the maintenance and well breeding and about the sickness and funerall of such of them as shall not die as aforesaid being first thereout deducted and allowed

Item I give to Johan Hillard my workwoman tenn shillings provided futher and my will is that in the first place it shall and may bee lawfull for my said wife and the said guardians their executor and administrators out of what legacies and portions I have hereby given my said children to deduct keepe bank and bee paid all such summes of money as they any or either of them shall pay disburse lay out or bee putt unto for their paines councell journies or any other thing or things touching or concerning the said children’s portions or the trust trouble hereby imposed on them or relating thereunto provided lastly that if any of the said monies or profitts soe to bee put out or disposed of by my said wife and other trustees or any of them as aforesaid shall happen to be lost or not recovered by reason of bad debts the sea [enemies?] or any other waies soe as it bee not by the wilfull arts of them or any of them that their and in such case neither my said wife nor the said tustees nor any of them nor their nor any of their executors or administrators shall bee liable wither in law or equity to pay or make food what shall be lost or not recovered as aforesaid.

In witness whereof I the said Nicholas Gould have hereunto sett my hand and deale the twelveth day of March in the yeare of our lord one thousand six hundred eighty seaven, Nicholas Gould signed sealed and published by the said Nicholas Gould to bee his last will and testament it being contained in two sheetes of paper besides this in the presence of Joseph Watson Richard Tucker Nath Osborne