Will of Robert Searlys of Wye, Kent 1570

Date: 1567 to 1570
Location: [unknown]

Will of Robert Searlys of Wye, Kent ^[1]

Source: Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury PRC/17/41/26

In the name of God Amen The xxviijth day of January in the yeare of or [our] Lord God one thowsand fyve hundreth thre score & seaven And n the tenthe yeare of the reigne of or Sovereigne Lady Quene Elizabethe I Robert Searlys, Clerk, Bachelour in Dyvynytie beinge of hole mynde and parfect memory (thankes be geven to God) ordeyne & make this my testament & last wyll in manner & forme followinge Fyrst I Bequethe my Soule into the hands of allmightie God that made it to his owne Image and symylytude and redeamed it wth his most precyouse bloud And to or blessed Lady his mother and to all the holly company of heaven, most hartely desyrynge them to pray for me, that of the yoyes of heaven I may be partaker wth them And my Body I wyll to be buryed if I dy in kent, in the paryshe churche of Wye, Besydes or before my father & mothers sepulchure Item I wyll & Bequethe at my buryall if I be Buryed in Wye forty shillings to be dysposed in Amesse? amonge the poverty yf I be buryed anny other where then at Wye, then to be bestowed but twenty shillings & so lyke wyse at my monethes mynde to be bestowed xls if I be buryed at Wye or els but xxs Item I geve to twenty poore houshoulders after my deathe fyve shillings every one of them Item I wyll and geve to six poore people dwellinge in Mr. Kempes almesse house at Wy or to six other wthin the parryshe of Wye, for the space of six yeares a xiijs iiijd a peece at the dyscrecon of my executors to be payde yearly and they to receave every quarter duringe the said six yeares a iijs iiijd a peece

And I wyll that thre or mo of the said fyve poore people at the dyscecon of my executors shall have harbor & house rome in my Tenement called Powntons where Wyllyam Trulove late dwelled for the terme of there lyves And after there deathes thre other to be put in for ever, or mo as my executors shall think best from tyme to tyme by my executors, if any of them be a lyve And after there deathes, By the churche wardens of the paryshe of Wye

Item I geve to fowre poore maydens maryage at the electyon and apoyntent of my executors & oversears to every of them fyve pounds Rose Prowde to be one of the fowre if she lyve so longe And Elizabethe Wood to be one of the other now sarvant to my brother Wyllyam Prowde Item I geve to the churche of Wye thre score pounds to be bestowed by the dyscrecon of my executors andmy overseer Robert Allard Item I geve to the paryshe churche of Mounckton [Monkton, Isle of Thanet] a xxvjs viijd And to the chappell of Byrchington xxvjs viijd Item I geve to the paryshe churche of leynam [Lenham] a xxvjs viijd

Item I geve to John Prowde, Searlys Prowde & Searlys Hawkes my godsonnes, to every of them twenty shillings Item I geve to my godsonnes Isake Chyttenden the sonne of Walter Chyttenden to two [gap as in original] Howletts sonnes & to Peter Hamon daughter to Thomas Boys sonne to Cycley the daughter of Peter Londes, to Robert Mantle, to Robert Payne and to Mary Swaine, and to every one of them vjs viijd Item to all the rest of my godchildren in Kent, or in Oxfordshire I give to every one of them xxd if it be required

Item I geve to Robert Allard tenn shillings & forget hym other tenne shillings which he oweth me uppon his byll Item I geve to Mychaell Derycks wydowe a sylver spone or a iijs iiijd Item I geve to mother Parker of Canterbury that monny that is in her hands Item I geve to every one of my syster Prowde’s children, males & females, to every of them a sylver spone Item I geve to Henry Prowde my Sylver cuppe called “Mawdelynes Box” Item I geve to my cosen Thomas Strausham? the keper of my treasure tenne shillings

Item I geve to my Cosen Robert Allard tenne shillings whome I make my oversear of this my testament and last wyll Item I geve tomy brother Wyllyam Prowde my best gowne To Alexander Hawker, Peter Hamon & Thomas Boys every of them a gowne Item I geve to the brothers & systers of harbaldowne a xxiijs iiijd And to the brothers & systers of St. Johans a xxiijs iiijd Item To the prysoners of the Castle & of Westgate in Canterbury tenne shillings to be devyded betwene them Item to fowre women in an almesse house towards St. Myldreds I geve to them a vjs viijd Item to John Morres sarvant I give fowre pounds Item I give to Alexander Hawker and his wyffe forty shillings And to my brother Prowde and my syster his wyffe thre pounds

Item I wyll that Alexander Hawker, my brother Prowde & my syster his wyffe shall have the apoyntment & puttynge in of thre poore people or mo that shall have there dwellinge & beinge in my Tenement called Powntons duringe there lyves & the longest lyver of them And lykewyse they to have the apoyntment of the other thre to whome I have wylled xiijs iiijd a peece yeary during the space of six yeares And after there deceases the church wardens of Wye to have the apoyntment thereof

Item I wyll that after the ende & terme of six yeares duryinge which tyme I have wylled to six poore people a xiijs iiijd a peece of whiche vj poore people, thre of them at the least shall have the dwellyne & abydynge in my house called Powntons, that after the said six yeares expyred those thre poore people or mo of the six wch shall dwell in my saide Tenement shall have yearly a xiijs iiijd a peece to yssue out of my thre Tenements (that is to say) Germans Sylks & Answeringe duryinge the space of fowre score & nynetene yeares after my decease

Also I wyll thatAlexander Hawker & Jane his wyffe my brother Prowde & my syster his wyffe shall have the apoyntment of the two maydens not yet named by me to whome I have wylled fyve pounds a peece And if any of the other two apoynted by me dy before there maryage Then I wyll that my executors shall name & out in other in there place

Item I wyll that Alexander Hawker & Jane his wyffe, Wyllyam Prowde my brother and my syster Prowde my exeuctors shall dyspose to poore people every good fryday duryinge there lyves tenne shillings & more if my good wyll extend further Item the Sylver crosse that is in my cosen Stranshams custody; the wch I bought for xijL I geve to the use of the churche of Wye or xijL in monny, to be dysposed at the dyscrecon of myne executors Item I wyll that the rest of my sylver plate ungeven shalbe soulde by myne exeutors to helpe to pay my Legacyes

Item I wyll that all the Bookes in my house except Mr. Collyns bookes shalbe geven by myne executors to honest poore scholers of Oxford wch be learned preests or intend to be prests graduate & learned by the yuyversytie [University] admytted Item I geve to my cosen Alexander Hawker and Jane his wyffe forty shillings Whome I do macke my executors Item I geve to Wyllyam Prowde my brother and to Rose Prowde his wyffe thre pounds in monny Whome I do make an other of my executors

The resydue of my goods (my detts and legacyes payde) I geve to my brother Wyllyam Prowde and Rose his wyffe and to Alexander Hawker & Jane his wyffe to be devyded betwene them Desyryinge my cosen Hawker & Jane his wyffe to dyspose parte of it to pray for my soule, my father & mother soules and all xpain [Christian] soules

Item I wyll that if I have geven more by legacyes Then my goods wyll extend to performe, That then my executors shall abate the xijL that I gave last to the churche of the Crosse monny, or ells parte of it as they shall thinck too be suffycyent to performe my wyll

This ys the last wyll of me the said Robert Searlys made the day and yeare fyrst above wryten, Conteynge the dysposinge of all my Lands and Tenements

Fryst I wyll that my brother & syster Prowde shall have my parte of the ouse that thye now dwell in called “Hancocks” withe the garden and orchard to the same, duryinge there lyves, and the longest lyver of them, payenge no farme to my heres for the same my parte, but only fynde the reparacyons belonginge to the same

Item I wyll that Robert Mantle shall have to farme all the lands of myne now in his occupyinge for the space of fyve yeares, to begyne at the feast of St. Mychaell thearchangle next after my departure this transytory lyffe Payenge the lyke farme that he now payethe whiche is foure pounds & thre shillings workmanshippe and myne heyres to fynde allmanner of stuff for the said reparacons duryinge the said terme

Also I wyll that Leonard Lambe now my farmer lykewyse shall have to farme the Tenement & lands now in his occupyeinge for fyve yeares payenge by yeare as he now dothe whiche is a iiijL iijs viijd and kepynge the reparacyons except all manner of stuffe, wch my heyres shall fynde durynge the said terme

Item I wyll that John Norden shall have my house & lands in his occupyenge for thre yeares to begynne att the feast of St. Mychaell tharchangle next after my departure this transytory lyffe, payenge the lyke farme he now payethe whiche is tenne pounds and kepynge the reparacyons durynge the said thre yeares, and my heyres shall fynde tymber & tyle for the mayntenance of the same durynge that tyme and for the thre yeares he shall pay but tenne pounds the yeare as he dyd before to me

Item I wyll that my executors or assignes shall receave yearly out of my lands called Germans at Wytherston a xiijs iiijd yearly durynge the space of six yeares out of my lands called Sylks a xiijs iiijd yearly durynge the space of six yeares to be payde to the poore people yearly, half yearly, quarterly & half quarterly out of my lands aforesaid accordinge to the Som above wryten (that is to say) for every yeare a xiijs iiijd a peece of every of them (that is to say) for every six weeks xxd a peece of them

And if my said brothers heyers wyll not fulfyll and performe this my wyll Then I wyll the churche wardens of the said pryshe of Wye to enter & dystreyne into all my lands for the payment of the same And the said churche wardens to take up his or there porcyon that wyll not pay the same And the said churche wardens to keepe the same untyll the poore people be of the said a xiijs iiijd a peece there of fully satysfyed contented and payde

This shalbe the devysyon [division] of my lands to be devyded in thre parts And I wyll to thre of my brother Thomas Sealys daughters at Mychaelmas next followinge after my deathe And then Johne thelder daughter to choose fyrst whiche parte of the thre parts she wyll take to her and to her heyres for ever And then the next in age Alyce Hamond shall choose of ij parts left, wch parte she wyll have to her & to her heyres for ever And Chrystyan Boyes the youngest shall have the thyrd parte left, to her & to her heyres for ever observynge the condycon above wryten

The fyrst parte of the iij partes shalbe my Tenement called “Germans”, wch John Norden now dwelleth in, withe all the lands or partyaynge to the same, now in the occupyenge of the said John Norden and grenefelde whiche is now in the occupynge of my brother Wyllym Prowde is pertaynynge to the same And the said Wyllym Prowde payeth farme for the said Grenefelde to the said John Norden and the hole Som of the same is by the yeare tenne pounds as I the said Robert Searlys do lett it and certen rents pertaynynge to the said Tenement called “Germans” whiche holde of me (that is to say) Edward Master payeth yearly a ijs xjd And Nycholas Bocher payeth yearly a xiijd and theyers [the heirs] of John Ramsey Esquyr & John Cooke gent. holdeth of the said Robert Searlys vij rodds & payeth yearly vijd whiche sumtyme was the lands of Robert Hall and John Dodd payethe yearly for thre rodds of lande a iijd

Item the house whiche is called “Hancocks” whiche my brother Prowde now dwellethe in I geve my parte to Alexander Hawker, and my brother Wyllyam parte I wyll the said Alexander Hawker to buy it ofBasse John Chylton(s) heyer and to the same to be a porcyon to “Germans” And then I geve the said Tenement called “Hancocks” to my brother Wyllyam Prowde and to his wyffe & to the longest lyver of them bothe to dwell in so longe as the shall lyve, and after there decease I gyve the hole Tenement called “Hancocks” withe the gardyn to the same to be a porcyon & peece of my said Tenement called “Germans” So that for my dyscharge in consyence my heyer that shall have the said Tenement called “Hancocks” shall agree withe theyer of John Chylton for the third parte of the said Tenement called “Hancocks” and the thyrd parte of my Tenement called “Puntones” And for the said parte I the said Robert Searlys hathe before hande payde to Basse her husband tenne pounds of lawfull monny of England and shall pay and beare the rent & reparacyons of my said Tenement called “Puntones” as aforesaid for ever

The second parte of my Tenement and Lands called “Sylks” I wyll that my Tenement called “Sylks” and the Lands thereto appertaynynge to the same now in the occupacon of Robert Mantle for the whiche he payethe to me by the yeare fowre pounds & thre shillings and to this portyon I do apoynte & putte fyfteene acres in the marshe called “East gulls” wch my cosen Alexander Hawker hathe now in farme, and it is valued to be fyve pounds by the yeare, and the rent thereof is of the saide fyftene acres, whiche in tymes past the said Robert Searlys payde xvs by yeare And it is this present tyme a iiijs viijd & no more, as my deeds thereof dothe shewe, And to the said Tenement called “Sylks” I do apoynt & putte the same iij acres of Land more or lesse called “Clerks croft” now in the occupacon of Symon Wylde And also to the said Tent called “Sylks” I do apoynt & putte the one half of my house called “Fourds” and so the hole porcyon is worthe tenne pounds by the yeare

Item I wyll & geve for the thirde parte of all my lands and Tenement called “Annynge” (?) withe all the lands appertynynge to the same, now in the hands and occupyenge of Leonard Lambe for the whiche he paythe for the farme thereof a iiijL iijs viijd Item I geve to the same porcyon sixtene acres of grounde more or lesse, lyenge in Eastlighe & Wyefelde, nowe in the occupyenge of my cosen Hawker, my cosen Payne and in the hands of Stephen Gyles and my brother Wyllyam Prowde Item I geve twenty shillings by yeare whiche I have out of the house of John Mylles to be a porcyon and a parte of my farme of Annynge? Item I geve my Lande called “Rishefelde Court” iij acres more or lesse now in the occupyenge of John Howe, to be a parte of annynge? a xijs by the yeare Item I wyll & geve half my house whiche was lately Fourds to be a portyon to Annynge?, and to the farme of Annynge withe all the portyons pertaynynge to that same is good tenne pounds by the yeare Item for the Mayntenance of thre poore people wch withe there Successors God wyllynge shall remayne & dwell for ever at my house called “Pontones” I geve for ever out of my thre Tenements forty shillings by the yeare to the mayntenance of the poverty by iij equall porcyons (that is to say) Out of my Tenement & lands called “Sylks” a xiijs iiijd for ever yearly to that use Item I geve out of my Tenement & lands called “Annynge” a xiijs iiijd a peece for ever to that use

Item I wyll that after my deathe, my executors shall name & choose withe in the paryshe of my thre poore people more to pray for me for the space & tyme of vj yeares to contynue after my deathe, and I geve to every one of them a iijs iiijd the quarter for the space of six yeares which Som comethe to the mayntenance of the thre yeare forty shillings and the hole Som of six yeare payment for the six poore people comethe to a xijL whiche Som of xijL I wyll shalbe payde yearly & quarterly out of my thre farmes, and the Lands out of “Germans” a iiijL and “Sylks” a iiijL and out of “Annynge” a iiijL That is to say out of “Germans” iiijL to be payde a xiijs iiijd by the yeare for the space of six yeares, and this a xiijs iiijd yearly to be paid quarterly a iijs iiijd a quarter out of “Germans”, “Sylks” and “Annynge” every one of them a xiijs iiijd yearly, and a iijs iiijd quarterly for the space of six yeares

Item I wyll that my cosen Wyllyam Payne & my cosen Richard Hawke shall have & occupy all my lands in Wyefelde & Eastighe wch is now in there occupyenge for the space of thre yeares next after my death, begyinynge the yeare at mychaelmas and my cosen Payne shall pay yearly to my heyer as he dyd to me (that is to say) a xxiiijs the yeare and my cosen Rychard Hawke shall pay yearly durynge his tyme a xxvijs as he payde to me

Item I wyll that my brother Wyllyam Prowde shall contynue & occupy all the Lands of myne that now is in his occupyenge, that is “Grenefelde” and ij acres & half in Wyefelde & Eastighe for the space of fyve yeares next after my deathe, Payenge yearly to my heyer for “grenefelde” a xijs the yeare (as he payde before) and a xs for ij acres & half in Wyefelde, as he payde before to me & no more

Item I wyll that my cosen Alexander Hawker & Stephen Gyles shall contynue (to) have the occupyenge of my lands nowe in there hands for the space of fyve yeares next after my deathe, begynnynge there yeares at mychaelmas next after my deathe, and Stephen Gyles shall pay yearly to my heyer a xs for ij acres & half in Wyefelde, & no more & my cosen Alexander Hawker shall pay yearly fyve pounds for Eastgully in the Romney Mershe [Romney Marsh] and no more

Item I wyll that Mr. Wyllyam Chyston & Sr Cryar so dwellinge withe Sr. Henry Cryspe in thanett and other whome I wyll apoynt shall have all Mr. Collens bookes & wrytyngs of scrypture to dyspose them to som godly use as to the scholers of Oxforthe [Oxford] or Canterbridge [Cambridge?] as they shall thinck good

Item I wyll that Symon Wylde and John Howe shall have & occupy my Lands nowe in there hands for the space of thre yeares next after my deathe, that is to say, that Symon Wylde shall pay yearly for my lands in “Clerks Croft” a xs by the yeare and John Howe shall pay for my Lands in “Rushefelde” yearly a xijs for the space of thre yeares

Item I wyll that where my brother Thomas Searlys hathe sold to Wyllyam Bett, certen Lands of myne being Undevyded (that is to say) my parte & porcyon of a Certen Tenement & lands lyenge in the paryshe of Broke [Brook], & certen Lands called “Eastry” lyenge in the said paryshe of Wye, my mynde and wyll is that my said heyers to be contented to lett me have there porcyons in the said Tenement called “hancocks” & my Tenement called “Powntones” I do remytt the resydue to them & to there heyers for ever

Wytnes hereof: Thomas Twyden, Wyllyam Clyston, Robert Allard & Stephen Gyles, Alyce Martyn, wydowe

and that if Robert Allard do renounce the Benefyte of thys hys wyll.

Probatum fuit: 26th September 1570, to the above Witnesses (including Robert Allard)

Notes: Robert Searles of Wye See: http://www.wyehistoricalsociety.org.uk/downloads/Wye Church History.pdf Kempe’s Alms houses - https://www.wyeparishcouncil.gov.uk/wye-almshouses.html

Transcribed by Shelagh Mason 1st - 2nd November 2020

Sources

1. ↑ https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~mrawson/genealogy/sear1570.html