Will of Roger Walter, Yeoman of Froxfield, Wiltshire, 1604/5

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Wiltshire, England
Surname/tag: Walter

Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre; Chippenham, Wiltshire, England; Wiltshire Wills and Probates; Reference Number: P1/W/18

42.

In the name of God Amen the xvij day of January and in the second yeare of the raigne of o’r soveraigne Lord James by the grace of god of England Scotland France and Ireland, Kynge defender of the faith etc And in the yeere of o’r Lorde God 1604.

I Roger Walter of Froxfeld in the Countie of Wilts yeoman beinge sicke in body but of p’fect mynd and memory thanks begiven to Allmightie God,doe make ordaine constitute & Appointe this my will a’ testament in mann’r and forme followinge That is to wit:

First I bequeath my soule unto Allmightie God my Creator and Jesus Christe my Redem’ by whose merite death & Ressurection I faithfully belive to be saved, and no other meanes. And my Body to be buried in the Church or Churchyard of Froxfeld aforesaid.

And my worldly goods I give & dispose as hereafter followeth.

First I give to the parishe Church there ijs.

Item, I give to Hellin my wife twentie pounds of lawfull money of England, soe and upon that condic’on that she shalbe mynded to departe out of this house where I nowe dwelle, But yf it be soe that she be mynded to stay & continue in the said house where I nowe dwell, then my will is that the said sume of xxL shall not be payde her at all, but that she shalbe founde (at the coste & chardye{?}of John Walter & Thomas Walter my sonnes) sufficient & convenient house rome, fire & lodging, & all other things necessary & convenient for a woman of her caulinge, from tyme to tyme during all the tyme of her aboode there, Yf she will depart her said xxL pounds is to be payed w’thin on whole yeare after her departure and not before.

Item I give & bequeath to my said wife my beste bed in the house w’th all the Appurtennace thereunto belonging, my best pott, & two [stauls?] of Bees. (note: stall is a word for a hive used 1552-1692 https://www.dias.ie/celt/celt-publications-2/terms-in-indo-european-languages-for-some-concepts-related-to-honey-bees-and-hives/)

Item I give and bequeath to Ann Walter my daughter fortie pounds of lawfull money of England in man’r and forme following. That is to wit xx L pounds w’thin one yeare & a halfe nexte after my decease; and the other xx L pounds w’thin one yeare next after that payment being the late payment of the said xl L (£40) And yf it happen the said Ann to decease before she receave her legacie aforesaid, that then so much of her legacie as shalbe unpayed her at her decease (she diinge diyinge (sic) w’thin the terme of her receiving the sume) shall remayne to John Walter & Thom’s Walter my sones equally devided

Item I give to Ursula my daughter thirtie pounds of lawfull money of England, to be payed her at the age of twenty years, & two stauls of bees.

Item I give to Elizabeth my daighter thirtie pounds of like lawfull money, to be payed her at the afe aforesaid & two Stauls of Bees. Yf it happen Ursula or Elizabeth aforesaid to die before thei coume to the said age of xx L yeares, then the one half of her p’[ortion] so diying to remayne to the other sister then livunge. And the other p’t to my daid sones equally devided.

The residue of all my goods & chattallls moveable & unmoveable (my debts & legacies payed & my funerall discharged ) I give and bequeath to John Walter my sonn aforesaid, whom I make & appoint my sole executor of this my p’sent will & testament. I have appointed overseers to this my will John Burch [?] of Rudgem & Stepfan Smyth in whom I put a faithful trust that thei will doe their beste in dever to see this my will in all points executed & p’formed: and I doe give them for their paynes therein xijs a piece as a small token of Love. And I have hereunto put my signe & seal in the p’sence of

Josh [_ymb_]

Henry Fabin

Wm Baylie

16 Apr’ 1605

Inventory

(note page torn and very hard to read in places, some I found impossible, and it is certainly not accurate)

-ger Walter of F

Yeoman taken & pray[sed] __

_ the third yeare of the Raigne

_Lord James by the grace of god

_ S[co]tland France and Ireland King

_ the faith [etc?] by Wm F---

as followeth

First his purse & the money therein xs

Itt his aparrell [ ]

Itt on bed sted w’th the ‘ppurtenance iiij L (note L = £)

Itt on bed xx[s?]

Itt iij pillowes vs

Itt ij bedstedes ijs

Itt iij coffers vjs

Itt on cubbord Board vjs

Itt ij beddes & on Bolster x [s?]

Itt on [_awking?] pott ijs vjd

Itt vj pound of course woole iijs

Itt ij table bedds, joyn__ stooles & [ ] xxxs

___ for brasse vessell [xl : s ?]

___for pewter vessell vis viijd

Itt Iron a bout the house [xijd?]

(note the last 7 items are rescanned on the next page)

Itt ij [ silt gilt??] [ trengchers ] iiij s

Itt on cubbord ijs

Itt [paintels?] &[ lathes??] vs

Itt [t—men] vessell xxiiijs

Itt on table & [lath?] xxd

Itt ij sacke & on Bagge iijs iiijd

Itt ij Bottells & on pair [ Bollyes?] xviij [d?]

Itt on Quirine? Xs

Itt on paire of Andirons ij paire of pott hangers on grat Iron one[ B_n]

One forging [ ] ij paire of pott

[hacke] & on paire of s[pours?] xs

Itt disses & trenchers xvd

Itt Iron & [t—bs] xs

Itt Bakon xl.s

Itt iij stoare pigge xijs

ij ladders xviijd

ij the corne in the Barne vijL

Itt the malt in the house xs

Itt the corne in the felds

Itt pultry about the house iijs iiijd

Itt the Bees about the house viij L

Itt on house (horse?] [p-ird??] xxvis viijd

Itt all the Rudder Bestes ? ixL (possibly today ruder beastes?)

Itt all the s___ xiii L

Itt all the hay vs

Summa totalis cc ___L___S___d

___________ iij____xi ___iiij__ijd

(I think this might mean 3 score pounds, eleven pounds, 4s and 2d i.e.£71 4s 2d) I haven’t checked the addition, and I may well have made errors in copying, the original figures aren’t always clear to me)