Will of Thomas Eldred of Barmingham, a Labourer, 1641

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]

This is a transcription of the register copy of the will of Thomas Eldred, a labourer of Barmingham, Suffolk. Thomas drew up his will on 16 March 1636/7 when he was in good health. The will was proved at the court of the Archdeaconry of Sudbury on 8 November 1641. ^[1]

Transcription conventions used in this text:

• Spelling, punctuation and line breaks are as per the original document.
• The text was originally in one block of text. Paragraph breaks at change of bequest ("Item"), and bold text for names have been added for ease of reading.
• Where present, ff has been rendered as F, and the old letter Thorn has been rendered as th.
• Abbreviations and breviographs have been expanded in [square brackets].
• Additions and margin notes, where they occur, have been added where indicated in the text.
• Crossings through, where they occur, have been included Struck out.
• The image quality was good, and the handwriting legible.

Persons mentioned:

• Thomas Eldred Testator, a labourer of Barningham, Suffolk
• Joane my wife Joane Eldred, wife of Testator. Executrix and residuary legatee
• Mary my daughter in law appears to be the widow of Testator's son Thomas
• the two daughters of my sonne Thomas and the said Mary unnamed daughters
• Anne my daughter wife of Thomas Howse £10 and some household articles
• Robert Tomson witness to will
• John Craske witness to will
• John Hamlyn witness to will

In the name of God Amen the Fifteenth day of March Anno Dom[in]i 1636 I Thomas
Eldred of Barmingham in the County of Suff[olk] Labourer beinge haile of body and of a p[er]fect
remembrance (thanks be given to God therefore) doe here ordaine and make this my last
will and Testament in manner and forme followinge First I bequeath my Soule into the
mercifull hands of Almighty God my Creator and to Jesus [Chris]te ^[2] my only Savior and Redeemer
my body to the Earth to be buried in [Christ]ian ^[3] buriall where it shall please my Executrix

Touchinge
my worldly Estate I give and bequeath to Joane my wife my house and Tenem[en]t wherein I now dwell
dureinge her naturall life upon Condic[i]on that she admitt that Mary my daughter in Law shall
have her dwelling in the said house with her dureinge the said terme shee keeping herselfe sole &
unmarried And after the death of the said Joane my wife Then my will and meaninge is that
Mary my said daughter shall have my said house and Tenem[en]t dureinge her naturall life And
after her decease Then I will and bequeath the said Tenement to the two daughters of my sonne
Thomas and the said Mary to them and their heires forever

Item I give and bequeath to Anne
my daughter wife of Thomas Howse and their heires the sum[m]e of Ten pounds of lawfull
English money to be paid out of my said Tenem[en]t within Eight yeares next after the decease of Joane
my wife the first payment to being within one yeare after the decease of the said Joane my wife w[hi]ch
must be Joane my wife Thirty shillings and that time twelve moneth Thirty shillings and so on ev[er]y
yeare Thirty shillings for six payment and the last yeare Twenty shillings which make the said sum[m]e
^of Ten pounds giveinge allwaies a lawfull acquittance for every Receipte And for want of paym[en]t
my said daughter Anne or her heires of Assignes to enter into the said Tenem[en]t And they to have
hold enioy the same untill such monies as are behinde and unpaid be fully sattisfied

Item I give and
bequeath to Anne my Daughter my great Cheste one cupborde & my biggest kettle & one fether bolster
and she to have the same ymediately after the death of Joane my wife All the rest of my moveable
goods and Chattels I give unto Joane my wife and after her decease to Mary my Daughter in Lawe
and to her heires forever Also I doe here make and ordaine Joane my wife my sole executrix of this
my last will & Testam[en]t she paying my debts and bringing my body in honest manner to the
Earth and here I doe renounce all former wills and doe acknowledge this to be my last will &
Testam[en]t In Wittness whereof I have herunto sett my hand and seale the day and yeare first above
written the m[ar]ke and Seale of Thomas Eldred Sealed and delivered in the pr[e]sence of us Robert
Tomson his marke John Craske John Hamlyn his m[ar]ke

Probate [in Latin] The eighth day of November AD 1641 at Bury St Edmunds before the distinguished man Master John Jewett, Clerk, Master of Arts, surrogate for the venerable man Master Thomas Eden, Doctor of Laws, Official in and throughout the Archdeaconry of Sudbury etc.; Mary, the principal legatee named in this testament, was entrusted with the administration of the goods etc., together with the said attached testament, being sworn in due form of law, saving etc.; Joan Eldred, the relict and Executrix named in this Testament, proceeding the way of the one dear to her,^[4] before accepting the burden of this testament etc. as the said Mary alleged etc.

Sources

1. ↑ Will of Thomas Eldred, 1641 Archdeaconry of Sudbury wills, Volume 1639-1642 Murriell, folio 299 Family Search Film 008040794 viewable at a Family History Centre. Accessed 22 December 2022
2. ↑ Christ spelled with Greek letters Chi-Ro
3. ↑ again spelled Chi-Ro
4. ↑ probably a euphemism referring to her death