Will of William Webbe

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surname/tag: Webbe, will

Will of William Webbe
This is a transcription of the register copy of the Will of William Webb, Knight Citizen and Allderman of London. It was written on 26 March 1599 and proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury on 7 July 1599. ^[1]

Transcription conventions:
Spelling, punctuation and end-of-line breaks are as per the original document.
Crossings through have been included struck out
Paragraph breaks at change of bequest, and bold text are my own for ease of reading.
Where present, the obsolete letter Thorn has been rendered as th, and ff has been rendered as F.
Abbreviations and breviographs have been expanded in [square brackets]
The image quality was reasonably good and the writing legible.
Non standard spelling as per usual for this time period, which has been transcribed verbatim.

Persons mentioned

• Will[ia]m Webb, Knight Citizen and Allderman of London, Testator
• the poor of the parrish of Saincte Dunstons
• the warde
• Saincte Mary Hill
• Billingsgate warde
• Barkinge
• the poore men of the parish of Saincte Dunstones in the east
• Dame Bennet Webbe, my Deare welbeloved wife, Sole Executrix
• Michaell the butler
• James the butler
• my Sister Webb of Readinge (almost certainly Lucy Laud)
• my sister Bridgett
  • her older daughter (no first name given)
    • her Child (no first name given)
  • the younger daughter named Bersabe
• my nephew Roger Webb
• the Two Sonnes of my Sister Lawde^[2]
• Will[ia]m Webb(e), my Grandchild
• my nephew John Webbe
• His sisters, my neceis
• my Servant John Walter
• every of my other Servants, both men servants and mayde servantes
• Mary Woods
• Will[ia]m Russell Father
• my godsonne Willyam Russel
• Edmond Gamon (see note)
• the hospitall of Bridewell
• the hospitalls of Saincte Bartholemewe, Christechurch & Saincte Thomas
• the Company of Staplers
• the poore prysoners in Newgate
• the Churchewardens of Saincte Dunstones in the east
• my deer Freind and brother Ser Henry Billingsley
• my good frend m^r John Crooke, Recorder of London
• other my expecyall Frendes
• my good frend Ser John Harte
• my daughter Deare ?
• my cozin Brickett (see note)
• James Allen
• Alice Allder
• Vrsula Allder
• Richard Allder
• my neece Bowlles and Bennett holte (see note)
• the Vicar of Langlye
• the Churchewardens there for the poore
• mr Wilbraham, the Comon Sergeant
• mr Nicholas Fuller
• the Company of Sallters
• Robert Greene
• Elizabeth and Thomas Russell
• Will[ia]m Scales, my cozen
• John Wall, the Beadle
• Witnesses: Lawrence Marshall, Tymothie Lech, Thomas Browne

Transcription

[Page one] T. Willimi
Webbe m.?

In the name of God: Amen / I Sir
Will[ia]m Webb Knight Citizen and Allderman of London, sicke in bodye, but whole in
mynde prayse be to Allmyghtie God therfore doe make my last will and Testament in
manner and forme followinge / First I bequeath my soule to Allmyghtie God and to my

[Page two]
onely saviour Jesus Christe by whose onely merritts death and passion I beeleve and trust to be
saved and to have a joyfull resurrection, my body I committ to the earth to be decently buried
accordinge to my callinge in the Church of Saincte Dunstones in the east where my wives
Father is buried / And as towchinge such wordly goodes as God hath blessed me with all / I
geve to the poor of the parrish of Saincte Dunstons Threscore blacke gownes for men / Give
to the warde I am of / Give to Saincte Mary Hill / Give to Billingsgate warde/ Giv
to Barkinge / The residue to the poore men of the parrish of Saincte Dunstones in the east at the
discretion of my wife./

Item I bequeath to Michaell the butler Fyve poundes, And to James
the butler Fyve poundes / Allso I bequeath to my Sister Webb of Readinge, One hundred pounds
To my Sister Bridgett One hundred markes / And to the Two daughters of my sister Bridget
to eache of them, to the older Tenne poundes, To her Child Fyve poundes To the younger
daughter named Bersabe yett vnmarried Thirtye poundes / Allso I bequeath to my
nephew Roger Webb One hundred poundes / To the Two Sonnes of my Sister Lawde of
Readinge One hundred poundes a peece / To Will[ia]m Webbe my Grandchild Forty poundes
leavinge him to the further advanncem[en]^t of his Grandmother my deare and welbeloved wyfe
Dame Bennett /

Item I bequeath to my nephewe John Webbe One hundred poundes /
And to his Sisters my neceis Forty poundes apeece / And as towchinge the disposition of
all my Manno^rs, Landes, Tenements and Hereditam[en]ts, as well free as customarye I will and
bequeath them fully and wholly to my welbeloved wyfe, my customary Landes to her for ever
to doe there with her will and pleasure my free hould land after her decease to my Grandchild
Will[ia]m Webb and to the heirs of his bodie / And for wante of issue of him To the right heires of
my Wife for ever / Prayinge her to be good grandmother to our boy, and to bringe him vpp
in learninge and in the feare of God Desiringe that she may haue the tuit[i]on? of him / Allso

I bequeath to my Servant John Walter Twenty poundes / To every of my other Servants
both men servants and mayde servantes Five markes apeece / To Mary Woods
poundes / To Will[ia]m Russell the Father One hundred poundes / To my godsonne Willyam
Russell Tenne poundes / To Edmond Gamon One hundred poundes, To the hospitall of
Bridewell Twentye poundes, To the hospitalls of Saincte Bartholemewe, Christechurch &
Saincte Thomas to every of them Twentie pounds / To the Company of Staplers Twenty
pounds / To the poore prysoners in Newgate, The Two Counters?, and Ludgate to each?
prison Tenne pounds / To the Churchewardens of Saincte Dunstones in the Easte
Twentie pounds for a stocke? for the poore / To my deer Freind and brother S^r Henry
Billingsley a peice of plate of Fortye marks / To my good frend m^r John Crooke Recorder
of London a peice of plate of Fortye marks, desiring them bothe to be ayding and assisting
to my deer, and welbeloved wife / as my truste is in them, and as they would in like case?
have me doo for them / For blackes to be given to any the Alldermen my bretheren, or other
my expecyall Frendes, I leave to the discretion of my wife, emongst whom my will is, that
my good frend S^r John Harte be especyallie remembred, To whom I geve for a further
remembrance of me Fyve marks / To my daughter Deane (or Deare?) Tenne poundes / To my cozin
Brickett One hundred marks / To James Allen Tenne pounds / To Alice Allder
One hundred Tenne poundes / To Vrsula Allder Thirtie pounds / To Richard Allder
Twentye pounds / To my neece Bowlles and Bennett holte Fortye pounds a peice
To the Vicar of Langlye Twentie nobles / To the Churchewardens there for the
poore Tenne pounds/ To m^r Wilbraham the Comon Sergeant a gowne / To m^r
Nicholas Fuller a gowne / To Elizabeth Giles Fortie pounds / To m^r Thomas
holdford Fyve marks / To the Company of Sallters Thirtie pounds / To Robert Greene
a hundred marks / To Elizabeth and Thomas Russell, to eache of them Fyve poundes
To my cozen Will[ia]m Scales Twentie marks / To John Wall the Beadle a mourning
gowne / All the Residue of my goods and Chattelles moveables, and vnmoveables, plates
household stuff, Jewelles, and other goods whatsoever my legacies paid and will p[er]formed
I geve and bequeathe to my welbeloved wife Dame Bennett Webbe, whom I make
my sole Executrix of this my will / And doe hereby revoke all former wills by me made

[Page three]
In Witnes whereof I have hereto set my hand and seale the Six and Twentith day of March
in the One and Forteth yeare of the raigne of our Soveraigne Ladie Queene Elizabeth /
Will[ia]m Webbe Signed and sealed in the presence of per me Johem? Hid.. grocer.
Lawrence Marshall / Tymothie Lech / Thomas Browne./

Probate in latin
Probatum fuit Testamentum
Suprascriptu apud London Cora magistro Daniele? Dunne Leg.. Drawer?, Surrogato
veneranilis viri magistri Johannis Gibson Leg......... .......
.... Prerogative Cantuariensis?
magi... Custodis sine Commissarij ... constitut.., Septimo die mensis Julij Anno D[om]ini Millesimo
Quingentesimo Nonagesimo, Nono / Juramento Eduardi Gay notarij publici procuratoris
prefate? Domine Bennett Relicte et Executris dicti defuncti in ..... Testamento
nominato / ... comissa fuit Administratio bonom Juri.... et Creditori? eiusdem defuncti. / De.
bene et fideliter administrandi ?? Jurat. /

Research Notes

• Saincte Dunston(e)s is commonly spelled St Dunstan.
• Edmond Gamon is mentioned in the Will of Bennett (Draper) Webbe as "my Cosinne Edmond Gamon".
• "Brickett, my cosin" is probably the Bennett Brickett mentioned in the Will of Bennett (Draper) Webbe as "my goddaughter".
• Bennett holte is mentioned as "Benett Holt my goddaughter" in Dame Webbe's will.

Sources

1. ↑ Will of Sir William Webb or Webbe (accessed 1 March 2023)

   Reference: PROB 11/94/142

   Description: Will of Sir William Webb or Webbe, Alderman of Saint Dunstan in the West, City of London

   Date: 07 July 1599

   Held by: The National Archives, Kew

2. ↑ Rev. William Robinson (from Lucy Webbe's first marriage to John Robinson) and William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury (from her second marriage to Sir William Laud)