Abstract of the Will of Thomas Fiske, Sen. of Rattlesden, Gent.
April 24, 1686.

Mentions his brother John, deceased, and his Son Thomas; his nephew John Fiske, of Rattlesden; nephew James Fiske, of Whepstead, clerk; nephew Samuel Fiske, of Rattlesden, to whom he gives lands in Thurston, lately purchased. Mentions nephew Joseph fiske of Rattlesden. Gives to Thomas Bright, of Bury St. Edmunds, Gent., his nephew, a hundred and fifty pounds; being the remaining part of three hundred pounds promised him upon his marriage with testator's niece, Martha Fiske. Mentions niece Rachael Fiske, of Rattlesden; niece Mary, daughter of sister Bloomfield, deceased. Gives to Katherine Woodward, of London, his niece, daughter of sister Bright, fifty pounds; to Mr Nichols [Nicholas?] now or late of London, who married his niece, Martha Bright, a hundred pounds; to Thomas Bright, of Ipswich, his nephew and godchild, fifty pounds; to John Bright, his nephew (a distempered man) that sojourneth with Mrs Ashburne, of Norton, a hundred pounds, to be paid into the hands of Thomas Bright, of Ipswich, his brother, for his use; to nephew John Copeman, of Ipswich, a hundred pounds; to nephew Robert Fiske, of Stiffkey, County of Norfolk, a hundred pounds; to brother-in-law, Thomas Meadows; to Henry Bright, his nephew, son of his sister Bright, forty shillings, to buy him a mourning ring. Appoints his nephew, Thomas Fiske, of Rattlesden, executor; commanding him, by that duty he oweth to God and to his aged uncle, to pay the legacies, &c.; and he makes him his residuary legatee,

Proved October 12th 1687 in Prerogative Court of Canterbury.

Footnote

In May 2002 I received the following e-mail which corrects the transcription and gives in interesting insight into life at the time :

Please note that there is a mistake in this version of the will.
Instead of, I give and bequeath.&to John Bright, his nephew (a
distempered man) that sojourneth with Mr Ashburne, of Norton, a
hundred pounds, to be paid into the hands of Thomas Bright, of
Ipswich, his brother, for his use , the will actually states, &.to
John Bright, his nephew (A distempered man) that sojourneth with Mrs
Ashburne, of Norton, the full sume of one hundred pound of lawfull
English money, To be payd into the hands of Thomas Bright of Ipswich
his brother for his use within six months after my decease.

I know this because I came across this will when I was researching the life
of the Reverend John Ashburne (c.1611-61), rector of Norton in
Suffolk, who was the founder of the English Private Madhouse System.
During the 1650s John Ashburne opened up his home to mad people and
charged them for a cure. By all accounts he was very successful at
treating madness but, unfortunately, was murdered by one of his own
patients in 1661. His wife, Abigail, continued with the Mad Business
after John's death and it was she who looked after the John Bright
mentioned in Thomas Fiske's will. In 1994 I wrote a paper entitled
'The Reverend John Ashburne (c.1611-61) and the origins of the
Private Madhouse System' which was published in the medical journal,
History of Psychiatry and I refer to the mistake first made by H.
Fiske in his work, Fiske Family Papers (Norwich 1902) p114. Thomas
Fiske senior's will is preserved in good condition and is made out
in excellent handwriting. It can be found at the Suffolk Record
Office in Bury St Edmunds (K500/1/141(71)) should you wish to check
my findings.

Dr Andy Mason