In the name of God amen.
The 11th day of June in the year of the reign of our most
gracious sovereign Lord Charles, by the grace of God, of England,
Scotland, ffrance and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith etc.,
the third, Anno Dm. 1627.
I Mathewe ffiske of Laxfelde in the county of Suffolk and within
the diocese of Norwich, being whole of mind and of good and
perfect memory, thanks be to Almighty God, do now by this my
present writing express and declare my last will and testament as
hereafter followeth.
First and before all things, I commend my soul into the merciful
hands of Almighty God my Creator, verily trusting and believing
to be justified, saved and redeemed only by and through the most
precious merits, death and passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, my
alone Saviour, Mediator and Redeemer. And my body I commit to the
earth from whence it came, there to rest until the day of the
Lord's second appearing, in hope then of a joyful resurrection
unto eternal happiness.
Item, I will that An my wellbeloved wife, her executors,
administrators and assigns, shall have the use and occupation of
all my messuage or tenement, with the appurtenances, in Laxfield
aforesaid wherein I do inhabit now, with all the lands, tenements
and hereditaments thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining;
to have and to hold unto the said An my wife, her executors and
assigns, from and after my decease until the feast day of St.
Michael the Archangel then next following, and from and after the
said feast day until the full end and term of two years from
thenceforth, next and immediately following, fully to be complete
- in part of satisfaction and discharge of all such right, title
and interest of jointure or dower or otherwise, as the said An
now hath, or at any time hereafter in any wise shall or may have,
or claim, of, in or to any of my lands, tenements or
hereditaments whatsoever, whereof I have been siesed of any
estate of inheritance anytime during the coverture between us -
doing no manner of estripment or waste during the said term or
terms, and discharging all the rents due for the same premises
during the said term or terms.
Provided always, and my will and meaning is, that it shall and
may be lawful to and for the said An my wife, her executors and
assigns, to have and take in and upon any part of the said
premises sufficient hedgebote for the maintenance of the premises
in hedging and fencing during the said term or terms.
Item, I will that the said Anne my wife shall have the parlour
with the closet thereunto belonging, parcel of the said messuage
or tenement; to have and to hold to her and her assigns for a
place of residence and situation, for her and her family and not
otherwise, from and after the end of the said term of two years,
for and during her natural life, if she the said An shall so long
keep herself sole and unmarried, in full satisfaction and
discharge of all such right of title of jointure and dower, as is
aforesaid: with free liberty of An of ingress, egress and
regress, ingate and outgate, unto and from the same, to and for
the said An and her family during the continuance of the said
last recited term, in form and with like liberty to and for the
said An, her family and assigns, at all times convenient, during
the continuance of the same term, as well to take up water at the
ponds next adjoining to the said messuage or tenement for her
necessary use, and to go into any of the yards, orchards and
gardens to the same messuage belonging, also for her necessary
use and occasion, and there to hang, spread, alight? and dry her
clothes, linens and other necessaries at her will and pleasure,
and to malt and brew in the houses belonging unto the said
messuage or tenement used to that end and purpose, and to bake at
the oven there, as also, to bring into the premises all such wood
as she the said An or her assigns shall yearly or otherwise
provide for her necessary fuel, and the same to lay and bestow in
some convenient place nigh adjoining unto the said parlour,
without any lawful let or contradiction of the owner or occupier
of the premises, or of any other person or persons whatsoever, by
or with their or any of their assents, means or procurements,
doing always as little hurt or damage as conveniently may be.
Item, I will, give and devise unto Nicholas ffiske my son all my
pightel of land, meadow or pasture, with the appurtenances, in
Laxfelde aforesaid, called or known by the several names of The
Oak Pightel and The Rheinlande Pightel, containing by estimation
three acres, as it lyeth on the north side of the King's Highway
leading from Laxfelde church toward Brundishe and abutteth upon
my orchard towards the east and upon the orchard of William
Stannard towards the west; to have and to hold the same unto the
said Nicholas my son, his executors and assigns, for and during
the whole term of three score years fully to be complete and
ended, he to enter the same at the end of the said term of two
years and not before, upon condition:-
That he the said Nicholas my son, his heirs, executors,
administrators or assigns, shall well and truly pay or cause to
be paid unto Elizabeth my daughter, the wife of Edmund Stannard,
her executors or assigns, the sum of thirty pounds of lawful
English money at or in the south porch of the parish church of
Laxfielde aforesaid, in manner and form following, that is to
say:-
Within one year next after the end of the said term of two years,
the sum of ten pounds. And within one year then next following,
ten pounds more. And within one year next after that, the other
ten pounds, in full payment, satisfaction and discharge of the
said sum of thirty pounds.
And if the said Nicholas my son, his heirs, executors,
administrators or assigns, shall make default in the payment of
the said sum of thirty pounds, or of any part or parcel thereof,
contrary to the tenor, purport and effect of this my present
testament and last will, or shall refuse to pay the same, or any
part thereof, in such manner and form as the same is herein
before limited and appointed to be paid, contrary to the tenor
and form aforesaid, then I will, and my express mind and meaning
is, that the said pightel with the appurtenances shall wholly
remain and be unto the said Elizabeth my daughter, her heirs and
assigns forever, anything before herein before contained to the
contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding.
But, if the said Nicholas my son, his heirs, executors,
administrators or assigns, shall well and truly pay or cause to
be paid the said sum of thirty pounds unto the said Elizabeth my
daughter, her executor or assigns, in manner and form aforesaid,
according to the true intent and meaning of this my present
testament and last will, then I give and bequeath the said
pightel with the appurtenances unto the said Nicholas my son; to
have and to hold to him the said Nicholas, his heirs and assigns
forever.
Item, I give, will and devise unto the said Nicholas my son and
his heirs all my messuage or tenement, with all my lands,
tenements and hereditaments, with their appurtenances, not before
herein to my said son Nicholas devised; to have and to hold the
same unto the said Nicholas my son, his heirs and assigns
forever, and he to enter my said parlour and closet presently
after the decease of the said An my wife, or the day of her
marriage, which shall first happen, the residue of my said
tenement, lands, tenements and hereditaments last recited, at the
end of the said two years.
Item, I give and bequeath unto the said An my wife all the goods
and chattels which were her own before our intermarriage.
Item, I give and bequeath unto the said An my wife my posted
bedstead in the parlour with the testor of stored cloth, a
featherbed, a feather bolster, a pillow, a pillow-bere, a
coverlet, a pair of blankets, a pair of sheets, a matt[ress?] and
a bedlyne, a warming pan, a pair of cobirons, a little brass pot,
a skillet, two kettles, a pewter platter, two pewter dishes, a
fruit dish, a saucer, a pewter pe….e, a frying pan and a
fire pan, a pair of tongs, a pair of bellows, a chair, a cushion,
a candlestick, eight yards of fine flaxen cloth and all the linen
which have been made and renewed since our said marriage, a dozen
table napkins, a coffer which was my second wife's, two beer
vessels, a brewing tub, a barking tub, all my linen, yarn and
ready money.
Item, I give and bequeath unto the said An my wife a keepe, two
buffet stools, a rowan table standing in my parlour and a little
brass pot, all which the said An lately bought.
Item, I give and bequeath unto the said An my wife all the corn,
hay, swine, poultry, butter and cheese and all other the dead
victuals which I shall have in my possession at the time of my
decease.
Item, I give and bequeath unto the said An my wife two of my best
milk cows, to be taken at her choice and election, and all my
wood at the wood-stock and in the pasture cut at the time of my
decease.
Item, I give and bequeath unto the said Nicholas my son my great
chest standing in my parlour and my cupboard standing in my hall,
to be delivered unto the said Nicholas my son by my executrix,
hereafter named, her executors or assigns, at the end of the said
term of two years.
Item, I give and bequeath unto the said John ffiske my son and
the said Elizabeth my daughter my two other cows, the said John
my son to take his choice, to be delivered unto them by my said
executrix, her executors or assigns, at the end of the said term
of two [years].
Item, I give and bequeath unto John ffiske my grandchild, the son
of the said John my son, my trundle bedstead whereon I lie, a
featherbed, a feather bolster, a pillow, a pillow-bere, a
coverlet, a pair of blankets, a pair of sheets, a matt and a
bedlyne, to be delivered unto the said John my grandchild by my
said executrix, her executors or assigns, at the end of the said
term of two years.
Item, I will that my said executrix shall receive my debts and
pay my debts and bring me honestly to the ground in Christian
burial, when it shall please God to call me to his mercy.
The rest and residue of all my goods, chattels, household stuff
and implements and utensils whatsoever, of what nature, condition
or quality so ever they be, as yet unbequeathed, I give unto the
said John my son and Elizabeth my daughter, to be delivered unto
them by my said executrix, her executors or assigns, at the end
of the said term of two years, equally and indifferently to be
parted between them. And in the meantime, I will that the said An
my wife shall have the use and occupation of them, and of all
other my said goods and cattle before herein given to my said
sons, daughter and grandchild, doing no hurt or damage unto them
but only by a reasonable and necessary using thereof.
Item, I ordain and constitute the said An my wife sole executrix
of this my present testament and last will, hoping that she will
faithfully perform and execute the same according to the trust
and confidence which I repose in her. And I appoint ffrancis
Sandcroft the younger of ffressingfeild in the said county
supervisor of this my said last will and testament, desiring him
that he will be always aiding and assisting unto my said
executrix in and about the execution of the same.
And in witness that this is my last will and testament I have
hereunto set my hand, dated the day and year first above written.
These being witnesses:
William Sandcroft
John Tayler
Signed: John Hagger, senior
John Harrison
Signed by the testator.
Proved at Norwich 13th January 1628.