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Will of William Coleman of Middle Claydon, gentleman, 1703 (proved 1705)
Centre for Bucks Studies, D/A/Wf/61/231
In the name of God Amen the Eighth day of June in the yeare or our Lord God One Thousand Seven hundred and three I William Coleman of Middle: Claydon in the County of Bucks Gent being of Sound and perfect minde and memory thanks be given to God therefore Calling into minde the Mortality of my body and the uncertainty of this life And knowing that it is appointed for all men once to Dye Doe make and ordaine this my last will and Testament in manner and form following (that is to say) First and principally I Commend my Soule into the hands of Almighty God who gave it hopeing through the merits death and passion of my Blessed Saviour Jesus Christ to have full and Free pardon and forgiveness of all my Sins And to Inherit everlasting life And my body I Committ to the Earth to be decently buryed at the discretion of my Executo(r)s hereafter named And as touching the dispos(i)tion of all Temporall estate as it has pleased Almighty God to bestow upon me in this life I give devise bequeath and dispose thereof as hereafter followeth Imprimis I will that my Debts as I shall happen owe at my decease and my Funerall Charges shall be payd & discharged Item I give and bequeath unto my loveing Sister Ann Bates If she shall survive or be liveing at the time of my decease the full sum(me) of Twenty pounds of lawfull money of England to be payd her by my Executors . . . within one month next after my decease Item I give and bequeath unto all the Children of my said Sister Ann Bates that shall be borne or to be borne and living at the time of my decease or six months after the time of my decease the full sum(me) of Tenn pounds a peice to each of them of Lawfull money of England to be paid by my Executors within one yeare next after my decease Item I give and bequeath unto my loveing Nephew William Coleman Sone of Francis Coleman the sum(me) of Twenty shillings . . . Item I give and bequeath unto my Nephew William Coleman Son of John Coleman the sum(me) of Ten pounds . . . Item I give and bequeath unto my Nephew John Coleman (Son of my said Brother John Coleman) the su(m)e of Five pounds . . . to be paid unto them my said Nephews by my Executors within six months next after the time of my decease And as touching the disposition of my Lands messuags tenements and hereditaments I Will and Devise thereof and therefore in manner and form following (vizt) Item I give grant devise and bequeath unto my loveing Brothers Thomas Coleman and George Coleman and to the longer liver of them two And to theire or either of theire Heires male by them or either of them Lawfully begotten or to be begotten and to the heires male of such heires of Thomas Coleman and George Coleman . . . if any such shall happen to be and for default of such Issue All that my messuage and Two yard lands and Closes and all other the appurtenances thereunto belonging Scituate lyeing and being in the Parish of Stewkley in the County of Bucks now in the Tenure or occupac(i)on of one John Bellgrave All which messuage . . . I lately purchased of one Thomas Prentice of Stewkley aforesaid and County aforesaid yeoman And alsoe all those peices and parcells of Arrable land meadow and pasture ground Together with one little Close with one barne standing upon it Together with all there and every of there appurtenances whatsoever all which said p(re)misses are Scituate . . . within the Parish of Stewkley . . . which I lately purchased of one John Inwood and one Thomas Stapp both of Stewkley . . . And for Default of such Issue I give Devise and bequeath \my said/ messuage lands Hereditaments and p(re)misses in Stewkley aforesaid with all there and
William Coleman [signature]
[f.2] And every other of there appurtenances unto my loveing Brother John Coleman for and during the Term of his Naturall life and from and after determinac(i)on of his Said Estate Then I give Devise and bequeath all the aforesaid Messuage . . . in Stewkley . . . unto the First Sone of the body of the said John Coleman lawfully begotten. . . And to the heires males of such First Sone lawfully begotten . . . And for default of such Issue Then to the second Sone of the body of John Coleman lawfully begotten [this provision is repeated in identical format for succeeding sons of John Coleman up to and including the fifth son] And for default of such Issue as aforesaid To the right heires of me William Coleman for ever They the said Thomas Coleman and George Coleman my Executors . . . and all and every person or persons heires succeeding and enjoying my said Estate and p(re)misses at Stewkley . . . paying out of my said Estate and p(re)misses in manner and forme following (vizt) Item I give and bequeath unto my loveing Sister Ann Bates the sum(m)e of Five pounds a yeare . . . To be payd her halfe yearely by equall portions as the rent of my said Estate and p(re)misses is now made and leased to become due and payable, Dureing the term of her naturall life Item I give and bequeath alsoe out of my said Estate . . . unto my loveing Brother the said John Coleman the full sum(m)e of Forty shillings a yeare . . . during the terme of his natural life (or till his enjoyment of my said Estate and p(re)misses as aforesaid) To be payd halfe yearely as aforesaid . . . Item I give and bequeath alsoe out of my said Estate . . . unto my loving Nephew William Coleman Sone of Francis Coleman my said Brother deceased the sum(m)e of Twenty shillings a yeare . . . To be payd halfe yearely as aforesaid during the terme of his naturall life [lengthy space filler] Item I give and bequeath out of my said Estate . . . unto the poore of the parish of Twiford in the said County of Bucks the full sum(m)e of ten shillings a yeare yearely and every yeare for ever and one Shilling a yeare and yearely & every yeare to the Churchwardens of the parish of Twiford aforesaid and theire succeessors Churchwardens of the said parish for ever for theire Care and trouble in receiveing & distributeing the said Ten Shillings to the poore The Said Eleven Shillings to be payd out of my said Estate. . . at Stewkley . . . every \yeare/ for ever to the Churchwardens . . . on the Second day of February every yeare for ever The said Ten Shillings a yeare to the poore to be layd out and distributed as followeth (vizt) Every Ash Wednesday five Shillings and every good Fryday five Shillings in every yeare for ever to be layd out in Bread for Twenty of the poorest of the parish of Twiford . . . at the Ministers and Churchwardens discreation to be given in the parish Church of Twiford . . . yearely & every yeare for ever Item I give and bequeath unto the poore of the parish of Middle Claydon aforesaid . . . the like sum(m)e of Tenn Shillings a yeare for ever and one Shilling to the Churchwardens & theire successors for ever for theire trouble as aforesaid \as/ Twiford \poore issued/ To be payd out of my Estate. . . at Stewkley . . . for ever and layd out in Bread and
William Coleman [signature]
[f.3] And distributed in the the same order and manner as I have given To Twiford (vizt) five shillings every Ash Wednesday and five shillings every good Friday in every yeare to be distributed to twenty of the poorest of the parish of Middle Claydon at the discretion of the Minister and Churchwardens . . . Item Further my will is to be Buryed in Twyford Church yard by my Mothers Tombe Item I give \devise/ and bequeath all the rest of my goods and Chattle both Reale and personall unbequeathed unto my said loveing Brothers Thomas Coleman and George Coleman whom I make and ordaine full and whole executors of this my Last Will and Testament And I doe utterly revoke all former wills and Testaments by me in any wise heretofore made or declared In Witness whereof I the said William Coleman have subscribed this my Last will and Testament with my owne hand and thereunto putt my seale given the day and yeare in the First sheet First above written. This my said Last Will and Testament being Contained in three sheets of paper.
Signed sealed published pronounced and
declared as the Last Will and Testament of
the said William Coleman in the p(re)sence
of us William Coleman [signature & seal]
John Rose [signature]
John George [signature]
Mary Meekes [signature]
Edw: Hassell [signature]
[Probate 17th October 1705 before the Commissary of the Archdeacon of Bucks to George Coleman natural and legitimate brother and one of the Executors named in the Will]
Notes
William Coleman was presumably related to the William Coleman who became one of the lords of the manor of Winslow in the 1650s, but he does not seem to have been the same man (probably his son). He was steward to the Verneys of Claydon from 1667, and is discussed by John Broad, Transforming English Rural Society: The Verneys and the Claydons, 1600-1820 (Cambridge, 2004). His relatives brought a lawsuit against the Verneys after his death because they expected him to be much better off than he actually was.