Will of Francis Dodsworth of Whaddon, gentleman, 1657/8 (proved 1665)

National Archives PROB 11/308/651

In the name of God Amen I Francis Dodsworth of Whaddon in the County of Bucks gentleman doe make this my last will and Testament First I bequeath my soule into the hands of Almighty God assureing my selfe everlasting life and salvation by the meritts and mercy of my saviour Jesus Christ To who whome be hono(u)r and glory for ever And I desire my body to be buried as becometh a Christian &c And my Estate I give as followeth Imprimis I give unto my deare and loveing wife Elizabeth Dodsworth One hundred Pounds of lawfull English money And all my houshold stuffe within dores (excepting my plate and my gunnes and my pistolls And my court cupboard in the parlour and my weareing apparell And as for the Plate I give my wife the usage of it dureing her widdowhood Item I give unto my daughter Susan Dodsworth fourteene hundred pounds of lawfull English money Item I give unto my daughter Mary Dodsworth twelve hundred pounds like moneys Item I give unto the Child that my wife is now with child of nyne hundred pounds of lawfull English money if it be a girle But if it be a boy then I give him fourteene hundred pounds ...

Item I give unto every servant that lives with mee in the house att my death twenty shillings a peece And to Frank Fry and Oliver Kemson if they then be my sheppards twenty shillings \a peece/ if they be liveing Item I give unto James Kipling of Whaddon twenty pounds out of that money hee owes me at my death And if hee owe me not soe much to be made up twenty pounds if hee be then liveing And if not then I give tenn pounds of the twenty to his wife  Item I give unto my sisters Susan Mayne Anne Michaell and Hester Hoyfes five pounds a peece . . .    Item I give unto my cozen Judith Mayne [p.2] My Sister Judith Maynes daughter five pounds . . . Item I give unto Mary Mayne my brother William Maynes eldest daughter forty shilling to buy her a ring with  And to William Michaell my Godsonn forty shillings . . . Item I give unto Anthony Mortquie[?] the schoolemaster five pounds (if he live with mee att my death or teach my children then) Item I give unto Henry Aude[?] my sheppard the Corne Chamber att the Lodge to make him a house of (if it be not disposed before I dye) And I doe appoint that the brewhouse and the stable att the Lodge be sould for the use of my Executor Item I give unto William Gryne of Whaddon Forty shillings . . . Item I give unto my mother Elizabeth Dodsworth my land in Yorkshire given by my grandfather unto me for her life And after \wards/ I give it to my brother Henry Dodsworth for his life And after his decease unto his sonne Mathew  Dodsworth and his heires for ever Upon this condic(i)on that he pay unto his mother and every one of his brothers and sisters which is liveing att my death forty shillings a peece Item I give my sister Mary Jackson forty shillings And to every one of her children forty shillings a peece . . . Item I give unto my nephew George Sympson and his sister Jane and his sister Mary forty shillings a peece . . .

Item I give the long gunne which was Mr Rudds to my brother Henry Dodsworth  And my best suite of clothes and the cloake to it And the best felt And a paire of bootes and my wast sword and a paire of gloves And my sattin capps being three unto my brother Henry Dodsworth . . .  Item I give the best horse or mare that I have att my death (excepting the best of all) unto my worthy and faithfull freind Sir Toby Tirrell knight and Baronett And doe desire him that hee will be aydeing and assisting to my loveing wife and my deare children And that hee will be pleased to be aydeing and assisting with his freindly counsell and advice to the overseers of my will for the good of Francis Dodsworth and his sisters which I question not haveing had experience of his love already Likewise it is my will that my wife Elizabeth shall have the tuition and care of my children dureing the tyme she lives a widow And if she marry againe then the children to be with her if they please If not to be provided for as shee my now wife and the overseers shall agree upon And likewise that she shall have a competent allowance for the keepeing of each of them for their diett clothes and education suitable to their condition And I desire that there may be specyall care taken that they be brought upp in the feare of God And likewise I desire that the overseers of this my last Will and Testament which I shall mention hereafter doe take care of my childrens portions ...  Item I give unto my sonne Francis Dodsworth (all my debts being paid and my legacies and funerall expences discharged) [p.3] All my lands liveings tenements and hereditaments leases chattells moneys oweing goods moveables bills and bonds And all my estate of what kind soever unto my sonne Francis Dodsworth and his heires for ever And doe make him my sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament Item and likewise I doe declare . . . that I appoint and nominate my worthy good freinds my brother Henry Dodsworth of Wist Park Yorkeshire gentleman and my brother Mr William Mayne of Hogston in the County of Bucks gentleman and Mr Joseph Busby of Hogston to be overseers of this my last Will and Testament And doe give unto every one of them tenn pounds a peece ...

And further I doe give full power and authority by this my last Will and Testament unto the said overseers . . . joyntly and not severally to bargaine sell and dispose of all those lands I bought of Maior Generall Skippon called the Mannor of Whaddon with the park and chase of Whaddon And to sell the inheritance of it or any part of it as they shall think fitt for the use and benefit of my Executor And likewise full power to compound and agree with the Comoners that belong to the Chase to take in to severalty the whole Chase or any part of it for the benefitt of my sonne And likewise full power to cutt any coppces or underwood or tymber trees within the Mannor of Whaddon And to sell the said wood for the use of my Executor And what my said oversee\r/s of this my last Will and Testament shall in any of the said cases shall be good in law ...

I doe publish this to be my last Will and Testament before these witnesses which have subscribed their names And have sett to my hand and seale this twenty sixth day of February one thousand six hundred fifty seaven Francis Dodsworth [signature] Signed sealed and published to be the last Will and Testament of Francis Dodsworth gentleman in the p(re)sence of us [blank space]

And I doe further declare this to be part of my last Will and Testam(en)t before the sealing and signeing of it or before it was published to be my will before the Witnesses That whereas I have formerly given power in this my [p.4] Last Will and Testament to the overseers to sell all or any part of the land bought of Maior Generall Philipp Skippon I doe now declare it is my will if they sell all or any part of it that my wife Elizabeth Dodsworth should have a valueable considerac(i)on for her thirds of the said lands or any part so sould And further it is my will that if the said Mannor of Whaddon be gained by any power out of my Executors hands in a forceible way without any satisfacc(i)on to the said Executor then it is my wil that my Executor his heires and assignes shall allow my now wife Elizabeth Dodsworth forty pounds a yeare dureing her life out of his estate to be paid halfe yearely to her All which before mentioned contayning foure sheets of paper I doe publish to be my last Will and Testament And what else I shall add to this will in any  paper declaring it to be part of my Will shall be in force Witnes my hand and seale this sixth day off February one thousand six hundred fifty seaven Francis Dodsworth [signature] Signed sealed and published to be my last Will and Testament in the p(re)sence of Anthony Morton [signature] William Grime [signature] James Kiplin his mark

[Latin] On 22 August 1662 a commission went out to Elizabeth Dodsworth, mother and guardian to Francis Dodsworth a minor, named executor in the will, to administer during his minority

Proved at London 13 April 1665 by Francis Dodsworth the executor.

Notes

Francis Dodsworth was the nephew and heir of Anthony Dodsworth of Whaddon Park (d.1640 or 41). He was a mortgagee of property in Winslow: in 1646 Thomas Grant had to pay him money at his "now dwelling-house in Whaddon Parke commonly called Whaddon Parke Lodge", and in 1647 and 1652 the Fyges mortgaged some of their property to him. In 1646 he was described as the tenant of the Duke of Buckingham's sequestrated property in Whaddon which was later awarded to Major-General Philip Skippon. In 1657 he bought the manor of Whaddon from Skippon on behalf of the Duke (then in exile), or at least in expectation that the Duke would buy it from him. After a legal dispute, it was decided in Chancery in 1659 that the Duke should recover the lands except what Dodsworth had sold off, and compensate him for any loss (TNA C8/136/22). Dodsworth clearly expected trouble when he made his will. He was not directly involved in the contemporary arrangements for the manor of Winslow, but may have helped to find the consortium which bought it from Skippon.

Francis Dodsworth was buried at Whaddon in 1662 and (probably) his son Francis in 1695. They were involved in further litigation about property in Whaddon and Nash:

Elizabeth the widow and Francis the son are described as being of Ridgmont in a document of 1668 (CBS, D-BAS/22/372/30).

Copyright 20 January, 2022