Will of Robert Lowndes of Bletchley, 1779 (proved 1783)

National Archives, PROB 11/1099/125

[p.1] I Robert Lowndes of Bletchley commonly called Water Hall in the County Buck being of sound Mind and Memory do make this my last Will and Testament in Manner following that is to say I give in the first place to Lucy Waters now living with Mr Lowndes at Chesham the Sum of one Hundred Pounds \stock/ four p Cent charged on \my S.Sea/ annuities in

[r. margin]  Orig(ina)l so

my Name next I give to my Friend Roger Kynaston the Sum of one Hundred Pounds charged in the like manner I also give to the Commissioner W(ilia)m Lowndes the Sum of one Hundred Pounds in like manner Also I give to Major Shipman and Mrs Shipman in Dean Street Soho the sum of Fifty Pounds apiece charged as before I also bequeath unto my two Nephews Rowland and John Edwards the sum of Five Hundred each pounds each to be charged on my New annuities as the Stock shall be and as the rest are charged I give to my Nieces Ann and Mary Lowndes the Sum of each \one thousand pounds/ each Charged on the said new Annuity in the manner as before as to my landed Estate I give the same to Anne and Mary Lowndes my estate at Bragnham in the Parish of Soulbury & Great Brickhill subject to such Payments as I shall direct that is to say I direct one Hundred \and Fifty pounds/ pounds \per annum/ to be paid her out of it half yearly so long as shall live to my \sister/ Sarah Lowndes for her Life only and to my Sister Anne Lowndes Forty pounds \a year/ during \her/ Life after to go to my Nieces \Ann& Mary/ and I also give to Colonel Lowndes his younger children One Hundred Pounds to stock each \stock as the other are/ my Executors to be in Trust \or if they/ till they come of Age \of twenty one years/ and I also give to the Colonel himself my Close of Winslow called Western Willows for Life afterwards to go in Trust as before for his younger Children \in manner as before/ And I do appoint my Nieces Anne and Mary Lowndes Executrixes and residuary Legatees to this my Will and I now I revoke all former Wills by me made & do set \my hand/ and Seal to this the twenty First day of January one Thousand seven Hundred and Seventy nine Rob(er)t Lowndes, [seal] Witness. Tho(ma)s Quarterman. Ralph Quarterman. Francis Martin

9th January 1783

On which Day appeared personally Ann Lowndes and Mary Lowndes Spinster and Executrixes named in the last Will and Testament of Robert Lowndes late of Water Hall in the Parish of Bletchley in the County of Bucks Esquire deceased hereunto annexed bearing date the twenty first day of January one Thousand seven Hundred and seventy nine and being sworn on the holy Evangelists to depose the Truth made Oath that the said deceased departed this Life the sixteenth of December last that on a Search being made amongst the said deceased’s papers on the eighteenth day of the said Month the said Will of the said deceased hereunto annexed was found in the said deceaseds Book Case that they these Deponents were present when the said Will was so found and on perusing the same the observed the words ”‘Stock four p Cent” obliterated in the Fifth Line and the words “my S. Sea” interlined between the fifth and sixth Lines an obliteration
[p.3] in the Fourteenth Line and the Words “One Thousand” interlined over the same Word “Pounds” struck out in the nineteenth Line and the words “and Fifty pounds per annum” interlined over the same the Words “Ann & Mary” interlined between the twentieth and twenty first Lines the Words “Stock as the other are” interlined between the twenty second and twenty third Lines together with Other trifling Interlineations in the first side of the said Will and these Deponents lastly say that the said Will is now in the same Plight and Condition as when the same was \first/ found after the Death of the deceased as aforesaid [signatures] A. Lowndes Mary Lowndes. Same day the said Ann Lowndes and Mary Lowndes Spinsters were sworn to the truth of this Affidavit before me Geo(rge) Harris Surrogate Pres(en)t. Geo(rge) Begg Not(ary) Pub(lic)

This Will was proved at London the tenth day of January in the year of Our Lord one Thousand seven Hundred and Eighty three before the Worshipful George Harris Doctor of Laws Surrogate of the Right Worshipful Peter Calvert Doctor of Laws Master Keeper or Commissary of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury lawfully constituted by the Oaths of Anne Lowndes and Mary Lowndes Spinsters the Nieces of the deceased and Executrixes named in the said Will to whom Administration was granted of all and singular Goods Chattels and Credits of the said deceased having first sworn duly to administer &c

---

Notes

Robert Lowndes was born in 1707, the third son of Robert Lowndes of Winslow Hall, and grandson of William who built the Hall. He married Mary Shales, a niece of his grandfather's last wife, but she must have predeceased him.

His nieces Mary (d.1812) and Ann (d.1817) were the daughters of his brother Richard, of Winslow Hall. Colonel Lowndes mentioned in the will was their brother William, later Selby or Selby-Lowndes.

The close called Western Willows had apparently become freehold by this date, as it is not mentioned in the manor court book. The Enclosure Award (1767) refers to an old enclosure of pasture belonging to Robert Lowndes in Western Lane called Peter Lowndes's Close, which is probably a mistake for Western Willows as Peter Lowndes' Close was between Church Street and Vicarage Road. Robert sold some other land in Winslow to his nephew William in 1765.

Sarah the sister died at Worcester in 1795, having previously lived at Shrewsbury and Stony Stratford (National Archives PROB 11/1269/30). She asked to be buried with her sister Anne at Atcham church. Mary and Anne Lowndes the nieces lived at Cosgrove and died in 1812 and 1817 respectively.