Will of Joseph Meaks of Addington, widower, 1724 (proved 1725)

Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies, D/A/Wf/74/56

In ye Name of God Amen I Joseph Meaks of Addington in the County of Bucks Widower being weak in Body, but in sound & perfect Mind & Memory, (praised by God for ye same) doe this tenth Day of November Anno Dom(ini) 1724 make & Ordaine this my last Will & Testament in Manner & form following, that is to say first I commend my soul to God, Hoping thro ye Merits of his Son Xst Jesus to be eternally Happy, & my Body I commit to ye Earth to be decently Buryed at ye Discrecion of my Executors hereafter named & as for such temporal Estate, w(hi)ch God has Bless'd me with, I give & Dispose thereof as follow\s/ that is to say I give & Devise the same to Dr Busby my Landlord, & Joseph Meaks the Elder of Addington aforesaid my Kinsman, whom I likewise Constitute & appoint the Executors & Trustees of this my last Will & Testament, upon the several Trusts uses Intents & purposes herein-after mentioned, & to & for no other use intent or purpose whatsoever, Impri(mi)s my mind & Will is that my Debts & funeral expences be discharged by my said executors, And then that they pay, as soon as they have disposed & made of my Stock & Goods, ye Legacies hereafter named, viz to my three God-Children, Isaac Hare, Joseph Meaks & Catharine Cook, the summ of twenty shillings a piece, & to my sister Hester King the sum of five pounds & to my sister Frances Colton the summ of forty shillings, & to Ann ye Wife of my Executor Joseph Meaks the sum of fifty shillings And to Ann ye Wife of William Meaks of Addington aforesaid the sum of fifty shillings, & to my Sister Margaret Shackle the sum of forty shillings, & further my Will & mind is, after my Debts Legacies & funeral Expences are paid, that my said sister Margarett Shakell, shall be paid by my said Executors, one fourth \fifth/ part or share of the produce of my Personal Estate (beside the forty shillings before mentioned) & the Remaining three \four/ parts of my Personall Estate my Mind & Will is that my Executors doe pay, unto my late Sister Mary Ridgway's Children of Winslow \& to my wifes sister Mary [?]Hastings widow/ & to Elizabeth the Wife of Michael Durance, (my late Wifes sister) & Catharine the Wife of Thomas Cook of Little Horwood, to be equally divided amongst them, share & share alike And lastly my Will is that my Executors shal retain in their Hands all such sums of money, as they or either of them, shall necessarily expend & lay out for or by Reason of the execution of this Trust. And I doe hereby Revoke & make void all former Wills by me made, In Wittness whereof I have to this my last Will & Testament set my Hand & Seale the day & year above written

The mark of Joseph Meaks [seal]

[margin] Signed sealed published & declared by ye Testator, in presence of us, & in his presence attested by us
[signatures] John Winton Thomas Carr:

[Probate on June 26 1725 before Isaac Lodington clerk MA surrogate of the Venerable John Bettesworth LLD commissary and official of the Archdeaconry of Buckingham to Joseph Meakes junior, saving anyone's right, Dr Thomas Busby the other executor dying before taking up the burden of execution.]

Notes

Joseph Meaks was buried at Addington on 11 Jan 1725. His wife Joan was buried on 29 July 1724. Joseph Meakes of Addington married Joan Falkner of Middle Claydon at Addington on 2 Oct 1698.

He was son of Anthony and Mary Meakes, baptised there on 6 Dec 1656. His mother was Mary Meaks whose will was proved in 1718. The executor Joseph Meakes (d.1732) was his cousin.