Will of William Selby (formerly Lowndes) of Winslow, esquire, 1807 (proved 1813)

National Archives, PROB 11/1544/445

This is the last Will and Testament of me William Selby heretofore called William Lowndes of Winslow in the County of Bucks Esquire made this ninth day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred & seven I desire to be buried in my familys vault in Winslow but do direct that my funeral be as private as decency will permit and as to all my Estate and Effects I dispose thereof as follows that is to say I give & devise all my Messuages Lands Tenements and heredit(amen)ts in the parish of Saint James in the Liberty of  Westminster in the County of Midd(lese)x & all that those my Farm lands Tenements and heredit(ament)s situate at Swanbourne in the County of Bucks called Holcombe Farm now in the occupation of Thomas Cox and all my Farm lands Tenements and heredit(ament)s situate in Grandborough ... called Biggin Farm now in the occupation of Francis Budd & also all my Messuages Lands Tenements and heredit(ament)s in the parish of North Crawley in the County of Bucks which I purchased from [blank] Harrison with their respective appurt(enance)s unto William Lowndes Stone of Baldwin Brightwell in Oxford Esq(uire) & William Lowndes of Chesham ... upon the  trusts & subject to proviso hereinafter declared & contained concerning the same & whereas by Indentures of Lease & release bearing date respectively the 17th and 18th days of January ... 1766 made & executed previous to and in view and consideration of my then intended marriage with Mary my late Wife several Messuages farms Lands Tenements Woods underwoods & heredit(ament)s in North Crawley Astwood Chichley and Newport Pagnell ... were conveyed to Charles Lowndes and Robert Lowndes Esquires therein named and their heirs after several uses or estates which will be determined at my death to the use of John Dashwood King and John Seare Esquires therein named their Exec(utor)s Admin(istrato)rs & assigns for the term of one thousand years upon trust to raise the sum of Ten thousand pounds for the portions of my Daughters and younger Sons by my said late Wife in manner therein mentioned and after the expiration of the said term of one thousand years & in the mean time subject thereto the use of my own right heirs for ever now I do hereby give & devise the reversion or remainder in fee simple expectant upon & to take effect in possession from & after the expiration or other sooner determination of the said term of one thousand years of and in the said several heredit(ament)s and premises therein comprised & of and in their respective appurt(enance)s and all my Estate and interest in the same premises unto the said William Lowndes Stone & William Lowndes and their heirs upon the trusts & subject to the proviso hereinafter declared & contained concerning the same reversion or remainder and I declare my will to be that the said several heredit(ament)s & premises in Westminster Swanbourne & Grandborough & ... North Crawley ... respectively devised to William Lowndes Stone William Lowndes ... upon trust that they ... or the survivor of them or his heirs do and shall as soon after my decease as their discretion shall think proper sell and dispose of the same premises respectively either together or in

[p.2] parcels and either by public auction or by private contract for the best price or prices in money that can be gotten or reasonably be expected for the same to be gotten for the same and I declare my will to be that the money which shall arise by such sale or sales to be made as aforesaid or so much thereof as may remain after payment of all Costs & Expences to be incurred by making such sale or sales shall be and be considered as part of my personal Estate and for promoting and facilitating the sale of the said heredit(ament)s & premises so to be sold as aforesaid I will and declare that the receipt or receipts of the said William Lowndes Stone & William Lowndes or the survivor of them or his heirs under their or his hands or hand respectively shall be a good & effectual discharge to the purchaser or purchasers of the same heredit(ament)s & premises or any part thereof and his her or their heirs Ex(ecuto)rs and Admin(istrator)s for so much of the said purchase money as in such receipt or receipts shall be expressed to be received and after such receipt … the said purchaser ... his heirs … shall be absolutely acquitted exonerated & discharged of & from the same and shall not after such receipt … be answerable or accountable for any loss or misapplication of the purchase money therein to be acknowledged to have been received or any part thereof or be concerned to see to the application thereof (and whereas by indenture of lease & release bearing date respectively the twelfth and thirteenth days of August last being the settlement made previous to the marriage of my eldest son William Lowndes Esquire with Miss Hanmer all those the manors of Whaddon and Nash in the said County of Bucks & all that Chace called Whaddon Chace & all and every other  the manors messuages Farms Lands Tenements & heredit(ament)s whatsoever which were devised to me by the Will of Thomas James Selby late of Wavendon in the said County of Bucks Esquire dec(eas)ed with their respective rights members and appurt(enance)s & all the farm Lands Tenements & heredit(ament)s in the Parish of Little Horwood in the said  County of Bucks purchased by me from the devisees of James Adams Esquire dec(eas)ed with certain other heredit(ament)s herein described with their appurt(enance)s were in consideration of the said then intended Marriage which was soon afterwards solemnized conveyed settled & limited from & after the deaths of the survivor of myself and my son William and failure of Issue male of him by his said then intended wife to the use of me my heirs & assigns for ever subject nevertheless without prejudice to a rent charge of Six hundred pounds per annum thereby limited in use to her and her assigns during her life from and after the death of such survivor & to the powers & remedies thereby limitted for enforcing the payment thereof when in arrear and to a term of ninety nine years thereby also limited to trustees therein named for better securing the payment thereof when in arrear and also subject and without prejudice to a term of five hundred years limited also by the said settlement to Trustees therein named upon trust to raise portions for the daughters & younger sons of the said then intended marriage now I do hereby devise my said reversion or remainder in fee singular expectant & to take effect in possession as aforesaid of and in the several heredit(ament)s and premises comprised in the said last mentioned settlement & of & in their respective rights members & appurt(enance)s subject & without prejudice as aforesaid to Robert Langley Appleyard of Lincolns

[p.3] Inn in the County of Middx Esquire and his heirs to the uses upon the trusts and with under and  subject to the powers provisoes declarations and limitations herein limited declared and expressed that is to say to the use of the first & every other son of my son William by any woman or women he may hereafter marry severally and successfully as such sons shall be in priority of Birth and the heirs male of their respective bodies issuing every elder of such sons and the heirs male of his body being always preferred and to take before the younger of such sons and the heirs made of his body issuing and in default of such issue to the use of my second son Robert Lowndes & his assigns for and during his life without impeachment of or for any manner of Waste & from & immediately after the determination of that  Estate by forfieture or otherwise in the life time of my said son Robert Lowndes to the use of the said Robert Lowndes Langley Appleyard and and his heirs during the life of Robert Lowndes in trust by the usual ways and means to preserve the contingent uses & estates hereinafter limited from being defeated but nevertheless to permit & suffer my said son Robert Lowndes & his assigns to receive & take the rents issues & profits of the same heredit(ament)s & premises to his & their own use during his life and thereafter... to the use of the first son ... and for default of such issue to the use of the second third fourth fifth sixth & all & every other son & sons ... and for default of such issue to the use of my third son Richard Lowndes & his assigns for & during his natural life without impeachment of or for any manner of Waste and from andimmediately after the determination of that  Estate by forfieture or otherwise in the life time of my said son Richard Lowndes to the use of the said Robert Langley Appleyard and his heirs during the life of my said son Richard Lowndes In trust by the usual ways and means to preserve the contingent uses & Eestates hereinafter limited from being defeated ....

[p.4] [Similar provisions for "my youngest son Thomas Lowndes". Whoever inherits can demise and lease the premises for 21 years.]

[p.5] [Yearly rents up to £500 can be used to augment a wife's jointure.]

I give & devise unto the said William Lowndes Stone & William Lowndes of Chesham and their heir the advowson of the rectory & Church of North Crawley ... upon trust that they ... whensoever the said Church shall become void or vacant present thereunto such of the sons of my said son Robert Lowndes the present Rector thereof being then qualified and capable of accepting the same as the heir male of my body for the time being if of full age shall think proper and direct but if there shall not be any son of my said son Robert at that time qualified to accept the same that they shall and do present thereunto such one of my sons or Grand sons being then capable and duly qualified as the heir male of my body ... shall think proper and direct ... and during the infancy of such heir male then as my said Trustees ... shall ... judge to be most fit ...

[p.6] [If no son or grandson is available, the trustees shall appoint someone else, and on his death or resignation a son or grandson. After all sons and grandsons have died or renounced, the trustees shall return the advowson to the heir male.]

And I bequeath to my said son Robert he being already better provided for than his younger brothers and sisters the sum of one thousand pounds and to each of my said sons Richard and Thomas and to each & every of my daughters Ann Essex & Lydia the sum of Two thousand six hundred pounds ... in addition to the portions provided for them ... and I constitute & appoint my said son William Lowndes Ex(ecut)or of this my will and I give to my said son William all my household Goods Furniture plate linen China stock of Liquors implements of husbandry horses carriages dogs & other things which shall be in or about my mansion house & offices at Winslow aforesaid at the time of my decease and I give to my eldest daughter Mary the wife of the revd Thomas Howard Clerk and to my daughter Elizabeth the wife of Bernard Harman Esqr the sum of two hundred pounds each they having been already advanced in marriage with a suitable portion I forgive to & acquit & release my sons Robert and Richard respectively from the payment of any sum or sums in which they or either of them may stand indebted to me at the time of my decease ... and as to all the surplus money to arise by sale of the said Estates ... and also as to all the rest residue & remainder of my Goods ... I give and bequeath the same ... unto my said eldest son William Lowndes ...

[p.7] In witness whereof I the said William Selby the Testator have to the first ten sheets of this my last Will & Testament contained in eleven sheets of paper set my hand & to this eleventh & last sheet thereof set & put my hand & seal the day and year first above written ...

Witnesses: Jos. Rushton Law Stationer Chancery Lane
Thos Floyer Sansum - Saml Farrell Clerks to Mr Appleyard Lincolns Inn

Codicil

9 Jan 1807 [Essex has since married Robert Humphries of Ivy House Chippenham and received £3,600. Lydia is about to be married and will receive £3,600. Their legacies of £2,400 are therefore revoked.]

[p.8] Witnesses: Char. Willis Attorney Winslow
Robt L Appleyard Lincolns Inn London

Proved at London with a Codicil 21st May 1813 before the Worshipful Joseph Phillimore Doctor of Laws & Surrogate by the oath of William Lowndes Esq. the son & sole Ex(ecut)or to whom adm(inistration) was granted being sworn to adm(iniste)r

Notes

William Lowndes (b.1735) was the son of Richard Lowndes of Winslow Hall (d.1775) and took over the Winslow estate when he married Mary Goostrey of Missenden Abbey in 1766. In 1782 he changed his name to Selby in order to inherit Whaddon Hall and estate under the will of Thomas James Selby. Winslow Hall and Whaddon Hall (which William rebuilt) must already have been entailed to his eldest son William Lowndes as they are not mentioned in his will. See Winslow Hall for more information.

William's children, who had the surname Lowndes (see the will of William's sister Ann Lowndes who left bequests to them all), were:

 

Copyright 28 August, 2023