Richard Saunders

Prerogative Court of Canterbury will made: 17th February 1587/8
Probate Date: 18th May 1588
Mentioned in the probate: William Saunders, son of the testator, Richard Saunders and Anne Saunders, widow of the testator
National Archive Catalogue reference: PROB 11/72

The original document is in the custody of the National Archives

Transcript

In the name of god amen. The seavententhe daye of Februarie in the yeare of our Lord a thousand five hundrethe eightie seaven And in the thirtithe yeare of the raigne of our most soveraigne Ladye Elizabethe by the grace of god of England France and Ireland quene defendor of the faiethe &c. I Richard Saunders of Lynchelade grange within the parishe of Laighton Bussard, in the countie of Bed[fordshire] gent[leman] beinge sicke in body butt of good and perfecte remembrance thankes be given to god doe ordeyne and make my last will and testament in manner and forme followinge that is to saye First and before all earthely thinges I give and comend my sowle unto god allmightie my saviour and redemer and my bodye to be buried in some convenient place within the churche of Leighton Bussard aforesayd Item I give and bequeathe unto Anne my welbeloved wife uppon conditions hereafter in this my present testament expressed and declared one hundred poundes of Lawfull money of England to be paide unto her as followethe that is to saye fiftie poundes within one monethe next after my decease, and the other fiftie poundes within eighte monethes next after my decease Allso I doe give unto the saide my welbeloved wife uppon conditions likewise hereafter expressed all my howsehowlde stuffe and implementes of howsehowlde whatsoever nott in this my present testament hereafter given nor bequeathed my marser? six silver spoones my silver salte withe the cover six of my best mylche kine tenne eawes and my white mare And allso all that my estate right title and forme whiche I have in Linchelade grange aforesayde and armyne close withe all the Landes tenementes meadowes pastures feedinges appurtenances profittes and comodities therunto apperteyneinge for and duringe the terme of her naturall life, First uppon condition that she paye yearly duringe her saide naturall life unto Richard Saunders my sonne and to Elizabethe now his wife thirtie poundes of Lawfull money of England at two usuall termes or feastes of the yeare that is to saye att the feastes of S[ain]t Michaell tharchangell and thannunciac[i]on of our Lady S[ain]t Marie the virgin by equall portions in full contenfac[i]on? and satifaction of one deede of annuitie or rent charge heretofore by me to them by dede grannted beareinge date the           daye of           in the six and twentithe yeare of the Raigne of our sayde soveraigne Lady the quenes maiestie that now is as therby more at Large if doethe appeare, And all so upon condition that the release within thre monethes next after my decease and att all times after uppon reasonable request unto my thre sonns Richard Thomas William and to Robert Grigg of Dunstable for certeyne Landes and tenementes that I lately did bargayne and sell unto the said Robert Grigg and did bynd my selfe by obligation to discharge him of my said wives thirde and to every of them and to all and every other person and persons their heirs and assignes all that her estate right and title of diver? clayme and demande whiche may lawfully clayme or chalenge by reason or by vertue of the intermariage heretofore betwene her and me had and solemmized in all or any of their Landes tenementes hereditamentes whatsoever so that no sute or troble maye hereafter arise by force of the said title of dower to my execut[ors] by force of any deede or promise by me heretofore made or passed to any person or persons or to my said thre sonnes or the saide Robert Grigg or any of them howsoever Item I give and bequeathe unto William Saunders my sonne and to his heires for ever all and every those my Landes tenementes and hereditamentes whiche I have within the parishes of Hockley Tebworthe Chalgrave and Tilsworth or in any of them when he shall accomplishe the age of thre and twentie yeares and nott before And in the meane season I give the said Landes tenementes and hereditamentes withe the rentes issues and profittes therof unto my execut[ors] for and towardes the performance of this my Last will and testament Item I give and bequeathe unto Thomas my sonne and to his heires all those my Landes tenementes and hereditamentes whiche I have within the parishe of Laighton aforesaide whiche I lately purchased of James Graves and of Alice Graves his mother when he shall accomplishe the age of thre and twentie yeares and nott before And in the meane season I give the saide Landes tenementes and hereditamentes withe the rentes issues and profittes therof unto my execut[ors] for and towardes the performance of this my Last will and testament And if William my sonne decease before he accomplishe the sayd of thre and twentie yeares then I will and bequeathe the Landes tenementes and hereditamentes before expressed to him devised unto Thomas my sonne and to his heiers forever And if Thomas my sonne decease before he accomplishe the said age of thre and twentie yeares then I will and bequeathe the saide Landes tenementes and hereditamentes before expressed to him devised to William my sonne and to heiers forever And if they bothe decease before they accomlishe the saide age of thre and twentie yeares then I will all the Landes tenementes and hereditamentes before to them devised unto Katherin Isabell Suzan Ellin Margaret Dorothie Judethe and Alice my dawghters and to their heiers for ever Item I give and bequeathe unto my two sayd sonnes William and Thomas to every of them one hundred poundes of Lawfull money of England to be payd unto them when they shall accomplishe their severall ages of one and twentie yeares And in the meane season to be imployed by my execut[ors] to the use of the saide William and Thomas my said two children and for their mainteynance and bringinge upp withe as good conveinent speede as they cann of my goodes make and provide the same / Item I give and bequeathe unto Suzan and Dorothie my dawghters to every of them one hundred poundes of Lawfull money of England to be payde unto every of them by my executors when they shall accomplishe their severall ages of seaventeene yeares (if they doe marrie withe the consent of Thomas Pottes my sonne in Lawe and Gyle Duncombe my brother in lawe, And if otherwise they shall marrie them selves without the said consent then the saide hundred poundes to her or them before bequeathed who shall so marrie nott to be paide untill she or they shall accomplishe the age of one and twentie yeares And further I will that if the said Suzann my dawghter departe her life before the payment of the said hundred poundes to her before bequeathed then I will the same hundred poundes shall go and remayne unto Dorithie Judithe and Alice my dawghters to be indifferently devided amongest them And that if Dorothy my saide dawghter do departe her life before the payment of the said hundred poundes to her before bequeathed then I will the same hundred poundes shall go and remaine unto the foresaid Suzan Judithe and Alice my dawghters to be likewise indifferently devided amongest them And wheras the aforenamed Richard my sonne standeth bound unto Thomas Pottes and Ralphe Sheppard my sonnes in Lawe to paye unto them unto the use of the saide Judithe and Alice my dawghters one hundred poundes a peece my will is that the sayde Judethe and Alice shall have the sayd two hundred poundes accordinge to the trew meaneinge of the said assurance to them made and that the said Richard my sonne shall kepe norishe and bringe upp my said two dawghters accordinge to the trew meaneinge of the said assurances And if it fortune that the said Judithe doe departe her life before the daye of payment mentioned in the said assurances that then her portion shall be equally devided betwene Suzan Dorothie and Alice And if that if Alice doe departe her life before the daye of payment mentioned in the said assurance that then her portion shall be equally devided betwene the sayd Suzann Dorothie and Judithe / Item I give and bequeathe to the poore of Dunstable five shillinges To the pore of Hockley five shillinges \To the pore Laughton v^s to the pore of Greate Brickell v^s to the poore of North Crawley v^s/ and to the pore of Potesgrave five shillinges to be distributed by the inhabitantes of every of the said Towneshipps within one monethe next after my decease att the discreation of suche as my execut[ors] shall putt in trust for the purpose Item I give and bequeathe to every of my brother Thomas children And to every of my sister Mathewes children whiche will come for it to my execut[ors] withein six monethes next after my decease thre shillinges fower pence And to every of my godchildren whiche will come for it within six monethes next after my decease to my execut[ors] twelve pence Item I give and bequeathe unto Margarett Mathew my sister for a remembrance fortie shillinges Item I give to Katherin Pottes my dawghter my standinge bowle of silver Item I give to Isabell Sheppard my dawghter my silver cup and sixe poundes thirteene shillinges fower pence in money uppon condition that Raphe Sheppard her husband shall release all actions personall unto my execut[ors] within tenne dayes next after my decease Item I give to Richard Sheppard her sonne being my godson fower eawes and fower Lambes price twentie six shillinges eight pence, and unto Thomas his brother thre eawes and thre Lambes price twentie shillinges Item I give to Richard White and Agnes White my dawghter Whites children to eache of them two eawes and two Lambes And to Richard Saunders my sonne Richardes sonne two eawes and two lambes And to John Wells the sonne of Frannces Wells two eawes and two lambes, and to all Richard Saunders children of North Marston to every of them one eawe and one Lambe Item I will and bequeathe that for and towardes the performinge and fulfillinge of this my last will and testament that my execut[ors] shall sell allsuche Landes tenementes and hereditamentes as I have within the parishe of Northcrowley within the countie of Buck[inghamshire] as spedely as conveniently they cann after my decease whiche if any of my children shall indevour to denye or gaynsaye or to truble the busines therof att the sale of the same contrarie to the trew meaneinge of this my last will and testament Then I will all legacies and bequestes herein to him her or them bequeathed to be utterly voide Item I give and bequeathe unto all my Item I give and bequeathe unto all my dawghters whiche shall be livinge at my decease for a remembrance of my goodwill and fatherly love to them one gowld ringe of the value of twentie shillinges The residue of all my goodes and chattells whatsoever nott before in this my present testament given willed nor bequeathed I give and bequeath unto Anne my welbeloved wife Richard Saunders my eldest sonne and William my sonne whom I doe make and ordeyne to be my joynt executors to paye my debtes and to receyve them and to see this my present testament iustly and trewly performed as my trust is in them Also I make Thomas Pottes Raphe Sheppard John White and Franncis Wells overseers of this my present testament to see the same faiethefully performed as my good hope and trust is that they will And I doe give unto them for their paines fortie shillinges a peece / By me Richard Saunders Theirs beinge wittnesses. E?. Basworthe writer hereof