William Downe

Prerogative Court of Canterbury will made: 8th May 1557 augmented 15th August 1558
Probate Date: 10th October 1559
Proved by Agnes Downe, widow of the testator
National Archive Catalogue reference: PROB 11/42B

The original document is in the custody of the National Archives

Transcript

In the name of god Amen The eyghth of Maye in the yere of ow[re] Lorde god a thowsande five hundreth fyftie and seven, and in the thirde, and fowrth yeres of kinge Phillipp, and Quene Marie I Will[ia]m Downe of the p[ar]ishe of Linchelade in the Countie of Buck[ingham] hole, and sound bothe of bodie, and mynde, I gyve thankes to god, do make my testament, and laste will in maner, and forme followinge / Fyrst I comitt my soule to allmightie god, three p[er]sons in trinitie, withe full hope, and confidence of salvac[i]on of the same, by the merites of the blessed passion of ow[re] savio[re] Jesus Christe, And I will my bodie to be burried in Christians mens buriall, where at shall happen me to dep[ar]te this mortall worlde Item I gyve to the mother churche of Lincoln ij / Item I give to the highe Alter of Lynchelade for tithes forgotten vj^d / Item I bequeth towardes the reparac[i]on of the Church of Lynchelad xx^d / Item I will that there bestowed amonge the poore people, at the tyme of my buryall xx^s. Item I will and bequeth to everie one of my wyfes Children by her former husbands / that is to saye Anne Stringer, Phillipp Stringer, Roberte Boldewin, John Baldewin, to every of them xl^s, and one yeow and Lambe a pece over, and besides theire fathers legacyes, and bequestes / Item I bequeth to my Doughter Dorethie xiij^li vj^s viij^d in money and my beste Cupborde and my best Cheste, and the Cheste, that was sir Geffryes with ij roners, and my yonger grey mare goinge at S[outh?]cote in Barkesher Item if it doo please god that my wife doo goo with Childe at this p[re]sent / Then I will that Childe to have x^li in money & if it fortune the sayde Childe to die before it com to yeres of Discression / the I will the same money to reto\r/ne to my wife if she be then lyvinge and kepe her selfe widowe, or elles to com to my Doughter Dorethie / Item I will to everie one of my god Children iiij^d / Item I give to wydowe Broughton, Maude Horton, Will[ia]m Dickins, Will[ia]m Dean, Will[ia]m Taylor of S[outh?]cote, Roberte Assheborn, Will[ia]m Honor, Alice Hickman wydowe / Thom[a]s Wingfelde, and to goodwife Everton, to everie one of them a busshell of barlie, to be payed upon the nexte Cropp / Item I gyve yo Will[ia]m Grome my lone stere of too yeres olde / a quarter of barlie and one yewe & a lambe / Item I give to Alice Beninigae? a yowe and a lambe / Item I give to my brother John Blacknall, my yearlinge baye mare coltte / Item I give to my brother John Downe xl^s in money Item I doo bequeth to my brother Richarde Downe my bowe, and my arrowes / Item I bequeth to my father Thomas Down lx vj^s viij^d in money towardes the mariage of my too sisters, Margaret and Joan / Item I give to my brother John Down my satten dublet, and my too best tawnie Cotes, and my ij best Jerkins of Russett, to my ij brothers Richarde Downe, and Thomas Downe, and to my sayde brother John Downe my beste swerde, and to my brother Witney my thirde tawny ccote and to my brother John Blacknall my frisedowne cloke / Also I give to my s[erv]unte \Thomas/ Shep[er]de a good yowe / To Brigett Brokesell one lambe / To Thomas Horndall one lambe / To Thomas Clarke one lambe / To Thomas Bagger one weining Calfe / and j lambe / To John Sullie one lambe, To John Haries one lambe To avice? in money xij^d / To Will[ia]m Pollarde one busshell of barlie / To mother Peres one busshell of barlie / To John Bisshopp halfe a quarter of barlie And to my Cosen Brekooll ij busshelles of malte, and j busshell of Rie / And to James Fullers wife j busshell of Rie & one busshell of barlie / p...sted? over agayne, and augmented the xv^th of Auguste Anno D[omi]ni 1558 / p...e? Will[ia]m Downe teste manu propria /

Memorand that I doo owe to my Lorde Winso[r] uppon a bill of my hande remayninge with him vj^li xiij^s iiij^d for the fyne of my lease of Stukeley And my Lord oweth me all my wages and all my Expences aboute his busines syns the xxth daye of June Anni...? Phillipp et Marie primo et secundo, as apereth by a bill of p[ar]ticulers in my purse / The resydue of all my goodes, and Cattalles un bequeathed my debtes payed, and my legcyes discharged, I give to Agnes my wife whom I doo make one of myne Executors, and my brother John Blacknall the other to despose the same, as she shall thinke good, for the welthe of my sowle, and for the bringginge upp of her Children / Allso I do name, & apointe my trustie frende John Barker of Culsis? to be my overseer of this my laste will and Testament / and for his paynis takinge thereof I will that he have one owlde ryole of xv^d /