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Edward Lewis will

PROB 11/344 Bunce 1-53 Will of Edward Lewis, Merchant of London 09 April 1674

See also PROB 11/349 Dycer 106-147 Sentence of Edward Lewis of Saint Martin in the Fields, Middlesex 16 February 1675

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[THIS TRANSCRIPTION REQUIRES PROOFING, CSG, 12/10/11]

IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN I Edward Lewis of London Merchant being sicke and weake But of good and perfect memory for which I praise my good and gratious God But knowing the uncertainty of mans life att his best Estate Doe therefore hereby make and ordaine this my last Will and Testament in manner and forme following (That is to say)

First I bequeath my soule into the hands of Almighty God my most gratious and mercifull ffather Trusting in his mercy through the merritts death and passionof our Lord Jesus Christ my blessed Saviour To obtain remission of all my Sinnes And everlasting life after death And my body when it shall please the Lord to take me out of this mortall life I Comitt to the Earth To be buried at the discretion of my Executrix hereafter named

And as for my Temporall Estate which God of his great goodness and mercy hath bestowed upon me I will and desire my Executrix hereafter named in the ffirst place duely and truely to pay all min such debts as are Justly oweing by me to them upon good and sufficient proofe thereof to be made by them And I doe hereby expressly declare That I have in my hands the sume of one hundred pounds which was given to my daughter Sarah by her Grandmother Sarah Hawkins for which I am a debtor to my said daughter And doe will that the same with Interest att foure pounds per centum after my decease from the time I ffirst retained the same be paid unto her And for that I am a ffreeman of this ffamous City of London I will that my whole personall Estate (After my debts and ffunerall Charges shalbe paid and discharged) shall according to the Ancient and Laudable Custome of the said Citty be divided into Three equall parts One third part whereof I giveand bequeath unto my deare and wellbeloved wife Margarett Lewis And one other Third part of my whole niate (sic) and Cleare Estate I give and bequeath unto my Two Children Sarah Lewes and Mary Lewes equally to be divided betweene them share and share alike according to the Custome of London And for the other one Third part of my whole niate (sic) and cleare Estate which is wholly att my owne disposing I will devise and give the same as followeth (That is to say) I give and bequeath unto my said Loveing wife Margarett All my householdstuffe and Plate Except Two silver and guilt Canns and Twenty Guilt Spoons which I give as followeth (That is to say) I give to my daughter Sarah Lewes One Silver and Guilt Cann and Twelve Silver and Guilt Spoons To be delivered unto her within Two months next after my decease

ITEM I give to my daughter Mary My other silver and guilt Cann and Eight silver and Guilt spoons To be delivered to her at her age of One and Twenty yeares or day of Marriage which ffirst shall happen And if my said daughter Mary shall happento dye or depart this life before this my guift shall become due to her Then I give unto my Executrix the Plate given to my said

Daughter Mary

ITEM I give and bequeath to my brother James Sherley the sume of six pounds And to his sonne James Sherley the sume of Tenn pounds

ITEM I give and bequeath unto the ffoure Children of my brother Thomas Lewes (viz:t) To Thomas Lewes William Lewes Daniell Lewes And Anne now the wife of Robert Smith To each of them Seaven pounds and Tenn shillings a peece

ITEM I give and bequeath unto the Governors of Christs Hospitall London The sume of One Hundred pounds To be disposed of as they shall see most Beneficiall for the maintenance and Education of poore Children harbored in the said Hospitall And for the putting them out Apprentices according to the good Custom and usage of that hospitall which said One Hundred pounds soe given to the said Hospitall my will and meaning is be paid unto them out of the ffirst moneys my Executrix shall returne of the debts oweing unto me by bond from S:r Robert Viner Knight Edward Backwell Esquire XXXX Mequill xxxxx Whitehall and XXXX Grimes

ITEM I give and Bequeath unto the Worp:ll Company of Skinners of the Citty of London whereof I am a member the summe of one hundred pounds upon this Trust and Confidence Neverthelesse That the Master Wardens and assistants of the said Company for the time being shall yearly and every yeare for ever from and after my decease allow to pay and give to and for the better maintenance and supportacon of one Godly and Religious poore Schollar in the University of Cambridge for the time being one Annuity payment or Exhibition of ffive pounds per Annum To be paid halfe yearly (That is to say) ffifty shillings every halfe yeare ffor the true payment whereof I will and desire That the said Company doe give Bond under their Comon Seale unto my Executrix hereafternamed for the performance of the same which said sume of one hundred pounds soe given to the said Company of Skinners as aforesaid my will and meaning is be paid unto them out of the moneys my Executrix shall receive of the debts oweing unto me by Bond from S:r Robert Viner Knight Edward Backwell Esquire Issac Meynell Whitehall and Grimes

ITEM I give and bequeath unto the said Company of Skinners the sume of Twenty pounds Towards the Building of their hall

ITEM I give and bequeath unto M:r John Sheffield late Minister of the parish of S:t Swithin London the summe of fforty shillings

ITEM I give unto M:r John Angur of Braintrey in Essex the sume of Twenty shillings And to M:r Clarke late Minister of Stisted in Essex Twenty shillings

ITEM I give and bequeath the sume of fforty pounds To be given and distributed unto such Godly and poore men who have beene heretofor Preachers of Gods word and have resigned or are scituated ejected or deprived of their liveings To be distributed by the said M:r John Sheffield M:r Thomas Jacombe and my loveing wife as they shall thinke fitt

ITEM I give and bequeath unto Dame Christian Dawes my wives kinswoman the sume of Six pounds

ITEM I give to my Brother John Littlethe sume of Six pounds And to his wife M:rs Judith Little the sume of Six pounds

ITEM I give unto Anne the wife of XXXXXX Bridgwater (sic) who was formerly my servant the sume of fforty shillings And to my maid servant Elizabeth Nevill if she be liveing with me att the time of my decease fforty shillings And to my

Servant Sarah Dunstable Twenty shillings if shebe liveing with me att my decease

ITEM I give to the poore of the parish where I shall dwell at the tyme of my decease fforty shillings To be distributed by and at the discretion of my Executrix

ITEM I give and bequeath unto Erasmus Norwich my late Apprentice the sume of ffive pounds if he be dwelling with me att the tyme of my decease desiring him to give his best assistance unto my Executrix for the getting in of my debts and making up Accompts with all such as I have dealing with

The Rest and Residue of all and singular my goods Chattells and personall Estate whatsoever not herein by me bequeathed or disposed of I will shall be devided into ffiveequall parts Three ffifth parts whereof I giveunto my said wife Margarett One ffifth part thereof unto mysaid daughter Sarah And the other ffifth part to my daughter Mary PROVIDED alwayes And my Express will and meaning is And I doe earnestly intreat my said wife (if she shalbe minded to marry again after my decease) That before such marriage she doe and shall pay or give xxxxxxx for payment unto my said Two daughters of soe much money as the said Two ffifth parts of the Rest and residue of my personall Estate bequeathed unto them as aforesaid shall amount unto Equally To be devided betwixt them The one moiety thereof To be paid to my said daughter Sarah att or before such Marriage of my said wife And the other Moiety thereof unto my said daughter Mary att her age of one and Twenty yeares or day of Marriage which ffirst shall happen And if either of my said Two daughters shall dye before such such part and porcon of my personall Estate as I xxxx herein before bequeathed unto her Respectively shall grow due and payable Then I will That the part and porcon of her soe dyeing shall be paid untoteh Survivor of them And I Charge my said Children That they be dutifull loveing and Obedient unto their mother And not to dispose of themselves in Marriage without her Consent if she shall be liveing when they or either of them shall marry As they will answer the Contrary att the great day of Judgment when the secrets of all hearts shall be laid open to God Angells and men And if my said wife their loveing mother shall happen to depart this life before they be disposed of in marriage Then I Charge them to follow the Advice of their nearest Relations (viz:t) My loveing Brother S:r Stephen White Kn:t my Brother John Little my Brother James Sherley and the overseers of this my last will and Testament And I doe hereby constitute Ordaine and appoint my said wellbeloved wife Margarett Lewes sole Executrix of this my Last will and Testament And I doe appoint my Loveing Brother in Law S:r Stephen White Knight And my Loving ffreind M:r John Gould Cittizen and Draper of London To be the Overseers of this my will intreating them and each of them to be helpfull and assisting To my said Executrix in getting in my Estate and Clearing my Accompts with my ffacto:s and others And to see all things performed as is herein before expressed And I give and bequeath unto each of them my said overseers Tenn pounds a peece for their care and paines to be taken therein And I desire them and each of them not to deny me this request it being a Christian Acte to be helpfull to the widdow and ffatherless Children And I doe alsoe desire and intreat my Loveing ffreinds John Jolliffe and Benjamine Albin Esquires and M:r John Mathewes of London Merchant To be helpfull

And Assistant unto my said Executrix and overseers with theire advice and councell att such time or times as occasionshall neede or require And I doe alsoe desire them to accept of fforty shillings a peece to buy them Rings And I doe earnestly and heartily desire all and everymy said Loveing ffreinds to be carefull to see that my said daughters be well disposed of in Marriage for their good And to see all their Estates secured to the best of their understanding And God Almighty recompense all their labour of love which they shall take in this business and in performing this my desire and request And I doe hereby revoake and disannull All former wills and Testaments by me heretofore made And doe Constitute and ordaine this to be my last will and Testament

IN WITNES whereof I the said Edward Lewes have to every sheete of this my last Will and Testament contayned in Seavensheets of Paper susbcribed my name And to the Labell fixed on the Topp thereof sett my seale The Three and Twentieth day of March Anno Domini 1673 And in the six and Twentieth yeare of the Reigne of our Soveraigne Lord King Charles the Second.

EDWARD LEWIS.

Sealed subscribed published and delivered by the said Edward Lewis for and as his last will and Testamentin the presence of Elizabeth Reeth H Cotton Adam Goodyer

PROBATUM FUIT.

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