1697 Thomas Strudwick 439 877
In the Name of God Amen I Thomas Strudwick of the town and parish of Hampstead in the county of Middlesex gent being weak in body but of sound and perfect mind and memory blessed be god for the same doe hereby make and constitute this my last will and testament in manner and form following that is to say
ffirst and principally I commend my soul into the hands of Almighty God my meritfull creator hopeing and trusting through the sole and only merrits of Jesus Christ my most merritfull saviour and redeemer to receive the full and free pardon of all my sinns and an inheritance amongst all his blessed saints in his heavenly kingdom
My body I commit to the earth to be interred by by executors hereafter named in Hampstead Church in the county of Middlesex as near to my late wife as conveniently may be in such decent manner as my executors shall think fit and with few attendants and as to my worldly estate after my debts legacies and funerall charges are thereout discharged I give and dispose thereof as followeth
ITEM: I give and devise unto my sonne George Strudwick all that my farme and lands called Herring lands situated and being in the parish of Kerdford in the county of Sussex together with all the rights members and appurtenances thereto belonging and my lease thereof and all my estate and interest therein
ITEM: I give unto my said sonn George Strudwick and to his heires and assigned forever all those my coppyhold lands called Blackmore Wood and Alleswood in the said parrish of Kerdford which I have surrendered into the hands of the lord of the mannor to the use of my last will and testament
ITEM: I give and devise unto my eldest sonn William Strudwick and to his heires and assigned forever all those my coppyhold lands tenements and hereditaments whatsoever which I have heretofore surrendered to the use of my last will and testament and also all other my estate right title and interest of in or to any lands tenements or hereditaments whatsoever other leasehold ffreehold or coppyhold situate lying or being in the parish of Saffron Walden or in the county of Essex called by the name of Sewer End or by any other name or names whatsoever together with their and every of their rights members and appurtenances but upon this condition nevertheless that he the said William Strudwicke doe within three months after my decease deliver up a bond he hath of mine for about the summe of one hundred and fifty pounds to my executors hereafter named to be cancelled
ITEM: I further give and devise unto my aforesaid sonn Wm Strudwick and his heires and assigned forever all that my coppyhold estate and dwelling house together with the cellar and cockloft in the xxxxx possession and all gardens orchards lands hereditaments rights members and appurtenances whatsoever any wayes belonging or of right appertaineing to my said coppyhold estate situate and being in the towne and parish of Hampstead in the county of Middlesex which estate I have surrendered to the use of this my last will and testament (so far as I legally can or may surrender the same according to the custom of the manor of Hampstead to my said sonne Wm. Strudwick unto his heirs and assigned forever.
but upon this condition nevertheless that if my said late surrender thereof prove good and valid in law and the said Wm Strudwick doe quietly enjoy the said estate and be legally admitted thereunto in court to him or his heires or the said George Strudwick my said sonne doe in court release all pretence of right and title he may pretend to have or claime to the said estate to my said sonn Wm. Strudwick and his heires forever that thereupon my said sonn William Strudwick shall either pay to my sonn George Strudwick the full summe of one hundred and forty pounds of lawfull english money or else shall thereon upon release or discharge whatsoever moneys is oweing from the said George to the said Wm. not being above the said summe of one hundred and forty pounds) And shall alsoe pay the said George his brother soe much money as shall make up what he now owes his brother William the full summe of one hundred and forty pounds in the whole
And thereupon and for the continueing of mutuall love and peace between my said sonns Wm. and George Strudwick and their ffamilyes my further will and earnest desire and request is that the said George and William dor duely execute generall releases each to the other for and relating to all other matters and affaires whatsoever not mentioned or contained in this my last will and testament and that they doe love and assist each other
ITEM: I further give to the said Wm Strudwick my sonn his mothers wedding ring and alsoe a diamond ring with four diamond stones like a crosse with gold and a great silver tankard and alsoe the one half of all my bookes except Mr Baxter’s paraphrase on the new testament which I give to his wife and alsoe three silver spoones
ITEM: I give to Wm the eldest sonn of my said sonn Wm Strudwick three guilt silver spoones and a small silver cupp and the smallest silver salt and I give to the daughter of my said sonn Wm a purse and a knife sheathe wrought with gold three guilt spoones a small silver porrengeria a little two eard and a little one eard silver cupp and a small silver pap spoone.
to Lucy Strudwick I give two guilt spoones and I moreover give and devise to my said sonn Wm. Strudwick all the money in the exchequer due to me from Sir Robt Viner and alsoe all the money due to me on a statute or recognizance from Sir Wm Loughton and I the said Thomas Strudwick doe hereby declare that the devises gifts and legacyes herein before made and given to my said sonn Wm. Strudwick are soe made and given to him in full satisfaction and recompence of all his customary part share or interest which he can shall or may claim or have by or out of my goods chattells or personall estate by meanes or virtue of the customs of the cittie of london whereof I am a ffreeman or by vertue of any other custom law or usage whatsoever
ITEM: I give to Oliver Scutts daughter twenty shillings to my maid Sarah twenty shillings to the widow Jones ten shillings to the poor of the parish of hampstead forty shillings to be distributed to them in bread by my executor hereafter named or by whom he shall appoint and I desire that those few persons that shall attend my corps in coaches to the grave and my relations may have rings at the disgression of my executor
ITEM: all the rest and residue of my plate goods chattells and personall estate whatsoever and wheresoever not herein before devised I give and bequeath to my loveing sonn George Strudwick (whom I hereby make and ordaine and constitute sole executor of this my last will and testament) desireing him thereout to pay my just debts legacyes and ffunerall expenses And to dispose what part thereby he thinks fit to his owne wife and children and lastly I doe hereby revoke all former wills by me made and doe publish and declare this present writing contained in three sheets of paper as and for my last will and testament in witness whereof I have to each of the said sheets subscribed my name and to the last of them have alsoe affixed my seale this twelfth day of aprill anno dia christI one thousand six hundred and ninety seven THOMAS STRUDWICK
signed and sealed by the above named Thomas Strudwick and by him published and declared and for his last will and testament in the presence of us who have hereunder written our names as witnesses thereto by the presence of the said Thomas Strudwick the estator John Strudwicke John Pepys Wm. Hill Honnor Stokes