Barrow Will 1518/9

Will of Harry A'Barowe

of Biddenden, Kent


Source: Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury, Canterbury Cathedral Archives PRC 17/14/67
Submitted by Geoff Barrow
In dei noie Amen The xxij day of Decebr (in) the yere of o[u]r lorde God [1517]
I Harry A'Barowe of the p[ar]ishe of Biddynden in Kent yn my good remembrannce mak(e) this my p[re]sent testament co[n]teynnyng my Last will in forme folowyng
First I bequeith my soule to God Almyghty, our Lady Seynt Marie and to all the saynts of heven And my body to be buried in the churche yarde of All Seynts of Biddenden foresaid

Also I bequeith to the high auter [altar] of the seid churche for my tithes and offerings negligently forgotten and unden (undone?) ijs
Also I bequeith to Mathew my sonne one matteras, one bo[l]ster, one paier of sheets, one paier of blanketts and one covrlett
Also I bequeith to eche on[e] of my children one silvr spone

Also if Mathew my sonne will fynd to Thoms and xpofer my ij yongest sonnes Lawfull mette drynke and clothe to the tyme the(y) shall come to ther ages of x yeris Then and under that condition I bequeith to the seid Mathew all my weryng gere

And all the residues aft[er] my monethes daie of my whete that is redy thethid? of my malte nowe paide? for my household of my bacon nowe cheyn, of my butter, my chese psrnte to the fynding of my seid ij children And also under that condition I will the seid Mathew have th'use and on(e) m..ying? of the half parte of my Instuffe of houshold all the tyme the seid ij children shalbe at his fyndyng under the age of the seid x yeris and my yeris that I have to cm [come] in the same ferme [farm] that I now dwell in

And when thei shalbe at thir seid age of x yeris if thei live so long Then I will the seid half parte of my Instuff of household be delyvered hole to Elizabeth my doughter if she be then livyng or les to Johane my doughter
Also I bequeith to the seid Johane my doughter the other half parte of the seid residues of my ynstuff of household forthwith, the half parte of my wiffs werying gere and one fate of Boxs
And if the seid Elizabeth be decessed before her age of xxti [20] yeres then I will all I have bequeithid to her before remayne to Johane her sister excepte it be of her parte of my wiffs werying gere the whiche I will she occupye alweys at her pleasure

Also I bequeith to John my sonne vjs viijd of good and Lawfull money of england

The residues of all my goods and my debts, funrall expens first paied and don(e)
I bequeith to Mathew, William, Jeffery, Thomas and xpofer [Christopher] my sonnes
And if it happen the seid William or Jeffery to decesse before the seid age of xxti yeris Then I will the bequests of hym in this my testament so decessing remayne to (the) other of theym at his age of xxti yeris levyng And to the seid Mathew equally devided betwene theym And yf both the seid William and Jeffery be decessed before the seid yeris Then I will the bequests of both theym in this testament remayne to the seid Mathewe

And yf it shall happen the sied Thomas or xpofer or both to decesse before their age of xxti yeris Then I will the hoole bequests in this testament of hym or theym so decessyng remayne to the seid Mathewe if the seid Mathewe have take uppon hym the fynding of the seid ij children as is abovewritten
But if the seid ij have not been at the fynding of the seid Mathewe as before is spokyn Then I will all those bequeiths that I have bequeithed to the seid Mathewe before under that condition shalbe putt to my residues And then his p[ar]te of my seid sonnes Thomas and xpofer in this testament that is decessed before his age of xxti yeris shall remayne to his seid brother at the seid age leving equally devided among theym except John my sonne I will that he have no pte with theym thereof

Also I mak(e) constitute and ordeyne Mathew and Willia my sonnes my true executours to dispose for the helth of my soule and all cristen souls as thei thynkith best
And I give to the seid Mathewe for his Labor vjs viijd
And I make James Taylour sup[er]visur of this my p[re]sent testament and Last Will geven at Bidenden the daie and yere aforeseid

This witnesse John Chrupp; Henry Crowt; Thomas Shell with others

Probatum fuit: 7th February 1518/19 - to Mathew A'Barowe – son William refusing the execution thereof (underage?).

Transcribed by Mrs. Shelagh A. Mason, 10th July 2023


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Will of Harry A'Barowe
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