Will of Percifall Asten

of Cranbrook, Kent

First I give & bequeath to Joane my wife the lease of my house & land w[i]th the mills & pondes as I hould yt of my landlord & Alsoe all my moveable goods as houshould stuffe, corne, Cattells, debtes & whatsoever else I have to the bringinge up of my children & the payinge of my debtes
And I make & ordeyne the said Joane my wife my wholl executrix of this my last will & testament

This is the last will & testament of me the said Percifall Asten made & declared the daye & year above written Concerninge all my landes & tenaments lyinge & beinge in the p[ar]ishe (of) Stapleherst in the Countie of Kent

First I will that Richard Taylor the elder of the pishe of Crambrooke his executors or Assignes shall have all the doinges of lettinges & settinge of all my landes & tenaments in Stapleherst Aforesaid untill my two elder sons & my two daughters come to the ther(e) sevrall Ages as shall be hearafter named to the use & uses as followeth, that ys to saye

my wives dowrye, the lords rents & reparacons & the residue of the profits to my five younger sonnes, that is, to Jercive Asten, Perciall Asten, Thomas Asten, Henrye Asten & John Asten as they shall come to there severall Ages of fowre & twenty yeares porton & portons like equalye to be devided
& yf yt shall happen any of my five sonnes to dye before he shall come to the age of fowre & twenty yeares then I will that his or there porton or parte soe dyinge shall remayne amonge the rest of the said five children that shall then be livinge

Item I will that James Asten shall have halfe the rent of the house & land Bishop now dwelleth in the lords rent and my wives dowry & reparacons excepted when the said Jeames shall come to the adge of fowre & twentye yeares untill such time as my sonn Richard Asten shall come to the age of fowre & twentye yeares
Item I give & bequeath to my two elder sonnes James Asten & Richard Asten when the said Richard shall come to the age of fowre & twentye yeares th[a]t house & all the lands wherein Bishopp of Stapleherst now dwelleth to them & to eyther of them & to there heyres in fee simple for ever
but yf yt shal happen my ij sonnes Jeames & Richard to decease wthout heyres of there bodyes lawfully begotten then I will & my very will is that the said house & land to them so given shall remaynge to my other sonnes then livinge & to there heyres in fee simple for ever

Item I will to Allice my daughter halfe the p[ro]fitt of my house and gardens that widow? Girdeler now dwelleth in until such time as my daughter Margarett Asten cometh to the age of twentye yeares when Alice shall come to the age of twenty years then to begin to receave the said gifte of halfe the rent
Item I give & bequeath to my two daughters Alice Austen & Margarett Asten the house & gardens that Girdler('s) widow dwelleth in when Margarett my daughter shall come to the age of twentye yeares to them & either of them & there heyres in fee simple for ever

And this I conclud(e) & end my laste will & testament
Percifall Asten's marke
(Witnesses): John Chaddamis marke; Richard Taylor; John Burthen's marke

Probatum fuit: 23rd June 1593

Notes:
Percyvall Asten's baptism, on 1st November 1544, s. of Wyllyam Asten, was at All Saints, Staplehurst, Kent. A brother Simon was baptised there on 13th October 1545.
On the 8th June 1572, Persivall Austine married Bennett Seley at Staplehurst. Bennyt Austin was buried at St. Dunstan, Cranbrook on 5th June 1590.
Percifall Asten had the following children, all baptised at Staplehurst: Elsebeth 20 Dec 1573; Mary 22 Feb 1573/74; James 4 Sep 1574.
The remaining children were baptised at Cranbrook – where parent's names were omitted:
Alice 26 May 1577; Gervyce 7 Oct 1582; Percyvall 27 Mar 1586; Margaret 2 Apr 1587; Thomas 24 Dec 1587; Henry 17 Aug 1589; John 27 Aug 1592;
Percivall Awstine was buried 13 May 1593 at Cranbrook.

Transcribed by Mrs. Shelagh Mason 27th December 2022

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