Item I bequeth to the high aulter of the said Monastery for my tithes and offerings forgotten and for my burying place in the churche
aforsaid Twoo Angells of golde
Item I bequeth �4 sterlinge to be devided [amongst] the brethern monks of Saint Augustynes by the discrecon of my lord Abbot and
maister Priour of the same place that is to sey at my buriall day Fourty shillings at my moneths mynde xx s and at my yeres mynde xx s
Item I bequeth foure marks sterling to be devided amongst the brethern monks of Christ churche that is to sey at my buriall day xxvj s
viij d and at my monethes mynde other xxvj s viij d by the discrecon of my lord priour and maister scrippriour of the same place.
Item I bequeth to the high awter of the Priory of Bilsington for my tithes and offerings forgotten iij s. iiij d
Item I bequeth to the same Priory �8 sterling to be laide upon landes and 8 or 10 men infeoffed in the same landes so as and the
yerely profits may be receyved by the said Feoffes their heures or assignes and paid to the said Priour and Convent of the same place
and the priour to have nomore for his parte but double that oon [one] of his brethern shalhave
And also that then the said priour and Convent of the same place shall yerely kepe a solemn dirige and a masse of Requiem for my soule
my fader moder with all xpen soules forever above the tyme of the yere that I shall dye
Also I will that he or they that shall recyve the yerely profits of the said landes to the use above written shalhave for his or
their labour every of them six pence yerely owt of the yerely profits of the said landes so puchased
Also I will that if the said Dirige & masse of requiem be not kept by the said priour and Convent yerely after that the profits may be
yerely had of the said landes so purchased and the yerely profites to them paid as is above written
Then I will that all suche men as shalbe infeoffed in the said landes shall stande to the use of Thomas Baker of Halden
[High Halden] to him and to his heires forever And for lack of heires of his body to the next of his kynne
Item I geve and bequeth to the high awter of the parishe church of Halden iijs. iiijd.
Item I bequeth to every godchilde that I have lyving vj d
Item I bequeth to every house of Freres w'in Canterbury vj d
Item I geve to Alexaunder Osbolston brother to Joane Osbolston late my servant all my best bedde with the hanging and tester except
my bast coverlet and a silver spone [spoon] and tenne shillings of money
Item I do geve to Katheryn the wife of John Gybbes of the parishe of Saint George in Canterbury my drynking maser
Item I do geve and bequeth to Nicholas Hare of the parishe of Willesborough my best Russet gaberdyne furred with fox my best doublet
and my best Chamlet Jaket
Item I bequeth to Thomas Baker of Halden my seconde gaberdyn furred my seconde doublet and two silver spones
Item I bequeth to Nicholas Batkyn of Willisborough my thirde gaberdyn furred w'th blak and my gaberdyn of light colour unlyned
Item I geve to the wife of Robert Philip of the parishe of Saint Mildreds in Canterbury tenne shillings my secunde Coverlet of
Tappestrye worke and a apire of good shets above all suche money as she owith me upon pledges as my boke of detts will shewe
Item I Bequeth to Sir William Edway Chanon at Moots Fontt vjs. viijd
Item I will that there be spent in diriges and masses and geven to poure people and other charitable works upon the day of my burying xl s
Item at my monethes day xl s And at my yeres mynde other xl s
The Residue of all my goodes above all my detts and bequests all paid except Tenne poundes whiche is to be receyved of Mr. Thomas Hardds as after followeth I do geve to John Jenkyns, merchaunt Taillour of London, to Thomas Astyn of Sellyng next Boughton under the Blen [Boughton under Blean] and to Henry Scott of Halden and to Jamys Peers servant in Saint Austyns whiche said foure men I do make and ordeyn to be myn executours of this my p'nt testament and last will
And my lord prior of Christ Church in Canterbury to be their overseer
Item I do geve to every of them for their labour vj s viij d So that the same Executours and Overseer shall trewly fulfill this my last will
And also to se that all my moveable goodes above my detts and bequests all paid that they shalbe vertuously spent in works of mercy
and deades of charitie sp as they upon their conscience shall thinke moost best for the helthe of my soule and all christien soules as
they will answere before almighty god
Item I geve to Henry Clerk of Byddenden sumtyme my servant iij s iiijd and a silver spone
Item I do geve to Nicholas the sonne of John Fishe grocer in Canterbury an angell noble of golde.
Also I will that all such money as shall be received of Maister Thomas Hardds gentelman for the annuyte sold to him
owt of 31 acres of land within the parishe of Hards [Hardres] whiche that I lately solde to him and before that I
bought it of Thomas Woode of the parishe of Eleham, cowper I will that all the same money according to our
coven'nts and dayes made betwene us be paid to Thomas Astyn beforesaid or to other of my said executors
And then he or they to ley it upon landes and men infeoffed in the same So as the yerely profits of the same landes may be had
to the use and fynding of an honest brethered prest to singe in the church of Halden as hereafter apperith underwritten of
other landes in this last will with myn owne writing the day and yere abovesaid
Item I will that myn Executours shalhave twenty marks of my money over and above that which maister Thomas Hardds owith me And then they to bestowe all that hoole money upon landes and to infeoffe men in the same soo as the yerely profits therof may be receyved to the use and fynding of the said brethered preest as it foloweth hereafter underwritten in my testament
Item I do geve my best Coverlet unto Katheryn wife of Symond Taillour of Byddenden and doughter of Thomas Foster of Cranebroke
This is the last will of me John Baker made the last day of Marche Anno dm a Thousand fyve hundreth and thirty First
I will that Maister Christofer Hales, John Lucas and John Lucas the yonger, Henry Scott, John Jenkyns
merchaunt Taillour of London, Thomas Baker of Halden and William Baker his sonne with all other
my feofees as in my dede of Feoffament their names will appere more playnly of all my lands and tenements Rents and .... that I nowe
have in Halden and any other to myn use within the Countie of Kent Canterbury and Sussex that all they shall suffre that the
yerely profits of my said landes and ten'ts rents and other may be receyved by the Church Wardens of the p'ishe of Halden or by their
assignes and they to se yt paid towards the fynding of an honest bretherede priest of Jesus there in the said parishe
And then the same prest to helpe to singe and say mattyns masse and evynsonge with other divine service within the same
churche at all tymes and seasons moost convenient And also that the same priest shall ever twyse a yere or more synge a solemp dirige
and masse of Requiem within the said Churche for the soules of my Father William Baker, Johane his wife for my soule and all
my brethern and susters soules with all other christen soules.
Also I will that when soever and as ofte as it shall please god that my beforsaid Feoffees as my dede of Feoffament sheweth their names more playnly shall dye to the nombre of foure thre two or oon Then I will that they or any of them so lyving shall chose xij xvj or moo of the most honest yonge men within the same parishe by reasonable councell of Maister parson then being and before other of the principall men of substance of that parishe forthe with thadvice of my lord Abbott of Saint Augustynes at that tyme being and to infeoff them in the forsaid landes and tenements with all the appurtenances aforsaid so as the yerely profits may ever be receyved to the use as is above written
Also I will that whensoever and as ofte as it shall please god that the forsaid xii xvj or moo men so infeoffed or any other that ever shall succede theym in the said tenement landes and other to be so enfoeoffed shall fortune to dye to the nombre as is abovesaid then so ofte and as many tymes that maister parson for that tyme then being or his deputie with reasonable councell of foure men principall of subsctance of the same parishe forthe with thadvice of my lord Abbott of Saint Augustyns shall ever chose in as many moo honest yonge men of the same parishe so that the said tenement landes and other may ever stand in the handes of honest men to the trewe and failthfull performance of this my p'nt testament and laste will
Provided always that if the most honest men within the parishe of Halden will not to provide and orther? themselves among all the hoole parishe of their devocion to make the same brethered prest an honest competent lyving forthe with the helpe of all suche yerely profites as yerely come of my the said landes rents and other as is above scheised? and graunted by this my p'nt testament and laste will so as the same brethered prest may daily dwell and contynue within the said parishe Then I will that all suche men as nowe be infeoffed in all my landes and tenements rents and other before scheised that they and all other that shall succede them as my feoffes shall stande seased to the use and p'formance of this my last will in all my landes and tenements rents and other with all appurtenances to th'use of Thomas Foster of Cranebroke and Elizabeth his wife and to the heires of their two bodies lawfully begotten forever
And then the said Thomas Foster and Elizabeth his wife and all other of their two bodies that shall fortune to enhered them and take profits of my forsaid tenement and landes rents and other that they then and every of them shalbe bounde forto doo an yerely obite forever w'in the Church of Halden as in diriges masses and other charitable werks to the value of xxvj s viij d yerely forevermore for my soule father and mother and for all xp'en souls.
Also as towching my house and landes in the parishe of Burwasshe in Sussex bought of Sir Martyn Robert parson of
Halden I will that the yerely profites may be receyved by Henry Scott and other his cooperteners accordinge to our
coven'nts made by indenture to be paid in the churche of Halden upon the awter of Saint Anne seven shillings by to be paid at two
terms in the yere by even porcions at Th'annunciacon of our Lady iij s and at the feast of Saint Mighell iij s vj d whiche said
money I will that it be dispoased in charitable werks during the tyme of our indentures within the parishe of Halden
First at every fest of Easter to be geven to fyve of the moost pourest persones dwelling within the same parish to every of them
iiij d And the rest to be doon in diriges masses and other charitable werks within the same parishe
And after that the yeres to past of our coven'nts then I doo geve the same house and gardyn in Burwasshe aforsaid to my cosyn
Thomas Baker to his heires and assignes forever
Also I will not in noo wise that the p'son of Halden that nowe is or any other that shall succede him nor noon other prest
being as Curat under him or him that shalbe in tyme comyng that he nor noon of them shall not in noowise have use nor occupie
the Rome of the forsaid brethered prest but that an other honest prest suche as can be found conveniently by vj or vij of the most
honest men of substance within the same parishe shall chose and admytte then that preest so chosen shall use and occupie the Rome as
it is abovesaid
And if they will not soo do Then I will that all my Feoffes nowe beyng and all other that shall succede after them shall stande enfeoffed
to the use of the forsaid Thomas Foster and Elizabeth his wife and to the next heires of them twayne forevermore keping an yerely obite
of xxvj s viij d by yere as it is above written
And for the lack of heires of the said Thomas and Elizabeth I will all my landes tenements rents and other before named shall clerely
remayne to the Church of Christ in Canterbury forever
Also I will that Maister Christofer Hales the King�s attourney that nowe is John Lucas, Thomas Scott of Hawkeherst and Thomas Austyn of Sellyng within named forth with my Lorde Priour of Christ Churche in Canterbury That these parsones and suche Councell as they shall advise upon their conscience as they can thinke it most necessarye for the helthe of my soule and accordinge to the effecte and strengthe of the lawe I will they shalhave the chief nomination in executing of the same.
Witnesse myn owne hande and writing The day and yere abovesaid Per me Johem Baker manu propria.
Proved 12 June 1543 by John Jenkyns and Thomas Austen.
Transcribed by Shelagh Mason and Maureen Rawson 2019. All rights waived for personal use � BUT please quote source and reference.
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