Will of John Cloake

of Elmsted, Kent

I give to the poore people of the p[ar]ishe of Elmsted thirteene shillings and eight pence to bee paid within one month after my decease
Item I give to Rebecca the wife of my kinsman Beniamin Cloake of Folkstone one peece of gould of xxxiijs
Item I give to Agnes the wife of Thomas Hamon, the daughter of my brother Josias Cloake one Cowe
Item I give to Katherine the sister of the wife of James Hamon one Cowe
to bee delivered to each of them within one month after my decease

Item I give unto my brother Daniel Cloke my sylver and guilt tankerd, my seale ringe and my sword and hangers
Item I give to Richard Woollett my kinsman my great brasse Cauldron
Item I doe forgive unto my kinsman Edward Cloke the sonne of my brother Thomas Cloke deceased twenty poundes that he oweth unto mee

The Residue of all my goods and Chattells whatsoever not bequeathed or given by this my prsent will (my debts, legacies and funerall Charges beinge paid and discharged) I give & bequeath unto Elianor my wife whom I doe also make and ordaine to bee the sole Executrix of this my last will and testament

And I doe intreate and appoint the wor[shipfu]ll Sir Thomas Honywood, Knight and my brother Daniell Cloke to bee ovrseers of my said will
And I doe give unto either of them for their paynes therein taken one ringe of goulde worth xxs

And as touching the disposing of all my lands and tenements,
my will and meaninge is that Ellinor my said wife shall have the use and profitts thereof unto her duringe the terme of her naturall life keepinge the houses in all necessary rep[ar]acons and doinge therein no wilfull wast
and after her decease I will and give all my said lands and tenements unto my kinsman Richard Woollett and to his heires for ever, hee payinge all other legacies heerafter in this my said will given and bequeathed and by me appointed for him to pay out of the same

First I give and hee shall pay unto my kinsman Samuel Cloake five poundes to bee paid unto him within two yeares after the decease of my said wife
Item I give and hee shall pay unto my kinsman John Rucke ten poundes to bee paid unto him within one yeare after the decease of my said wife
Item I give and hee shall pay unto my kinsman John Cloke of Burston? the sonne of my unckle ____ Cloke ten poundes to bee paid unto him within one yeare after the decease of my said wife
Item I give and hee shall pay unto my kinsman Benjamin Cloke, one other sonne of my said unckle Cloke five poundes to bee paid unto him within one yeare after the decease of my said wife
Item I further give and hee shall paye unto Thomas Shelston the sonne of Robt. Shelston my said wives brother fiftie poundes to be paid unto him within one yeare after the decease of my said wife
And lastly I give & he shall paye unto Elizabeth Court the wife of Mathew Court and daughter of George Shelston my said wives brother one hundred poundes to bee paid unto her within one yeare after the decease of my said wife

And if my said kinsman Richard Woollett shall Contrary to this my said will make default of paiment of the sevrall legacies by me formerly given and bequeathed unto Samuel Cloke, John Rucke, John Cloke, Beniamin Cloke or any of them by the space of twoe monthes after the severall times upon by this my will they are to bee paid, Then I will that it shall bee lawfull for them or so many of them as shall bee then unpaid to enter upon my lands and tenements and the profitts thereof to take and detaine untill they shall bee fully paid the said legacies to them as aforesaid formerly bequeathed

But if my said kinsman shall make default of paiment of the severall legacies formerly by mee given and bequeathed unto Thomas Shelston and Elizabeth Court or of any p[ar]t thereof by the space of one month after the times in this my prsent will appointed for the paiment thereof Then my will and meaninge is that the said Thomas or Elizabeth, their heires and assignes or wch of them shall bee unpaid shall have the peeces of landes called the Letterworths conteinginge thirtie & six acres or thereabouts to them and their heires for ever in regard and recompence of the legacies aforesaid

Provided allwaies and my intente and meaninge is that if before my death it pleaseth God to send mee any issue or if my said wife bee with Childe at the time of my death and that the said Childe doth live untill it Come to the age of xxjti [21] yeares, Then the guifts and devises concerninge my landes and tenements and the severall legacies out of them given shall be void and of none effecte
And then the same Childe shall have and enjoye all my lands and tenements Cleerly to him or to her and to his or her heires for ever
But if there shall bee no such Childe or if that Childe dye before it bee of the age of xxjti yeares, Then I doe declare and appoint this to bee my last will and testament, revokinge and ? all former wills (if any bee)

This is the last will and testament of mee the said John Cloke made and published the day and yeare within written
Jo: Cloke
Witnesses: Simon Court his mark; Richard Woollett; Tho: Shelston

Bee it known unto all men that whereas I the within named John Cloke made my last will and testament dated the sixteenth day of January within written Now forasmuch as I have Changed my minde in some things in the same will conteyned
And for all other things in the said will conteined (other than such as I shall heerby otherwise dispose of) I doe by this prsent Codicill confirme and ratifie the same will

And first whereas by my said last will I did give unto Samuel Cloke my kinsman twenty poundes my will is nowe hee shall have only five poundes thereof paid unto him as is expressed in my said will for payment of the said twenty pounde

And I give unto the foure daughters of Hamon Bett my brother in lawe twenty markes to bee equally devided betweene them to be paid unto unto them within two yeares after the decease of my wife by my kinsman Richard Woollett whome in my said will I have appointed my heire
And my will is that my said heire shall pay unto John Cloke the sonne of my Cozen Edward Cloke five poundes to bee paid unto him when hee shall attaine unto the age of one and twenty yeares

And my will is that this Codicill bee taken as p[ar]cell of my said last will And to be of force by the right of a Codicill or by any other right in the best manner that may bee

In Witnes whereof to this prsent Codicill I have subscribed my name: Jo: Cloke
Witnesses: Richard Woollett; Thomas Shelston

Probatum fuit: 2nd March 1617/18

Notes:
John Cloke, gent, was buryed the 28 day of Januarie [1617/18] at St. James the Great, Elmsted, Kent.
John Cloke married Hellen Shelstone 30 Jul 1607 at Saint Giles Cripplegate, London.
Eleanor Cloke of Kingsnorth re-married 16 Jan 1627/28 to Clement Snode of Challock, at Kingsnorth.

Transcribed by Mrs. Shelagh A. Mason, 7th May 2023

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