Will of Stephen Cook

of Smarden, Kent

IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN the 3rd day of the month of December in the year of the Lord 1479.
I Stephen Cook of Smerden being in possession of a sound mind and healthy memory make my testament in this manner.
In the first instance I bequeath my soul to God Almighty the Blessed Virgin Mary and all his Saints and my body to be interred in the cemetery of the church of Saint Michael the Archangel at Smerden.

Item I bequeath to the high altar there 4d.
Item I bequeath to the light of the Blessed Mary there 4d.
Item I bequeath to the light of Thomas Wohope there 4d.
Item I bequeath to the light of Saint John there 4d.
Item to the Blessed Mary there called Loggaris.

Item I bequeath (sic) Item I bequeath for 1 loth stone * placed between the messuage of me Stephen and the messuage of Thomas Omynden.
For the amending of the bridge called a churchbrege 20d.
Item I bequeath to each of my godchildren 4d.

The true residue of all my goods not previously bequeathed above my debts and legacies I give and bequeath to Simon Cook and Thomas Cook my brothers and the aforesaid Simon and Thomas I make ordain and constitute my executors John Holstrete overseer
Item I bequeath to the aforesaid John Holstrete for his labour 3s. 4d.

THIS is the declaration and ordinance of my last will of me Stephen Cook of the parish of Smerden made there the 3rd day of the month of December in the 19th year of the reign of king Edward IV after the conquest of England to Stephen Norton Thomas Pell John Hunt senior and Richard Hunt of the same [parish] of Smerden my feoffees in one piece of land containing by estimation two acres of land lying in Smerden aforesaid upon the den of Haytherst and John Box of Bobbing my feoffee in all other lands and tenements with their appurtenances lying and being in the said parish of Smerden and the den aforesaid for me the a forenamed Stephen enfeoffed and seized

In the first instance I wish that the aforesaid John Box deliver or caused to be delivered all the aforesaid lands and tenements with their appurtenances to the aforesaid Stephen Norton Thomas Pelle John Hunt and Richard Hunt at once after my death to have the same to their heirs and assigns for ever to fulfil and accomplish this will by me personally declared, that is to say,

I wish that my said feoffees permit Thomesina my mother if she lives to hold and occupy and receive the profit of all the lands and tenements aforesaid with their appurtenances until my sons shall come to the age of 16 years to protect and nourish my said sons And as they come to the said age I wish that each of them receive the profits of the said lands and tenements of his part until they come to the age of 20 years and as each of them come to the said age of 20 years to have the delivery of his part in fee simple as shown in the form following, that is to say,

I appoint William my son to have one messuage garden and croft of land containing by estimation three acres of land to him William his heirs and assigns for ever

Item I appoint to Thomas my son one piece of land called Omyndenysfeld containing by estimation 7 acres of land to have to the same Thomas his heirs and assigns for ever

And I wish that each of my said sons to be the heir to the other in the premises if he dies before the said age without heirs of their bodies lawfully procreated And if both my sons die before the said age without heirs of their bodies lawfully procreated then I wish that all the aforesaid lands and tenements be delivered to my right heirs for ever With the proviso that if any of my said sons does not want to receive his part as is by my request then I wish it kept and received by my aforesaid feoffees to keep and receive the profits of the part themselves so refused until a descendant receive the intended

Proviso also that if the aforesaid Thomesina my mother dies before my aforesaid sons reach the age of 16 years then I wish that my executors receive the profits of the lands and tenements aforesaid to the age of my sons as is before written

Item I wish that all that land which lately was Richard Cook�s my brother to be divided by John ?Heylyfe Thomas Pell and John Hunt senior into two parts of which one part for my heirs and the other part for the heirs of John Cook and that if my heirs wished to abide by the share then I wish that the same feoffees receive the profits of the lands as long as rendered for that share they wish to keep Given as above

PROBATE was granted with the codicil 7th February the year aforesaid, administration committed to the executors etc.

Notes:
It transpires Thomas Wohope had a cult following at Smarden. Smarden had the Light of Sir (also called Saint) Thomas Wohope, Whoope, or Woghope, who it seems was a former rector of the parish, for John Saunder of Smarden in 1510 gave 4d. to " The Light of Sir Thomas Wohope, sometime parson of the same Church."

A Dom. Thomas Woghope was Treasurer of Canterbury when on 22 May 1332 he was commissioned with others, by Abp. Simon Mepham, to examine candidates for Ordination, in" Christ Church Register L," fol. 20, per Rev. T. S. Frampton, F.S.A.

This Thomas Woghope was probably the founder of the Light (perhaps in honour of St. Thomas of Canterbury), which was, however, known by his name, in the same way that the Hospital of St. Thomas of Canterbury in Sandwich was spoken of as the Hospital of St. Thomas Ellis, who was the founder.

Loggaris - Testamenta Cantiana p. 311 has Luggaris.

* There is an actual standing stone in Scotland called the Loth stone. The context suggests that it is to be a boundary stone. The Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources (1997) p. 1646 has a cross reference for loth- to lott-. Under Lotta amongst the meanings is �a portion with reference to section of fence, dyke or similar to be built or maintained�.

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