Item I give unto Alice my wife my howse now going in mu place and three ewe sheepe which sheepe to be shifted out unto her by my overseers under named
Item I give to William Cooke my sonne my other three sheepe wch three sheepe shalbe delivered to the said William my sonne wthin foure yeares after my decease by the said Alice my Wife and in the mean time the said Alice to take the benefits of the said three sheepe
Item I give to tenn poore people of the said parish of Snt Peters six shillings to b distributed at
the discretion of my executors under named
Item I will to Robert Garrett, my godsonne, four shillings
Item I give to my goddaughter Agnes Maynard four shillings
Item I Bequeath to Thomas Child my godsonne, sonne of Alexander Childe of the said parishe of Snt Peters, fower shillings
Item I will and bequeath unto Alice Norwood my kineswoman nine shillings and foure pence to be paid wthin three yeares after my decease that is to saie every yeare three shillings Now if it shall happen that if the said Alice Norwood decease before that three yeares shalbe expired then I will yt Mildred Norwood her sister shall have the remaynder of the said none shillings foure pence to be paid unto the said Mildred as above said
Item I bequeath to my sister Agnes Noble two bushells of wheat and two bushells of malte
Item my will is that the long table in the hall the fourme and and long settle thereunto, the great brasse pott being aboute three gallons with the querne, now all remayning in the said house, shall for ever continue to such as shalbe owners of the said house their heires and successors for ever
The residue of all and Singular my goods and chatles before not bequeathed my debts payd my bodie honestly buried and this my testament in all things truly performed I give and bequeath to Alice my wife and William Cooke my naturall sonne indifferently to be devided betwene the said Alice and William by my Overseers under named, at the end of foure yeares next after my decease as abovesaid
And in the mean time the said Alice my wife to have and use all and Singular the same, she useinge it honestlie and in good sorte, Provided alwaies that if it shall please God that the said Alice my wife be minded and purposed to marry wthin the said terme of foure yeares, Then my will is, that before such matrimony [is] solmenized, all my said moveable goods so to be parted betwene the said Alice and William in the end of the said foure yeares shalbe then parted and devided before such marriage betwene the said Alice and William indifferenty by my oversers under named Any thinge before to the contrary not withstanding
which said Alice my wife and John Thacher my brother in Lawe I make and ordaine my executors of this my testament and last Will
and the said Alexander Childe and Henry Clayton of the said parish Overseers of the same
And in consideracon of their paynes therein to be taken I give to every of the said John Thecher Alexander Childe and
Henrie Clayton five shillings over and above the costs and chardges herein to be taken by the said Alice and John
These being witnesses Alexander Childe Henry Clayton Richard Culmer
This is the last will of me the said Robert Cooke made the daie and yeare above said of and upon the disposition of all my Lands and tenements situate lieing and being in the parish of Snt Peters in the Isle of Thanet abovesaid
First I will that Alice my wife shall have all the messuage or Tenement wth thapurtenancs [with the appurtenances] situate & being at Upton in the said parish of Snt Peters together wth all the Lands belonginge to the same, To have & hold to the said Alice and her assignes for and durign the terme of fowre yeares next after my decease (The same Alice keeping the said tenement wth all the edifices thereunto belonginge sufficiently repaired during the said four yeares, And doing nether stripps nor wast in fellinge toppinge or shredding any of the weed frights? or hedge about the said tenement wthout the consent of the said overseers
And so that the said Alice do lay and bestowe in good sorte uppon the land abovesaid all such dought and siladge, and shall rise and come by foddering of cattle or otherwise about the said Tenement in every yeare of the said four yeares, which legacie of fower yeares so granted as above said to the said Alice, of and in the messuage and lands as abovesaid, is bequeathed to the said Alice in consideration and satisfaction of all such right as the said Alice hath in respect of her dowrie ought to have of and in the said messuage or Tenement and Lands after the said fowre yeares be expired
And after the said four yeares be expired I will and bequeath all and singular my said messuage or tenement and lands wth all and singular their appurtenances shall wholly remaine and come to my said sonne William Cooke, To have and to hold to the said William his heires and assignes for ever
And if it fortune the said William my sonne to die without heires of his bodie lawfullie begotten, then my will is that all the said messuage or tenement and landes before bequeathed to my said sonne William shall wholie remaine and come to the said Tomas Childe my godsonne sonne of Alexander Childe of Snt Peters abovesaid, To have and to hold to the same Thomas Childe his heires and assignes to the use of the same Thomas and his heires and assignes for ever
Provided alwaies that if it shall please God to call the said William Cooke my sonne out of this transitorie life before the said four yeares be expired, then my will is, that the said Alice my wife shall have all and singular my Tenement an Landes above bequeathed to he and her assigns duringe her naturall life, she the said Alice making nether strip nor wast as beforesaid And after the decease of the said Alice to remayne to the said Thomas Childe in forme abovesaid
In Witness whereof I the said Robert Cooke to this my present will and Testament my marke
have sett in the presence of the said Alexander Childe Henrie Clayton Richard Culmer
The marke of the said Robert Cooke
Probatum fuit: 19th October [1591].
Notes:
Robert Cooke was buried at St. Peter�s on 18th June 1591.
Wife Alice Cooke is buried there on 13th February 1594.
Son William Cooke married 19th Jan 1597 to Johan Russell at St. Peter�s in Thanet. His
christening has not been found. Their children (early children missing?), were all christened
(C) at St. Peter�s in Thanet:
24 May 1607 William (Bu.: 28 Apr 1608); 14 May 1609 Margaret; 3 May 1612 William;
7 Dec 1614 Sara (Bu.: 9 Feb 1615); 10 May 1618 Johan.
Margaret Cooke may have married Steven Coffham 30 Nov 1635 at St. Peter�s.
William Cooke married Rackett Doncaster (1) 25 Nov 1640 at St. Peter�s.
Transcribed by Shelagh Mason 2nd April 2019. All rights waived for personal use � BUT please quote source and reference.
Return to Kent GenealogyWill of Robert Cooke