Will of William Houson

of Bapchild, Kent

I make Institute and Appoint my Good Friends James Harris of Rodmersham in the County of Kent Wheelwright John Hinde of Milton next Sittingborne in the said County Gentleman and William Colley of Milton aforesaid Miller Executors of this my last Will and Testament

Whereas my Niece Elizabeth the Wife of John Johnson of Downe Court in the Parish of Doddington in the said County of Kent Yeoman was very troublesome to me on the Death of my late Brother Thomas Houson deceased and behaved very Ill towards me I therefore Give unto her the Sum of Twenty Shillings only to be Paid unto her by my said Executors at any time after my Decease whenever she shall Civilly demand the same

I Give and Devise All and every my Messuages Lands Tenements and Hereditaments Parts Shares and Purparts of Messuages Lands Tenements and Hereditaments situate lying and being in the several Parishes of Whitchling, Doddington, Newnham, Eastling and Sittingborne in the said County of Kent or elsewhere within the Kingdom of Great Britain unto the Two Sons of my late Nephew Thomas Houson Seers deceased namely Thomas Houson Seers and John Seers their Heirs and Assigns for ever equally to be divided between them share and share alike as Tenants in Common and not as Joint Tenants
But in case it shall happen that either of them the said Thomas Houson Seers (the son) and John Seers shall dye in my Life time without leaving any Issue of his Body lawfully begotten then I Give and Devise All my said Messuages Lands Tenements and Hereditaments Parts Shares and Purparts of Messuages Lands Tenements and Hereditaments unto the Survivor of them the said Thomas Houson Seers (the Son) and John Seers and the Heirs and Assigns of such Survivor for ever

I Give and Bequeath unto Susannah Turner of Bapchild in the said County of Kent Widow and unto the said James Harris, John Hinde and William Colley my said Executors the Sum of Sixty Pounds each of lawful Money of Great Britain

I Give and Bequeath unto my late Workmen William Evernden and John Hayward the sum of Thirty Pounds each of like lawful Money of Great Britain
I Give and Bequeath unto my late Workman Thomas Jones the Sum of Forty Pounds of like lawful Money of Great Britain but if he shall dye in my Life time then I Give the same unto his Mother
I Give and Bequeath unto my late Servants George Mitchel and James Jarret the Sum of Twenty Pounds each of like lawful Money of Great Britain

I Give unto my Kinsman William Masters of Harbledowne in the said County of Kent Husbandman the Sum of Sixty Pounds of like lawful Money of Great Britain
I Give and Bequeath unto Elizabeth Seers the Widow of my late Nephew Thomas Houson Seers deceased the Sum of Two Hundred Pounds of like lawful Money of Great Britain
I Give and Bequeath unto my Nieces Martha Seers Margaret Seers and Elizabeth Seers the Sum of One Hundred Pounds each of like lawful Money of Great Britain
And I will and direct that the several Legacies by me hereinbefore given and bequeathed shall be Paid within Six Months next after my Decease.

I Give and Bequeath the Sum of Two Hundred Pounds of good and lawful Money of Great Britain to be invested by my Executors hereinbefore named in Real or Parliamentary Securitys at their Discretion and the Interest thereof for ever to be disposed of to Put to School a competent number of Poor Children of the Parishes of Tonge, Murston and Bapchild in the County of Kent to be Instructed in reading and writing of the English Language at the discretion of the Minsters and Churchwardens of those Parishes for the time being but the Poor Children of the Parish of Tonge always to have the Preferance And I will and Direct that the Ministers and Churchwardens of the said Parishes of Tonge, Murston and Bapchild for the time being shall meet together yearly for ever on the Feast Day of Saint Thomas the Apostle at some convenient Place to be by them Appointed for that Purpose in Order to Put to School such Children as they shall think proper with the Interest of the said Sum of Two Hundred Pounds. And I will and Direct that the Sum of Twenty Shillings out of the Interest of the said Sum of Two Hundred Pounds shall yearly and every year for ever be Paid to and divided amongst such of the Ministers and Churchwardens of the said Parishes of Tonge, Murston and Bapchild as shall yearly Attend at such Meeting and I hereby Give and Bequeath the same to them accordingly

And all the Rest Residue and Remainder of my Goods Chattles Rights Credits ready Money Securities for Money Personal Estate and Effects whatsoever from and after Payment of all my just Debts Funeral Expences the several Legacies by me hereinbefore given and bequeathed and other incident charges and Expences I Give and Bequeath in manner and form following (that is to say)

I Give and Bequeath One Fourth Part thereof unto the said Thomas Houson Seers and John Seers Sons of my said Nephew Thomas Houson Seers deceased equally to be divided between them share and share alike
But if it shall happen that either of them shall dye in my Life time Then I Give and Bequeath the same unto the Survivor of them

I Give and Bequeath One other Fourth Part thereof unto my Nephew Richard Seers
I Give and Bequeath One other Fourth Part thereof unto my Nephew John Seers
And I Give and Bequeath the remaining Fourth Part thereof unto the Two Children of my late Niece Mary Seers deceased by her Husband John Harris namely Charlotte Harris and John Harris equally to be divided between them share and share alike
But if it shall happen that either of them shall dye in my Life time then I Give and Bequeath the same unto the Survivor of them

And I hereby Direct that my said Executors shall have the Care and Management of the Parts and Shares of such of the several Persons to whom I have given and bequeathed the Residue of my Personal Estate who shall be under Age at the time of my Decease until they shall severally and respectively have Attained their several and respective Ages of Twenty One Years

I Will and Direct that my said Executors shall be allowed for the Trouble and Expences which they shall be at in the Execution of this my Will over and besides the Legacies by me hereinbefore given and bequeathed unto them
And I do hereby further Will and Direct that my said Executors or any or either of them or their or any or either of their Executors or Administrators shall not be Charged or Chargeable with or Answerable or Accountable for any Sum or Sums of Money whatever other than such Sum or Sums of Money which they or any or either of them shall respectively and actually Receive by Virtue of this my Will or with or for any Loss or Losses which shall or may happen of the Rents Issues and Profits of my said Real Estate or of my said Personal Estate and Effects or any Part thereof so that such Loss or Losses happen without their or any or either of their wilfull Default and Negligence
And also that one of them shall not be Answerable or Accountable for the other or others of them or for the Acts Deeds Receipts Neglects or Defaults of the other or others of them but each of them for himself and for his own Acts Deeds Receipts and Defaults only

And Lastly I hereby Revoke Disannul and make Void all former and other Will and Wills and other Testamentary Dispositions by me at any time heretofore made and do Declare this only to be my last Will and Testament

In Witness whereof I the said William Housson the Testator have to this my said last Will and Testament Contained in Four Sheets of Paper to the first second and third Sheets thereof Subscribed my Name and to the fourth and last Sheet thereof Sett and Affixed my Hand and Seal this Thirty First Day of December in the Twentieth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third by the Grace of God of Great Britain France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith &c. And in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy Nine.
Wm Houson

Signed, Sealed, Published and Declared by the said William Houson the Testator to be his last Will and Testament in the Presence of Us the Witnesses hereunder written who have at his Request and in his Presence and in the Presence of each other hereunto Subscribed our Names as Witnesses to the due Execution of this his said last Will and Testament
Wm: Jordan � Wm Lyng � John Hinde jun�r

April 2nd 1793 James Harris John Hinde and Wm Colley the Executors named in this Will were Sworn to the truth and faithful performance hereof and as usual before me Geo: Hearne, Surrogate

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