Justice Will 1557

Will of Stephen Justice

of Folkestone, Kent


Source: Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury, Canterbury Cathedral Archives PRC 17/32/143
Submitted by Eve Cant
Missing words (best guesstimate) are in ( ). In dei noie Amen [In the name of God Amen] I Stephen Justyce th'elder of Folkeston the xxiiij [24] daye of December 1556 being of hole mynde and p[er]fecte memorye make ordayne and constytute thys my testamente contaynynge my Laste wyll in man[ne]r and forme folowinge
Fyrste I bequeythe my soule to allmghtye God my savior and my bodye to be buryed in the churche yarde of Folkestone aforesayed

I geve for my tythes and offeryngs forgotten a xijd [12d]
Item I geve my bote called The Lyttle John th'one half to my wyffe and th'other halfe to my sonne Stephen Justyce
Item I geve to the sayed Stephen halfe of the bote called The Peter th[a]t ys betwene John Stayne and me
Item I geve my parte that ys the halfe of the bote called the xix [19] nobles one quarter to my wyfe and th'other p[ar]te to Henry my sonne

Item I geve ij partes of three of the cocke [cockboat = tender] called the prymros [Primrose] the one parte to my wyfe th'other to Wyllyam my sonne
Item I geve my wyfe iiijor payre of flewes [flues are a type of nett] and iiijor fayer of shottnetts and thay to goe in the Lyttle John for one hole yere and after to
I Wyll the reste of my netts to be equally devyded betwene my sayed thre sonnes Stephen Henrye and Wyllyam

Item I wyll to Henrye and Wyllyam my sonnes eche of them a sprott [sprat?] nette and my wyfe a sprott nett and Christian a sprott nett or the value thereof in money and one halfe sprott nett to Stephen
Item I wyll my vernes [Seines? – a type of net] wythe the Ropes thereto belongynge equally to be occupyed for my wyfe, Stephen, Henrye and Wyllyam
I bequeth my three kyen [cows] to my wyef

Item I wyll my ix shepe to be solde immedyatly after my decease by myne Executors and the money thereof comynge to paye my detts
Item I geve the croppe of my Land to my wyfe, and yf my wyfe happen to dye then I wyll the croppe to them that shall happen to kepe my two youngeste chyldren

Item I wyll to be gyven to the poor att my buryall iijs iiijd [3s 4d] and at my monnthes mynde vjs viijd [6s 8d] by myne executors
I geve to my daughter Agnes one payer of shetes
Item I geve to my wyfe ij sylver spones, and to Stephen, Wyllyam and Henry eche of them and to my daughter(s) Agnes, Elizabeth and Kateryne eche of them one
Item I wyll to Agnes two platters and to have xxvjs viijd [26s 8d] to be payed by myne executors att the daye of her maryage

The Resydewe of my goods not bequtythed I geve to my wyfe,
And I ordayne and make Jone my wyfe and Stephen my sonne myne executors of thys my Laste wyll

Thys ys the Laste Wyll of me the sayed Stephen Justyce made the daye and yere above wrytten as To[u]chynge to the dysposytyon [disposition] of all my howses and Lands wythin Folkestone or ells where in the Countye of Kente

Fyrste I wyll that my wyfe shalhave my pryncypall messuage wherein I nowe dwell for one hole yere next after my decease, and then and after yt I geve the same wythe thapprttnncs [the appurtenances] to Stephen my sonne to hym hys heyers and assynges in fee symple for ev[e]r,
the sayed Stephen payinge hys Syster Agnes fower pounds of Lawfull money of England wtin [within] iiijor [4] yeres after my decease

Item I geve my saveryne garden that I bought to my sayed sonne Stephen his heyers and assygnes for evr
I geve my howse att townesend to my sonne Wyllyam in fee symple
Item I geve my howse that Manyford dewellythe in to Henry my sonne in fee symple

I geve my howse that I bought of John Spain to my wyfe durynge her Lyfe and after to Elizabethe and Kateryne my Daughters when thay shall come to Lawfull age and theone to be thothers heyer
And yf they dye wythowte yssue of there bodye Lawfully begotten, to be and remayne to my Daughter Agnes in fee symple

Item I geve halfe my Lodge to my wyfe durynge her Lyfe and after to Stephen in fee symple
and thother Lyttle Lodge to Henry and Wyllyam in fee symple

Wytnesses: John Lamberde; Thomas Baker and others

Probatum fuit: 7th April 1557

Transcribed by Mrs. Shelagh Mason 29th Nov 2022


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Will of Stephen Justice
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