Will of Thomas Serles

of Wye, Kent

Item I will there to be bestowed at my said buryall to the poverty to pray for my soule and all xpien [Christian] soules forty shillings
Item I will there be bestowed yearly twenty shillings to poore people of the sayd paryshe of Wye, by the space & terme of twenty yeares after my deathe

Item I will and bequethe to Rychard Dryland my godsonne my best cuppe of sylkver & gilte withe the cover there unto belonginge
Item I bequethe to Jane Dryland at the tyme of her maryage or withe in half a yeare next after my decease to be payde twenty pounds of lawfull monny of England
Item I bequethe to Suzan Dryland to be payde at the day of her maryage or at her age of xxiiij yeares if she be not marryed before that tyme twenty pounds,
yf the said Suzan Dryland departe this present lyffe before her said maryage, or the tyme of payment above lymyted (as God forbyd), then I will the same twenty pounds to her lymyted, shall be bestowed by myne executors apon the churche of Wye, to thamendement of fowle wayes withe in the said paryshe, and to the releiff poverty there to be dystrybuted by myne executors as most charytable neede shall requyre by there dyscrecons

Item I bequethe more to the amendment of the most noysom [noisesom = annoying] wayes betwene the towne of Wy(e) & Spreke forstall, twenty shillings
Item I bequethe to the amendment of the most noysom wayes betwene the towne of Wy(e) and the Parsonage of Boughton aluphe twenty shillings
Item I will to every poore houshoulder withe in the Almesse house [almshouse] of Wye aforesaide, where as is man and wyffe xijd
and to every other parson [person] there above the age of nyne yeares vjd

Item I bequethe to Wyllyam Hatfelde my cosen the som of monny that he borowes of me
Item I bequethe to John Dryland my best salt of sylver withe the cover
Item I bequethe to Thomas Dryland my Cuppe or peace [piece] of sylver pounsed wthout cover
Item to Chrystophor Dryland eight sylver spones of the choyce of myne executors
Item I geve to Gregory Dryland one olde soverigne valued after the rate of three angell nobles
And to Alyce Dryland my mayde sarvant twenty shillings
and to every other mayde sarvant beinge sarvant withe my sonne Stransham at the day of my deathe xld

And farther if my moveable goods will not extend to the payment of my detts and legacyes above bequethed Then I will that my executors shall take & receave soe muche of the proffytts of my lands as shall pay my said detts & legacyes the next half yeare after my decease, and soe half yearly untyll my said detts Bequethes and legacyes may be fully payde & satysfyed

The resydue of all my moveable goods not bequethed (my detts & funeralls and legacyes performed) I geve to Thomas Stransham & Elizabeth his wyffe whome I ordeyne and make myne executors of this my present testament & last will

Thys ys the last wyll of me the said Thomas Serles made the day and yeare above wryten concernynge all my lands, Tenements, woods & pastures whiche I have in the county of Kent

Fyrst I will that Rychard Drylond the eldest sonne of John Drylond & Rose my late daughter shall have to hym & to his heyers for ever according to my deede to hym made, all that my messuage or Tenement called le Rege withe all the lands, medowes, pastures and Brockes [brooks] to the same appertaynynge lyenge in the paryshes of Wy & Hinxell, and my fyve acres of wood lyenge in the said paryshe of Hinxell called sole acre wood

Item I will that John Drylond the second sonne of John Drylond & Rose my said late daughter shall have & enjoy my Messuage and Lands thereunto appertayninge, lyenge in the paryshes of Lymynge and Newington next Hythe, to hym & to his heyers for ever accordyngly to my deede thereof to hym made

Item I will Thomas Drylond the thyrd sonne of the said John Drylond & Rose, my Mershe lande, lyenge in Romney Mershe in the paryshe of Eastbridge conteyninge xliiij [44] acres called gardners in the occupyenge of Thomas Beane, to hym & to his heyers for ever when he shall com to his age of xxiiij yeares

Item I wyll to Chrystophor Drylond the fourthe sonne of the said John Drylond & Rose, my messuage called Agunndes? withe all the Lands pastures and medowes thereunto belonginge, lyenge in the paryshes of Wye and Broke [Brook] nowe in thoccupyenge of George Younge, to hym and to his heyers for ever when he shall com to the age of xxiiij yeares, except one acre lyenge in Brodefelde

Item I will & geve to Gregory Drylond the fyft & yongest sonne of the said John Drylond and Rose, all my lands in Boughton Aluphe comonly called goteleyse and fyve acres of wood somtyme Buryes lyenge in hye wood & my Tenement and garden whiche Jervase Bassocke dothe occupy and twelve acres of Lande lyenge in the paryshe of Burmershe [Burmarsh] & iijti [30] acres lyenge in the said paryshe, adyoyninge to the lands of St. Johns colledge Cambridge, nowe in the occupyenge of ______ Smythe of Dowe & tenne acres mershe Lande in the paryshe of Dymchurche in the occupyenge of John Smythe of Dymchurche; and vj acres of lande in thoccupyenge of Thomas Stransham called lewty and Chiultons and ij acres of lande in Pyns called Somers To have to the said Gregory Drylond and his heyers for ever at the age of xxiiij yeares

Item I will that my cosen Wyllyam Hatfelde shall have and enjoy my Tenement and garden in Wye, nowe in the occupyenge of John Tyterden, and one acre of lande in brodfelde adyoyninge to the lande of the said Wyllyam, to hym and to his heyers accordyngly to my deede to hym thereof made

Item further I will that the said Thomas Stransham shall receave and take the proffytts of all my said lands and to see the suffycyent reparacons kept untill the said Thomas, Chrystophor and Gregory shall com to the age above by my wyll lymyted & apoynted, trustynge hym assuredly that he will to the best of his will and power see and provyde for them to be honestly & vertuously brought upp
And that if my moveable goods wyll not extend to the payment of my detts and legacyes, that then the resydue to be payde out of the proffytt of my said lands accordyngly as it is above declared in this my testament

In wytnes this to be my parfect and last will I have not only subscrybed my name withe my owne hande but have wryten my name in every shete of paper of this my testament and last will
Item I geve to Thomas Stransham and the said Elizabeth Stransham my lande at Neckowlde in thoccupyenge of John Dodd to them and to there heyers for ever
By me Thomas Serles
Wytnesses: Wyllyam Payne, Jervase Bassock and Wyllyam Prowde

Probatum fuit: 5th April 1568

Notes:
Mr. Thomas Serrells was buried 14th March 1567/68 at SS Gregory & Martin, Wye, Kent.
wife Syble was buried there 14 May 1549

Transcribed by Mrs. Shelagh A. Mason, 13th March 2023

Return to Kent Genealogy