Will of John Slodden

of Dover, Kent

First I appoint that so much of the Last Will and Testament of my late Uncle William Richards as remains unexecuted shall be punctually performed and fullfilled in all things and that all and every the Legacies and Annuities thereby given out of any Lands and Tenements shall be accordingly paid and that the said Lands and Tenements shall be chargeable therewith according to the Will of my said Uncle

Item I give and devise to my loving Mother Mrs. Mary Slodden one Annuity or yearly Rent charge of fifteen pounds of lawfull money of Great Britaine to be Issuing and payable to her and her her assignes during her naturall life out of my Mannors of Ke[a]rsney Court and all the Messuages, Lands and Tenements thereunto belonging by equall quarterly payments upon the four comon quarter Days in the year, free of all Taxes and Charges, the first payment thereof to be being on the second quarter day after my decease
with power of distress on the said premisses or any part thereof at all times in case of non payment of the said Rent charge or any part thereof and such distress and distresses to carry away and detaine untill the said Rent charge and all arrearages thereof together with all charges and expences in and about such distress shall be fully satisfied and paid
And further I give to my said Mother twenty pounds Sterling

Item I give to my Cozen Mr. William Devinck; Mr. Robert Wickenden; my Cozen Mr. Benjamin Devinck and their heires during the life of my Sister Alfra the wife of William Rouse, one Annuity or yearly Rent charge of twenty five pounds of lawfull money of Great Britaine to be issueing out of my said Mannor of Kersney Court and all the lands and appurtenances thereunto belonging payable to them or their heires during the said Terme by equall quarterly payments free and clear of all Taxes, charges and reprizes whatsoever, upon the four comon quarter days in the year, the first payment to be made upon the Second quarter day after my decease

Upon this Trust and Confidence that the said William Devinck, Robert Wickenden, Benjamin Devinck and their heires shall and may receive all and every Sume and Sums of Money that shall become due for or upon account of the said Annuity or yearly Rent charge and pay over the same and every part thereof (deducting their Just Expences) in that behalf to my Sister Alfra without the intermedling of her husband and not liable to any Debts or charges contracted or created by him and any receipt or acquittance under her hand to be a Sufficient discharge to any person paying the same notwithstanding her Coverture

And in default of payment of the said Rent charge of twenty five pounds or any part thereof to the said William Devinck, Robert Wickenden, Benjamin Devinck and their heires during the said terme I give to the said William Devinck, Robert Wickenden, Benjamin Devinck and their heires full power at all times to enter and distraine upon the said Mannor and premisses or any part thereof and such distress and distresses to carry away and detaine untill the same Rent charge and all arrearages thereof and all charges and expences in and about recovering the same shall be fully satisfied and paid

And I do give to my Sister Alfra Twenty pounds Sterling to buy Mourning for herself and Family
And further I give to my said Sister Alfra during her life all that my Messuage with the appurtenances Scituate in the Markett place in Dover wherein she now lives, she keeping the same in good repair
Item I give to each of my Sister Alfra's five eldest Children now liveing the Sum of One hundred and fifty pounds Sterling
and to each of her younger Children now liveing the Sume of One hundred Seventy and five pounds of like money paiable to every of them respectively at their Severall ages of twenty One years

And I do hereby charge my Messuages and lands with the appurtenances of Dillingore in the parish of Alkham and my Farm of Dudmanscomb scituate in the parish of Buckland next Dover with all the lands therewith letten and enjoyed with the payment of the said Legacies
And in default of payment of the said Legacies or any of them at such time or times on which the Same shall respectively become due and payable my Will is that all and every such Child or Children to whome such Legacy or Legacyes so unpaid shall be due and their Executors and Administrators shall have full power respectively to enter into and upon the said lands and premisses or any part thereof with the appurten[an]ces and the same to have and enjoy and receive the Rents and profitts thereof to their own use untill they and every of them shall be thereby fully paid and satisfied such egacy and legacies with lawfull Interest from the time the same became due and all Costs and Expences in and about the recovering thereof

Item I do further give to the Children of my said Sister Alfra or to such of them as shall be living at the time of my decease equally to be divided all such money as shall be then due to me from their Father William Rouse by virtue of any Bond or Bonds made by him to me before the makeing of this my Will

Item I give and devise to my Aunt Jone widow of Benjamin Fox, Mariner, deceased one Annuity or Yearly Rent charge of Five Pounds Sterling during her Life to be paid her by equall quarterly payments upon the four comon quarter daies in the year the first payment to be made on the Second quarter day after my decease to be issueing and payable out of my said Messuage farm and lands called Dudmanscomb with full power of Distress for the same at any time in case of non payment thereof

Item I give to my Cousin William Slodden of Newington next Hyth(e) in Kent and to his heires two peeces of arable land lying near a place called North Elham in the parish of Elham now or late in the Occupacon of Thomas Fagg or his assignes
he the said William Slodden paying therefore to my Executrix within one year after my decease the sume of one hundred pounds Sterling and in default of such payment then I Will and devise the said two peices of land to my Executrix and her heirs for ever

Item I do give to the Child or Children of my Cozen Thomas Slodden deceased Brother of the said William Slodden the Sume of Forty pounds Sterling to be paid to them or laid out for their use and benefitt equally or in any other proportion at the discretion of my Executrix with the advice of their Uncle my said Cosen William Slodden

Item I do give to my Cousin Alfra the Wife of Mr. Mathew Kennet and to my Brother in law the said William Rouse and to Edward and Mary two Children of my said Aunt Fox, five pounds Sterling a peice
Item I will and bequeath to William, John, Susan (now Wife of Lyccott Gill) and Elizabeth, four Children of John Richards my late half Uncle deceased five and twenty pounds Sterling a peece
Item I give to John, Jane and Katharine three Children of my late Aunt Alice Bridger and to Thomas Allen (husband to the said Jane) twenty five pounds Sterling apeece
which Sums by me given to the said four Children of the said John Richards and to the said three Children of my said Aunt Bridger and to the said Thomas Allen I Will shall be paid within one year after my decease

And I do hereby charge my Messuage Farm and lands at Bladbean in the parish of Elham in the County of Kent for the payment of them with full power of distress for the same or any part thereof in case of non payment my Minde and Will is that in case any person or persons to whome I have given or do give any Legacies by this my Will shall be indebted to me at my decease for moneys lent or on any other account then my [executrix] shall and may deduct and retaine to her own use so much of the legacy so given to such person or persons as shall amount to the value of such debt or debts so due from such person or persons or any part thereof and such deduction shall be deemed good payment of such debt or debts or so much thereof as the same shall amount unto Except such bond or bonds as are herein before specifically bequeathed

Item give to Alice Birch now liveing with my brother the Sume of Forty pounds Sterling to be paid at her Age of twenty five years
Item I give to Hester the Wife of Edward Vince? five pounds
and to my Freind Sir John Harding of London ten pounds Sterling

Item I give to my said Cousins Mr. William and Mr. Benjamin Devinck and to my Freind Mr. Robert Wickenden each a Ring of a Guinea value and do intreat them to be Overseers of this my Will and to be aiding and assisting to my Executrix in the due Execution and performance thereof
Item I give to my Freinds Mr. Philip Yorke and Philip Yorke Junr. Esqrs. each a Ring of a Guinea Value

Item I do give and devise to my loveing Sister Mary Slodden and to her heires for ever all my Mannors, messuages, Lands, Tenements, Leases, Chattells, Real Goods, Moneys?, Moveables and Estate whatsoever Subject and liable to the payment of all my Debts and the Severall charges and Annuities in manner aforesaid according to this my Will and the said Will of my late Uncle the said Mr. William Richards

And I do make my said loveing Sister Mary Slodden full and sole Executrix of this my last Will and Testament and I do hereby revoke and make void all former Wills by me made

In Witness whereof I have to this my last Will and Testament contained in two sheets of paper set my hand and seal to the first of them and to this second my hand and seal Dated the fourteenth Day of June in the year of our Lord One Thousand Seaven hundred and Twenty 1720
John Slodden

Signed sealed published and declared by the said Testator as his last Will and Testament before us who at his request have subscribed our Names as Witnesses hereunto in his presence
Henry Matson; Ja: Lambe; Rob. Brunker

Probatum fuit: 18th February 1721/2

Notes:
John Sladden was baptised 18 Apr 1669, s. of John and Mary, at St. Mary the Virgin, Dover.
Father John Slodden married by Licence: Slodden, John, of St. Mary in Dover, Bachelor, Draper, 24, whose mother Aphra Slodden of Elham, widow of William Slodden of the same parish, Yeoman, consents and Mary Richardes of the Precincets of the Lord Archbishop's Palace, Canterbury, Maiden, 19, d. of William Richardes, same parish, Gentleman, who also consents. At St. Alphage, Canterbury on 14 Jul 1666.

Transcribed by Mrs. Shelagh A. Mason, 23rd May 2023

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