Sutton Will 1603

Will of Robert Sutton

of Hawkinge, Kent


Source: Archdeaconry Court of Canterbury PRC/17/52/340
Submitted by Celia Cotton and Roger Sutton
In the name of God amen The twelfe day of Aprill in the yeare of our lord god according to the Computation of the Church of England one thousande sixe hundred and three and in the First yeare of the Raigne of our Soveraigne lord Kinge James Kinge of England Scotland France & Ireland defender of the faith etc
I Robert Sutton of the p[a]rishe of Hawkinge in the County of Kent yeoman being of good & p[er]fect remembrance thankes be given to god therefore doe ordaine & make this my pri[va?]te testament contayning my last will in manner & forme following Firste I Com[m]end yeald & give my soule unto the mercyes of Allmighty god by the meritts and redemption of whose onely sonne Jesus Christe I doe firmely trust to have forgivenes of my sinnes and my soule to Rest amongst the number of his elect and as for my body I will it to be buried where it shall seeme good to my executors hereunder or hereafter named.

It[e]m I give to the poore of the p[ar]ish of Hawkinge one bushell of wheate & one bushell of malte to be distributed to them w[it]hin one month after my decease
It[e]m I give to the repar[a]t[i]ons of the Church of Hawkinge tenn Shillings.

It[e]m I give and bequeath to my wife Annis her dwelling in certeine Roomes of my house where I now doe dwell inhabite namely shee to have the p[ar]lor to her owne p[ro]per use with full liberty to goe & come to the same att her pleasure w[i]th like liberty to goe returne or come to the fyer or ovens in the hall or kytchen or other necessarye places in the house att her pleasure for her life during her naturall life.

It[e]m I give unto my wife Annis tenn pounds of lawfull Englishe money by the yeare out of my house I nowe inhabite or dwell & out of all the lands thereunto belonging during her naturall life w[hi]ch tenn pounds a year shall be paid unto her quarterly & for wante of payment of the same accordingly it shalbe lawfull unto the said Annis my wife to distrain on my aforesaid landsor any p[ar]te thereof.
It[e]m I give unto my wife Annis halfe my houshold stuffe

It[e]m I bequeath more unto her two of my kine.
It[e]m I give unto Annis my wife fower loade of wood yearely for her use to be felled & taken frome my lands before named in myne owne occupation duringe her naturall life.

Concerning the disposition of my lands I give and bequeath my house wherein I now dwell with all the edifices & lands and with all the appurtenannces to the same belonging lyinge in the p[ar]ishe of Hawkinge and Alkhame to my two sonnes Roger & George and to theire heires for ever to be equallie devided betwixte them.

It[e]m I give to my sonne John my tenement and house with the appurtenannces thereunto belonging lying & being in Folkstone to remaine to him & to his heires for ever.
It[e]m I give unto my sonne John Forty pounds of good & lawfull money of England to be paid unto him within fower yeares after my decease.

It[e]m I give unto my daughter [Christ]ian Ladd five pounds of good & lawfull Englishe money to be paid her w[i]thin one yeare after my decease.
It[e]m I give to Robert Ladd my godsonne five pounds of good Englishe money to be paid him within five yeares after my decease.
It[e]m I give unto my daughter Ladds Children Nicholas Thomas and Anne twenty shillings a peece to be paid them within five yeare after my decease.

It[e]m I bequeath to my daughter Margarett twenty pounds of good & lawfull Englishe money to be paid her either att the day of her marriage or att her age of one & twenty yeares w[hi]ch shall happen to be first.
It[e]m I give my daughter Anne twenty pounds of good & lawfull englishe money to be paid her either att her day of marriage or att her age of one & twenty yeares w[hi]ch shall happen to be First.
It[e]m I give my daughter Anne one cowe & a b�dd w[hi]ch are com[m]onlye called hers allready.
It[e]m I give my daughter Margarett sixe ewes to be delivered her within one quarter of a yeare after my decease.

The Residue of all my goods Realls & parsonalls not before bequeathed my debtes & legcyes & all Charges aboute my funerall & expences aboute my Will being contented satisfyed & payd: I give & bequeath unto Roger & George my two sonnes whome I ordaine & make executors of this my last will & testament
and overseer to and for the execution of this my last will I ordaine & make my Cozen [Chris]tofer Sutton

Theis persons whose names doe followe being by me especially required to wittnes this my Will & testament that is to say Henry Amye Chris]tofer Suttons m[ar]ke

Probatum fuit hoc p[re]sens testam[entum] Rob[er]ti Sutton nup[er] de Hawkinge Arch[�] Cant[uarensis] defuncti Coram Jacobo Bissell Cl[er]ico substitut[o] etc xij die mens[i]s maii An[n]o D[omi[ni] 1603 Ac approbatu[m] etc onusque executoris eiusd[em] testa[men]ti Com[m]iss� est executoribus in eod[em] test[amen]to no[m]in[a]tis pri[mit]us � etc

Notes
Testator Robert SUTTON was a yeoman of Hawkinge and bequests of cattle, sheep, wheat and malt indicate a mixed farm. He had land and property in Hawkinge and Alkham which he bequeathed to sons Roger and George and a tenement and land in Folkestone which went to his son John. His land included woodland from which four loads of wood were to be felled annually to provide fuel for his wife. The will also gives some details of his property in Hawkinge: it had a hall, kitchen and parlour (and possibly other rooms).
Robert appointed his cousin Christopher SUTTON to oversee the execution of his will. Robert was a son of Giles SUTTON and Giles�s brother, William, had a son Christopher who would be Robert�s first cousin. Christopher had inherited land and property from his father in 1571 and baptisms to Christopher & Joan SUTTON at Hawkinge from 1578/9 are preceded by a marriage at Westcliffe of Christopher SUTTON to Joan STASE or STACE, 29 May 1578. Although Westcliffe is near Dover and around 10 miles east of Hawkinge the timing fits well.


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Will of Robert Sutton
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