By Jared L. Olar
December 2018
A nearly-complete transcription of the will of JAMES TURNEY of Slapton was included in Helen Turney Sharps' study "The Ancestry of Benjamin Turney of Concord, Mass., and Fairfield, Conn.," which was published in The American Genealogist (Oct. 1936), along with a description of the stone effigies of James and his two wives AMY and ELIZABETH in Holy Cross Church at Slapton in Buckinghamshire:
"Upon the brass of this James Tornay at Slapton (north aisle) his effigy stands full-faced between his two wives, half-turned towards him. He is in civil costume, but with the Crown-badge of his office of Yeoman of the Crown. Inscription:
"Off yor charite pray for the soules of James Tornay late yoman of the Crown to king Henry the VIII which decessyd the XIIIIth day of February ann domini Mvcxix (1519) Amye & Elizaberth his wives whos soules ihue pardon."
Will of James Turney. Proved in the Court of the Archdeaconry of Buckingham, 1519:
"James Turney--In the name of our lord godd Amen the Thursday next before the Fest of the Nativity of our lord godd in the yere of our seid lord godd a thousand Fyve hundred and xixten
"I, Jamys Turney of Slapton wiyn the Counte of Bukyngham in the dyocesse of Lyncoln. Syke in bodye & hooll of mynd & rememberaunce etc:
"In primis I wyll & bequeth my soule to godd almyghty to hys Bleassyd Mother Seynt Mary the holly vyrgyn & to all the holly company of hevyn and my body to be burryed wiyn the Churche or
Chyrcheyerd of Slapton aforesaid where & in what place there godd wyll it schal be
Item unto (....) Lyncoln
Item unto the hygh aulter of Slapton for tythys or oblacions forgottyn (etc.)
Item unto every lyght in the Churche of Slapton
Item unto ...Torchys to be made unto the use of the Chyrche of slapton aforesaid of the value of....
Item unto the Chappell of Byllingdon...Torchys of the value of ......
Item I wyll myn executors shall make or cause to be made suffyciently wi my goods the Byrge called Slapton Byrge as son as it may be conveniently done in diew seasons of yers yerly untyll it be
don & fynysshyd
Item (...)unto the Chyurche of Slapton to be leyd in Reparacions .....
Item unto the Chyrche of Crawley in like maner....
Item I wyll that a prest (...) schall syng (etc.) yerly duryng the terme of seven yers yerly togyddr he (...) to pray for my Soule, my faders & mothers Soules & For all Crysten Soules wr all
other myn Auncestors & Frends Soules & all Crysten Soules as ys afore rehersyd. And he to have for hys Sallary or weages every yerly for every hooll yere ... mares sterlyng. And he (....)
schall syng & say all suche Townes & places wher myn executors wt the Councell of my Supervysor schall thynk most best & convenyent.
And I wyll and betqueth unto the Reparacions & sustenacion of such ... Chyrches ...... to be prayed for of the paryssheners & Inhabytaunts there of every parysshe namyd in the seid byll
Item unto the Fryors prechors of Dunstaple to pray for me & my Frends and auncestors soules & all Crysten soules....
Item unto the edyffyyng & buldyng or reparacions & (several words lost) Chapell of Woborn Abbatis......
Item unto the mayntenyning & upholdyng of a Chyrce (several words gone and part of the next line blank) by ?stimacion...... mylys fro (three words gone).........
Item unto the Fraternyte of Corpus Xpi in Leyghton Bussard to cum to my burryyng wt their Ornaments & for all theys labours in the day of my burryyng towards the mayntenyng (....) of the seid
Fraternyte....
Item unto the Fraternyte of Seynt John Baptyst in Dunstable.....
Item I will that the resydew or arrerage of my terme of Grovebury unto my wyf (verb omitted) & to John my Son either of theym to take equally betwyxt theym
theys parts of the proffetts thereof.
Item (...) unto Wyllyam my Son & to Barnard my son all out of my termes of Chelmsescott wt theyr profitts takyng equally therof in like maner betwyxt them.
Item I wyll that Thomas my Son after my decesse schall have my Tenement in Leyghton Bussard wheryn Henry Dyer dwelleth shall remayne unto hym hys heyres & assignes for ever, &
I wyll his mother uppon that condycion schall take the profetts therof duryng the terme of vij yers to bryng hym upp wt the same profetts.
Item I wyll unto John my son my tenement in Crawley wt lands & meddews & pasturs & in the parysshe of Aspley Guyes to have to hym to (his) heyrs & assignes after my decesse uppon condycion that
he schall kepe an Obytt yerly duryng the terme of xxxxixten yers immdeyatly ensewyng after my decesse to the valur yerly of (....) wtyn the parysshe Chyrche of the said Crawley Fyndyng wex
brede & ale & chese unto the prest & to ryngers att myn own Obytt aforeseid for my Frends & me to be prayed for & for all Crsten Soules as for (sic--far) as the seid .... wyll extend therto.
Item I wyll (...) unto William my Son all my lands & tenements wt lands meddew pasturs Rents & survyces wt appertenaunces sett lyyng or beyng in Sulbury in Bukkynghamschyre (...) after my
decesse schall remayn unto hum & to hys heyrs for ever uppon condycion that he schall & hys heyrs & assignes kepe an yerly Obbytt ther att Sulbury aforeseid duryng the terme of ixxxxixten
yers (....) to the valur of ....
Item I wyll unto my Son Rychard a Tenement in Hollenden in Bukkyngham Schyre whych on Rychard Prentys dwellyth in and hath by my lesse, wt all lands arabyll wt appertenaunces
therto for the terme of hys lyff so that after hys decesse it schall remayne unto John the son & heyer of the same Rychard Turney & hys heyrs for ever in Fe sympyll
Item I wyll & bequeth unto Elizabeth my wyff a Tenement wt appertenaunces sett in Leghton Bussard behynd Leycestors, beyng Charter hold, to have to hyr & hyr heyrs & assignes
for ever
Item I wyll & bequeth unto Thomas my son abovenamyd in redy money to be payed by myn executors ... sterlyng
Item I wyll & bequeth unto every man & woman Chylde of my godchyldren to pray for me (sum omitted) in redy money
Item I wyll unto Barnard my Son in redy money ....sterlyng goode & lawful money of Englond
Item unto my Suster Elyn of London to pray for me...
Item I wyll & bequeth unto the house of Nonnys of Berkyng to pray for me....
Item I make and Order the seid Elizabeth my wyff, John my Son & William my Son my Executors of thys my present Testament & last Wyll, & Syr Thomas Knyghton parson of Slapton my Supervysor of
the same. And eache of the seid executors to have for theyr labors abought my seid Testament Fulfyllyng xx s and the sied Sueprvysor to have for hys labor abought the premyssezs as
Consyence schall requyer.
The Resydew of all my goods & catells not beqetheyd nor wylled and my seid wyll Fulfylled, I wyll & gyve unto my exectors, exceptyed all my movabylls of howsold stuff & other goods wtyn the
Tenement whych I dwell in, whych I gyve unto my wyff holl wtout interupcion or lett, to have theym of my other executors aforenamyd
In witnesse whereof Thezs were Wytnessys & present att the makyng of thezs present Testament & last wyll Syr Thomas Knyghton aforenamyd Syr John Huett priest Henry Waldok of Sutcott Thomas
Marten of Slapton John Turney of Lynchelad and Henry Smyth of the same wr John Tayllor of Sutcott wt many others the day & yere aboveseid.
Proved before the Commissary of the Archdeacon of Buckingham, 26 Feb. 1519 (i.e. 1520)
In the margin: James Turney CCXLIII solv)"
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