The Will of Ellen Steele
Great Paxton d.1617
1617 - Will of Ellen Steele - scan of the original
Note: This is the first page of
this document, it appears that some of it is missing, if it
turns up we'll add it here!
Square brackets: [
] indicate indecipherable words.
Ellyn Steele
In the name of God amen
The eighth day of March 1617 I Ellyn Steele the elder of Great Paxton in the county of Huntingdon widdow being sicke and weake in bodie but yet of good and perfect mynde and memorie (thanks be to God therefore) doe make and ordayne this my last will and testament in manner and form following.
First I commend my soule into the hands of Almightie God my maker and creator hopeing to besaved by the only merit death and passion of Jesus Christ his only sonne my saviour and redeemer. And my bodie to the earth from whence it came to be buried as my executor shall thinke good.
And as for my temporall goods I dispose of them as followeth,
Item I give and bequeath unto Francis Steele my sonne tenn pounds of current English money to be payd unto hym at the age of XXI (twenty one) yeares.
Item I give and bequeath unto Ellyn Steele my daughter tenn pounds of current English money to be payd unto her within one year next after my decease.
Item I give and bequeath unto William Steele my sonne tenn pounds of current English money to be payd unto hym at his full age of age of XXI (twenty one) yeares.
Item I give and bequeath unto Thomas Steele my youngest sonne tenn pounds of like lawful money of England to be payd unto hym at his full age of XXI (twenty one) yeares.
And if it shall happen any of my said sonnes or daughter to depart this world before he, shee, or they have received their sayd legacies then my will and meaning is that his, her or their parts or portions so dying shall be equally devyded amongst the rest then surviving.
Item I give and bequeath unto Francis Steele my sonne my black cow and her calf.
Item I give unto Ellyn Steele my daughter my browne cow and her calf.
Item I give and bequeath unto William Steele and Thomas Steele my two youngest sonnes my black pyed cow the sayd cow to be sold and the money to be equally devyded between them two.
Item I give to Francis Steele my sonne my ewe and her lambe and the wether sharhogg.
Item I give unto William my sonne my lambhogg.
Item I give to Thomas Steele the other ewe and lambe.
Item I give to the said Thomas Steele and Ellyn my daughter one of my two stores or sheats.
Item I give unto Francis my sonne the land or wheat on [Crose/Crope]
Way, also I give hym the
[
] of fyelds in Bryer Hill for this crop.
Item I give unto Ellyn Steele and Thomas Steele an acre of field lying against the north brooke to be sown, plowed and narrowed with good and sufficient seed barley at the cost and charges of my executor.
Item I give unto William my sonne the wheat growing on the north back side .
Item I give and bequeath unto Ellyn my daughter all the goods household stuffs and moveables as they are now standing and being in the parlour wholly to her.
Item To Thomas my sonne the trundle bed in the boulting house and a mattris.
Item I give unto William my sonne three sheets one to be a flaxen one,two pillows, a blanket and a pillowbeere.
Item To Thomas my sonne 1 boulster, a pillow and a pillowbeere.
Item To Francis my sonne the best coverlet sewn or a boulster and an old [ ]
NOTES
Wether – a castrated sheep
Shar – dialect for Shear
Sharhogg – a lamb after its first shearing
Store – an animal kept specifically for fattening
Sheat (sheet) – a young pig less than a year old
Pillowbeere – a pillowcase
Boulting house – a room or house used to sift the flour from the coarse boultings after milling
Transcription by Rachel Osborne
