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Return to William Austen in the Wills ‘A’ Page
This modernised transcription is by Alan H Nelson.
In the name of God Amen.
I William Austen, sinful wretch, once of Lincoln's Inn, now of Paris Garden, Esquire, confessing my unworthiness and praying God for his goodness to my body and soul, for his gracious corrections and restitutions, my present health, memory, and faith in him, and for all his temporal blessings in this world plentifully given me without my labor or desert; do here by his gracious assistance and permission make this present writing my last will and testament.
First I give my body, soul, goods, and good name into God's holy protection and direction, and when he shall please to call me from this world's dungeon, to the glory purchased for me by the death of his dear son my only savior Jesus.
I bequeath my body to the grave of my mother in St Saviors Church, there to be laid in a sheet without a coffin in the quiet night, the time of rest and sleep, within three-score hours after my departure, without much following of people, for I give no morning garments to any but my wife, my children, and household servants, and to them I do.
Concerning my freehold lands whereof I levied a fine in Trinity Term 1617, in the 15th year of King James, I have disposed of them by two indentures for the good of my wife and children, the one dated quarto Novembris secondo Caroli Regis, and the other dated nono Decembris tertio Caroli Regis, which indentures and the uses therein contained I do confirm by this my present will.
And whereas on the 23rd of October Anno sexto Caroli Regis I made a surrender in court of all my copyhold lands in Paris Garden to the use of my will, I hereby thus dispose them:
I give my dwelling house, garden, orchard, stable, coach house, back yard, and wash house yard to my loving wife Ann for so long as she remains my widow, for if she marry again I doubt not but she will choose to a better habitation.
At her marriage or decease, which first shall happen, I give the said house, garden, and appurtenances to my son James and his heirs forever.
I give my lands and tenements in the occupation of William George, William Payne, Thomas Bowman, Rice Lewis, and George Hough to my son William and his heirs, with this rent-charge thereon, and on condition that out of the rents and profits thereof, he, his guardian, his heirs or assigns, pay yearly after my decease at Midsummer or within 30 days after, £12 of lawful money to the guardians of the parish church of St Saviors in Southwark and their successors, by them thus to be disposed within 20 days after their receipt thereof (viz) to the overseers of the poor of Paris Garden £5; to the overseers for the Clink Liberties £4; and to the overseers for the Borough £3, which I will they shall thus dispose in their several liberties.
The overseers of the poor of Paris Garden shall yearly out of their £5 on St Bartholomew's Day next following after the receipt of their money, give 18d apiece to 30 of the poorest persons in their liberty between seven and nine of the clock in the morning; and also yearly on Christmas day at noon then next following shall give unto 50 of the like poorest persons of their liberty to every one of them half a stone of good boiled beef of 16d the stone, a pot of good pottage, a two-penny wheaten loaf of bread, and a penny pot of beer, and the remainder of the said £5 I give to the overseers (for that year wherein they serve) for their labor herein: the overseers for the poor of the Clink Liberty shall in like manner yearly on the said St Bartholomew's day at the same time give out of their £4 to 20 of them like poor 18d apiece, and likewise at the said Christmas Day following at the same time yearly shall give unto 50 of their like poor to each of them half a stone of like beef, a pot of like pottage, a penny wheaten loaf of bread, and a penny pot of beer; and I give the remainder of the said £4 to the said overseers of the Clink respectively for their labor.
I leave the overseers of the Boroughside to dispose of their annual £3 to their poor at their discretion; so they give 20s thereof to 20 poor persons of their Borough on St Bartholomew's Day yearly.
And it shall be lawful for the said guardians or churchwardens and their successors to distrain or sue for the said rent or annuity of £12 or any arrearages detained.
And if the said guardians or overseers, having received the said moneys, do fail at any time to pay or give the said charity yearly in manner and form as is before expressed, they shall forfeit and lose the next year's annuity of £12 for that year unto my son William, his heirs or assigns, nomine pene [=by way of a penalty], and so toties quoties [=and so on and so forth].
This gift and rent-charge to last for 30 years from my decease, which I make not perpetual that I may give way to the charity of my posterity, who if God bless and enable them may perhaps do it, if not I hope by the expiration of this gift God will raise to this parish better benefactors to supply the same.
I give unto my servant Robert Greene the house and garden which he holds of me by lease, being copy-hold, rent-free during his life, and the reversion thereof unto my son James, to whom and to his heirs I also give the residue of all my lands and tenements unbequeathed being copy-hold in Paris Garden.
I also give to him and his heirs all my lands and tenements in the parish of All Hallows in the Wall near Moorgate, London; and I give to him my leases which I hold from Sir Rowland Vaughn knight, and the feofees of Mr Fuller in the parishes of St Bennett and St Peter near St Paul's Wharf, London.
Concerning my money, goods, household stuff, jewels, plate, and linen, I give to my beloved wife Anne all the plate, jewels, and household stuff that she brought to me, and the Kings debt due to her and me, and the two lesser silver flagons, my greatest silver salt, the silver trencher salt, a dozen of my best silver trencher plates, my silver posnet and cover, my little sucking silver pot, my greatest and best jewel set with diamonds, two silver tankards with my crest engraven on them, the silver scallop with Europa, my watch hanging in the ebony frame, the gold ring with a toad-stone in it, and her picture in our chamber with mine contained in it.
I give to my son James my great seal ring of gold, my chime clock, my watch in the death's head, his grandfather's picture, King Edward's picture in perspective, St Anthony of Mr Steinwick's making, the landscape in stone, William Carey's picture in his shirt, my greatest church with the great round glass [=bell-jar?] belonging to it, the picture of the sun setting, Joseph and Mary made by Sir Nathaniel Bacon, the picture wherein himself a child is made standing by his mother and sister Joyce, Hercules and Antaeus cut in crystal and set in gold, my little ring with four diamonds, the book of Christi Passion, colored by me twenty years since, my silver and gilt desk, and half my books, and my seal ring cut with my arms in a ruby.
And I give unto my son William my picture graven in silver, King Henry IV of France with the metal pillar belonging to the same picture, my least perspective of a church, the picture of a crucifix in my study, Joseph and Mary in the gallery, the Virgin Mary over the door there of Francis Florus' making, my little silver watch and Turkish ring both which I daily wear, the oldest St Anthony in the gallery, the other half of my books, and the seal ring on the hand of my cousin Bill's statue in my study, which statue with the case I give to my worthy friend Mr Dr Montefort her brother, and those toys in paper drawn by mine own hand I give among my four children.
I give to my daughter Joyce mine and her mother's pictures in the gallery, the church made with my own hand, my opal ring I wear which was my cousin Bill's, six silver trencher plates, the pomander box in my desk made of two jaspers and gold, my crystal salt, and her grandmother's picture in my study.
To her daughter Margaret Bromefeild my best silver and gilt bowl.
I give to my daughter Mary £1400 in money, six silver trencher plates, my diamond ring I daily wore, the gold seal ring with the death's head graven in it (a memory of her mother), and my quarter German clock.
I will and ordain that the legacies of chattels and money given to James, William, and Mary my children shall be in the use and custody of my wife Anne till their several ages of 22 years or days of marriage, or the marriage or death of my wife, which first shall happen, and then to be paid unto them.
And if any of my said children die before their marriage and age of 22 years, I will that their legacies of money and chattels hereby given them shall remain equally to be divided between the survivors or survivor of them three, to be paid them, him, or her at their said age of 22 years or days of marriage, or the death or marriage of my wife as aforesaid.
I give the use and occupation of all the residue of my plate, goods, chattels, and household stuff unbequeathed by this my will unto my loving wife during her widowhood.
But at her marriage or decease, which first shall happen, I will them to be divided equally by my overseers into so many parts as I have then surviving children, and they to choose each a part to themselves, my sons first according to their age, my daughters next according to their age, and those parts I hereby bequeath unto them.
I give unto my uncle Marshall and his two children £3 apiece to buy them rings.
To my uncle Wilding's daughter, my cousin Jane Pyatt, 40s and a gold ring engraven with W. I., which was her father's.
To my aunt Bigg £5.
To her unmarried children £10 apiece.
To her married children £5 apiece.
To Mary Ogden daughter of Thomas Ogden of Lancashire £10.
To Katherine Humfrey now Smith 40s.
To Margaret Stone widow 40s.
To my present servants 30s apiece.
To the present ministers or chaplains of our Church of St Saviour £3 apiece.
To the poor of St Benet's Paul's Wharf £10.
And to the poor of the three liberties within our parish £10 apiece to each liberty, to be disposed for their benefit as shall best seem fit to the Churchwardens and Overseers of each parish to employ it.
I will the legacies of my mother the Lady Joyce Clerk yet unpaid shall be paid by my executor.
My funeral and legacies performed, I give the remainder of all my money to my wife.
Concerning the rest of my kindred, friends, and acquaintance whose love I am also bound to remember, I pray them to accept my goodwill in that which follows.
Item I will that my executor shall cause to be printed those my poor meditations in the black box of China work, which for the exercise of my soul (by God's assistance and I hope to his glory) I have writ on diverse texts of Scripture, and I give to each of my friends and kindred one entire book of them all, especially to such as I have named in a schedule hereunto annexed.
To which books, if it may be, I would have the frontispieces of each discourse added as they are painted by my hand to be etched in copper and printed with my picture also.
Lastly I make my dear and loving wife Anne my sole executor during her widowhood, and appoint her guardian of my children and all they have till their age of 22 years or day of marriage if she live so long unmarried, not doubting but she will be as good a mother to them as she hath been a wife to me.
And I charge them to be loving and obedient under her.
I entreat my worthy brothers Sir Francis Stydolphe knight, Mr Alderman Bromefeild, and Mr Robert Bromefeild, and my uncle Marshall to be overseers of this will and assistant unto her herein.
And after her marriage or death I appoint my son James to be my executor in her stead, and if he be not then surviving, I appoint my son William to be executor of this my last will; Mr Bucket or Mr Greenbury, Mr Campe or Mr Blackwell (at my executor's choice), and my cousin Martin Lucas I wish may be appraisers of my goods.
And I reserve power for myself hereafter, (if it shall so please God) to add a codicil or codicils to this my will.
So farewell vain world, and welcome when thou pleasest,
O my Savior. Even so come Lord Jesus. Amen.
William Austen
Signed, sealed, and declared to be the last will of the said William Austin 19 May 1632, in presence of John Searle, Robert Greene, Adrian Wasson.
To these my good friends I do desire my executrix to give one of my books apiece mentioned in my will.
Lord Treasurer.
the Earl of Bedford.
Lord Bishop of Rochester.
Earl of Arundell.
Sir Francis Stydolph knight and his lady.
the lady Helen Altham.
Sir Thomas Crimes and his lady.
my brother Asteley and my sister.
my uncle Marshall.
my cousins William, Elizabeth Marshall.
my aunt Bigg.
sister Fenour.
Mr William Greeke.
Mr Joseph Bryan.
Sir Edward Spencer.
Mr Robert Mason.
Mr William Daniell.
my loving cousins
Dr Collins
Dr Andrewes
Mr John Selden.
Mr Thomas Farnaby.
Mr John Andrews doctor.
Mr John Searle.
my sister Clerke.
the Lady Cooke.
my sister Margaret Daniell.
Mr William Atkinson and his wife.
Mr Robert Browne.
Mr James Archer.
Mr Hugh Dod of the Alienation Office.
my cousin James Walmesley.
Mr Benjamin Johnson.
Mr Robert Johnson.
Mr John Coggeshall.
Mr Edward Rolt.
my wife and four children.
Mr Richard Gypps.
Mr Nicholas Hawes.
Mr Joseph Shute.
Mr Thomas Adams.
my brother Goodfellowe.
my brother Bancrofte.
Mr Dr Monforte.
my cousin Richard Teat.
Mr Alderman Bromfeild and my sister.
my brother Robert Bromfeild and my sister.
my son John Bromefeild [i.e., son-in-law].
my brother Overman and my sister.
Mr Michael Hugganson.
my brother and sister Carleton.
Mr Henry Parker.
Mr Edmund Hamond.
Mr Smith the lawyer [=Richard Smith?].
Mr Edward Norgate.
Mr Francis Cleine.
Mr William Lake.
Mr Thomas Forde.
Mr Dr Halsey the chaplain.
my cousin Martin Lucas and his wife.
Mr Thomas Jones dyer.
Mr Roland Buckett.
Mr Charles Cotton.
Mr Dr Miccelthwait.
Mr Edward Wormall.
Mr Thomas Day.
Lord Bishop of Peterborough.
Mr Dr Laney.
Mr Dr Duncon.
Mr Cornelius Pigeon.
Mr John Rice.
Mr Chase of Chiselhurst.
Mr Smith apothecary.
Mr Cosen.
John Smith and his father.
Mr Squire.
Robert Greene.
Mr Thomas Ackland.
my brothers Benjamin and Nathan Hide.
[Administration granted to Anne, relict and executrix, 6 February 1633/4]