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The will of John
Waterworth of Islington, proved 1625
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Background The parish register of St James Clerkenwell includes these burials of members of the
Howcutt family:
20 January 1619/20 - John Howkett,
out of Mr Waterworte's house, in body of Church
20 January 1621/22 - Mr Francis Howcott, out of Mr Waterworte's house, in ye Church Text IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN The Nynth day of July One Thousande
Sixe Hundred and Twenty Five In the First yeare of the raigne of our Soveraigne Lord Charles by the grace of god Kinge of England Scotlande
France & Ireland defendor of the Faythe I JOHN WATERWORTT of Islington in the parish of St
James at Clarkenwell in the County of Midd. Cittizen & Inholder of the Citty of London
beinge nowe daylie admonished of the uncertain state of this life not
knowinge howe soone yt may please god to Call
me out of this woolde doe
therfore in my perfect memorie
make & ordaine this my present Testament Conteyninge herin my laste will in manner & forme
Followinge FIRSTE I commende
my soule to the hands of Allmighty
god my maker and of my all sufficient Savyour &
Redeemer Jesus Christe, through the onlie merritts of whose most bytter death & passion I stedfastlie
beleeve to obtaine free
remission of all my synnes & offences & therby to be made partaker of everlastinge
happines in the Kingdome of heaven amongst the
number of the Elect, And my body I bequeath to the earth of whence yt was first framed which I will to be buryed in the parish Church of St James at Clarkenwell aforesaid neare
unto the place where the body of my late wife Elizabeth Waterwortt
deceased doth remayne there already buryed as Conveniently may be ITEM my mynde
& will ys, And I doe soe ordayne & appointe that all such debts & sommes
of money which I shall in right or Conscience owe unto anie
person or persons at the tyme of my decease shall
be well & truely paide
& discharged within Convenient tyme after my decease,
And specyally I will That within Sixe monthes after my decease
my Executor doe truly paie into the Chamber of the Citty of London all that Legacie,
money which shall be truly founde in my hands att the tyme of my decease, and
belonginge to Edward Sanderson yongest
sonne of Thomas Sanderson deceased, and soe to discharge my Recognizance there entred, And therby to Cleare my estate of for & concerninge the same for that by the will of the said
Thomas Sanderson ther is a Succeedinge
Executor nominated to mannage those affayres after my decease NOW concerninge
the disposinge of the Landes
& Tenements which I have heartofore purchased
by the blessinge of Allmighty
god my will is as Followeth FIRST I give & devise unto my
eldest sonne John Waterwortt
& his Heires for ever All That my greate Messuage or Tenement
with thappurtenances Commonlye
knowne by the signe of
the Axe scituate in the parish of St Mary Aldermanbury in London, And all those Three other Messuages or Tenements therunto
adioyneinge with all the Lands Tenements &
hereditaments to them & every of them belonginge or appertayneinge
which I had & purchased from one William Audley, The Thirds or dower of
my nowe welbeloved wife
Joyce Waterwortt of & in the said Messuages Tenements Lands & premisses
by the Courte of the Common Lawes of this Realme
& Custome of the saide
Citty to be had & claymed
unto her the saide Joyce Waterwortt
for & duringe the terme
of her naturall life allways
excepted & reserved, And one Annuytie of Fowre pounds per Annum yssueing
out of the same to my brother Richard Waterwortt
likewise excepted & reserved, And the rest of the Rentes
& profittes out of the said Lands &
Tenements growinge or accrewinge
duringe ye mynorytie of
my saide Eldest sonne to
such uses as I have hereafter provided alsoe
excepted, Also I give & devise to my saide sonne John Waterwortt, All
those my Freehoulde Lands Tenements and
hereditaments scituate in Walton Ladeall neare Preston or
elsewhere in the County of Lancaster which I lately purchased of Sir William Cokaine Knight Alderman of London, To have & to houlde All the same my Freehould
Lands Tenements & hereditaments in the County of Lancester
aforesaid, unto the said John Waterwortt my sonne & his heires for
ever, for and ymeadiately after the decease of my
said welbeloved wife Joyce Waterwortt
whoe beinge ioyned purchaser thereof with me hath therby
estate therein for the terme of her naturall lyfe which I will she
shall accordingely holde
& enioye without interupption
Provyded allwaies and, my
will & meaninge ys,
That the Rents & profitts groweinge
& accreweinge to my said sonne
John Waterwortt out of my Lands & Tenements in Aldermanbury aforesaie for
& during his minorytie shall be receaved by my Executor and imployed
for & towards the better educacon meanes & maintenance of my Three Children namely the saide John Waterwortt Robert Waterwortt & Ann Waterwortt AND as Concerninge
my personall Estate Consistinge
in moveables, Leases, Cattell, moneys, & other
goods and Chattells, whatsoever, aswell where I dwell & in or neare
the Citty of London, as alsoe
in the saide County of Lancester
or elsewhere my will & mynde ys, That after a true & perfect Inventory and
valuation therof made accordinge
to the Custome of the Citty
of London, The same shal be devyded
into Three equall partes,
One parte wherof I give & appointe
& bequeath to my saide welbeloved
wife Joyce Waterwortt as to her due & belongeinge by the Custome of
the saide Citty. One
other Thirde parte therof
beinge devyded as
aforesaid I doe bequeath and appointe
unto my said Three children John, Robert & Ann, as to them likewise due
& belongeinge & appertayninge
by the said Custome of the saide
Cittie of London as their Competent Orphanage part
& portion of my personall Estate, betweene then equally to be devided
parte & portion like accordinge to the Custome aforesaide, And concerninge th other Third parte of my said
personall Estate which accordinge
to the said Custome belongeth
to my own free disposition my will ys as Followeth namelie I give &
bequeath out of the same unto my saide welbeloved wife Joyce Waterwortt
as a toaken of my Love the somme
of Fifty pounds of Lawfull English Money AND I further will That my
Executor shall give & paie unto her the said
Joyce Fifty pounds more of like Lawfull money for
& in liewe of her Chamber or furniture for her
Chamber yf she shall please to disclayme
the same & not otherwise ITEM I give and bequeath unto my
Brethren Hughe Waterwortt
& Thurstone Waterwortt
And to my Sister Alice the wife of John Lowe, all dwellinge
in the saide County of Lancaster yf my said Two brethren & Sister shal
be lyveinge att the tyme of my decease or else to such & soe manie of then as shall then
be liveinge Twenty pounds a peece
of Lawfull Englishe
money. Alsoe I give and devise to my saide Brother Richard Waterwortt
One Anuytie or yearly Rent Charge of Fowre pounds of Lawfull English
Money for & duringe the naturall
lyfe of him the said Richard to be levyed yssueinge & payeable out of my said Lands & Tenements in Aldermanbury aforesaid, And to be paid unto him the said
Richard, att Foure Feastes or termes in the yeare moste usueall,
vzt. att the Feaste of St Michaell TharchAngell, The birth of our Lord god ThAnuncyacon of our Lady St Mary the virgin & the Natyvytie of St John Baptiste by even & equall quarterlie portions, the
Firste quarters payment wherof
to begynn & be made att
such of the said Feaste daies
as shall next ensure after my decease, Item I give & bequeath to my Cosen William Waterwortt nowe servant to Mr Plumpton a
Salter in London Fifty pounds of Lawfull English
money which I will to be trulye payde
him att the tyme of the
expiration of his yeares of his nowe
Apprentishipp yf he the
said William shall soe longe
live Item I give to my Cosen John Waterwortt lyvinge in the County of Chester Ten pounds of like money
to be paid him within Sixe monthes
after my decease ITEM I give to all & everie my househould servantes aswell men as women kynde which shalbe abydinge with me att the tyme of my decease, Twenty Shillinges
a peece. Item I give to the Company of Inholders of the Citty of
London whereof I am a member Sixe pounds Thirteene Shillings & Foure
pence like lawfull money Item I give to the use of the poore people inhabitinge in the
saide parish of Sainte
James Clarkenwell in the County of Midd. to be disposed of as the Churchwardens of the said
parish for the tyme beinge
with the Advise of Mr Michael Hart parishioner
there shall in their discretions be thought most meete
for their future releefe the some
of Twenty pounds of Lawfull English money And I give and bequeath Five
pounds more of like Lawfull money which Five pounds
I will to be distributed to the saide poore people of the said parishe
of St James Clarkenwell about the tyme of my funerall in bread or
money as the Churchwardens there shalbe thought moste meete, Alsoe I give & bequeath to the use of the poore people of the parish of Islington in the County of Midd. the Somme of Ten pounds to be imployed
for the beyfitt of the saide
poore as in the discrecons
of the Churchwardens therefor the tyme beinge with the Consent & advice of Mr Thomas Wilkes
a parishioner there shalbe thought moste meete Alsoe I doe hereby remise release
& freely forgive unto Mr John Andrews Clarke late preacher at the saide Church of St James Clarkenwell
aforesaide, Twenty pounds parcell
of debt of Fifty pounds which he nowe oweth me. ITEM I give & bequeath to Mary
Leeson, Thomasine Worthington & Elizabeth Shelton the Three daughters of
my saide late wife Fowrtye
Shillinges a peece to
make each of them a Ringe, And I doe
hereby make & ordaine my faithfull
& honest frende Henry Worthington Inholder my full & sole Executor of this my presente laste will &
Testament, And I will that he onlie shall dispose
of my estate for & duringe the mynorytie of my Children (yf he
the said Henry Worthington shall soe longe live) And in case the said Henry Worthington shall
happen to dye before my said Children shall attaine
their full ages, Then in such Case I doe make &
ordaine my faithfull &
lovinge Frend John Bourne
of Knaptoft in the County of Leicester gent.
Executor of this my will successively after such the decease of the saide Henry Worthington, And then & not before the saide John Bourne to take uppon
him the full & sole disposinge of my estate
& the execution of soe much of my will as shall
not be then performed, for & duringe ye mynoritye of my said Three Children as aforeaide AND I doe
hereby nominate & appointe my saide faythfull Frende John Bourne & Moore Sandon of London Inholder Overseers of the same my will, soe longe as the said Henry
Worthington shall remayne Executor therof, And the said Moore Sandon still to Continewe my Overseer untill
the full execution therof, oyther
by the said Henry Worthington, or John Bourne, as I have before appointed,
not doubtinge of their honest faithfull
Care & beste ayde in
& towards the performance of the same my will, And I give unto the said
Henry Worthington my Executor Twenty pounds of Lawfull
money of England for a Legacie & I further give
& bequeath unto him the said Henry Worthington for soe
longe tyme as he shall Continewe my Executor, namely from the tyme of my decease duringe the mynotitye of my Children (yf he
shall soe longe live)
Five poundes yearly and every yeare
for & in regarde of his paines
aswell as Followeinge the
business aforesaid Concerninge my owne estate & Children, As alsoe
the business Concerninge the Wardshippe
of Mountagu Sanderson his Majesty's Warde, graunted & Committed
to me & my Assignes which muste
alsoe fall uppon him as
my Executor, And wherin I desire his equall Care & respect as to my owne
Children, And I will that all expences &
Charges whatsoever which eyther the said Henry
Worthington or my succeedinge Executor John Bourne
shall have occasion to undergoe in suite of Laws or
otherwise in & Concerninge the managinge of my estate as Executor of this my will shalbe fully borne & defrayed out of my estate And be
allowed uppon my Executors Accompte,
And I give more to my saide overseers the saide John Bourne & Moore Sandon Ten pounds a peece in like Lawfull money,
And further I give & bequeath unto the said John Bourne in Case the Executorshipp of this my will shall happen to fall uppon him other Ten pounds of like Lawfull
money for in regarde of his further Care & paynes therin to be taken And
likewise Five poundes yearely
& every yeare for & in respect of his saide paines soe longe as she shall Contynewe & be Executor of this my will as aforsaide & not otherwise ALSOE I doe
further give & bequeath unto Alice Waterwortt
daughter of my brother Thurston Waterworrtt,
Elizabeth Milton, Ann Milton & Isabell Milton the Children of my wives
Sister and to every one of them yf they be all liveinge att the tyme of my decease for to such or soe
manie of them as shalbe
then livinge Ten pounds in Lawfull
English money for & towards their better preferment. And I give to my two god Children
John Worthington & John Leeson my late wifes
daughters Children Fourty Shillings a peece, And I give & bequeath to the
use of the poore people inhabitinge
in the saide parish of Walton Ladeall
in the County of Lancaster the somme of Five poundes to be paide into the handes of my saide Brother Hugh
Waterwortt & the Churchwardens of Walton Ladeall aforesaide by them to
be distributed as in their discecon (for the best releefe & Comforte of the saide poore) shall seem most meete, And my will ys, That all
the Residue of my Thirde parte
of my personall estate herein not before
bequeathed, shalbe equallie
devyded betweene my saide Two Children Robert Waterwortt
& Ann Waterwortt parte & parte like to whome for their better advancement I doe
fully & wholly bequeath the same, And I doe
hereby revoake Frustrate & make voyde all & every former wills & Testaments by me
heretofor made IN WITNESS wherof
I the saide John Waterwortt
have to this my present laste will & Testament Conteyned in these five Sheetes
of paper Fowre of them written all uppon one syde & this laste sheete written with Five lynes in the topp every sheete subscribed with myne owne handes fixed my Seale the daye & yeare firste above written, vizt. the
Nynthe day of Julye Anno domini
One Thousand Sixe Hundred Twenty Five John Waterwortt Signed Sealed delivered &
published by the saide John Waterwortt
the Testator for and as his laste will &
Testament one the saide Nynthe
daie of July One thousand Sixe
hundred Twenty Five in the presence of us W. Peigham,
William Payne, John May Scri[vener],
And of Richard Alncaster, Richard Hawes his
servants. Probate The will was proved at London at
the Prerogative Court of Canterbury on 9 September 1625 by Henry Worthington,
the executor. Transcribed by
Francis Howcutt from a scanned copy of the office copy. |
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