WILL OF EDWARD, PRINCE OF WALES

(1376)

"In the name, &c., We, Edward, eldest son of the King of England and France, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, and Earl of Chester, the 7th June, 1376, in our apartment in the Palace of our Lord and Father the King at Westminster, being of good and sound memory, &c. We bequeath to the altar of Our Lady's chapel at Canterbury two basons with our arms, and a large gilt chalice enamelled with the arms of Warren. To our son Richard the bed which the King our father gave us. To Sir Roger de Clarendon a silk bed. To Sir Robert de Walsham, our Confessor, a large bed of red camora, with our arms embroidered at each corner; also embroidered with the arms of Hereford. To Mons. Alayne Cheyne our bed of camora powdered with blue eagles. And we bequeath all our goods and chattels, jewels, &c., for the payment of our funeral and debts; after which we Will that our executors pay certain legacies to our poor servants. All annuities which we have given to our Knights, Esquires, and other our followers, in reward for their services, we desire to be fully paid. And we charge our son Richard, on our blessing, that he fulfil our bequests to them. And we appoint our very dear and beloved brother of Spain, Duke of Lancaster; the Reverend Fathers in God, William Bishop of Winchester, John Bishop of Bath; William Bishop of Asaph; our Confessor, Sir Robert de Walsham; Hugh de Segrave, Steward of our Lands; Aleyn Stokes; and John Fordham, our executors. In testimony of which we have put to this our last Will our privy seal, &c."

"Published by John Ormesheved, Clerk, in the year 1376, in the presence of John Bishop of Hereford, Domini Lewis Clifford, Nicholas Bonde, and Nicholas de Scharnesford, Knights, and William de Walsham, Clerk; and of many other Knights, Clerks, and Esquires. Proved 4 idus June, 1376."

WILL OF LADY ALICE WEST
(1395)

Some wills, although they cannot be called curious, are highly interesting, and excite great curiosity in the reader. For instance, Lady Alice West, widow of Sir Thomas West who fought at the Battle of Crecy, and an ancestress of the De la Warr family, by her will, dated July 15, 1395, and proved on September 1 following,

bequeaths to "Johane my doughter, my sone is wyf, a masse book, and alle the bokes that I have of latyn, englisch, and frencsh, out take the forsayd matyns book that is bequeth to Thomas my sone." Who can help wondering what books, and particularly what English books, this good old lady had at a period five years before the death of Chaucer, and nearly eighty years before the first book was printed in England? Perhaps two of them were Robert of Gloucester's "Rhyming Chronicles of England," and Robert Langland's "The Vision of Piers Ploughman."

WILL OF LADY ALICE WYNDSORE

(1400)

"Will of Alice, widow of William Wyndsore, Knight, at Upmynster, on the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, August 15th, 1400, 1 Henry IV. My body to be buried in the parish Church of Upmynster on the north side before the altar of our Lady the Virgin; to the said Church one of my best oxen for a mortuary; for wax to burn about my body forty shillings; for ornaments to the said Church ten marks; for repairing the highways near the town forty shillings; I Will that ten marks be distributed to the poor on the day of my sepulture; to the Chaplain six marks; to John Pelham, Sacrist of that Church, three shillings and four pence; to Joane, my younger daughter, my manor of Gaynes, in Upmynster; to Jane and Joane, my daughters, all my other manors and advowsons which John Wyndsore, or others, have, by his consent, usurped, the which I desire my heirs and executors to recover and see them parted between my daughters, for that I say, on the pain of my soul, he hath no right there nor never had; my manor of Compton Murdac; to the poor of Upminster xx shillings. And I appoint Joane, my youngest daughter; John Kent, Mercer of London, my Executors; and Sir John Cusson, Knight, and Robert de Litton, Esquire, Overseers of this my Will."

WILL OF LADY JOANE HUNGERFORD

(1411)

"Will of Joane Lady Hungerford, February 1, 1411. My body to be buried in the Chapel of St. Anne, in the Parish Church of Farleigh, Hungerford, next to the grave of my husband. I Will that, with all possible speed after my decease, my executors cause three thousand masses to be said for my soul, and for the souls of all the

faithful deceased. Also I desire on my burial day that twelve torches and two tapers burn about my body, and that twelve poor women, holding the said torches, be cloathed in russet, with linen hoods, and having stockings and shoes suitable. I Will that ten pounds be bestowed to buy black cloth for the cloathing of my sons and daughters, as likewise for the sons and daughters of all my domestic servants. I Will that the two hundred marks now in the hands of my son, Sir Walter Hungerford, be given to found a perpetual chantry of one chaplain, to celebrate divine service in the Chapel of St. Anne, in the north part of the said Church of Farleigh, for the health of my soul, and the soul of my husband, and for the souls of all our ancestors forever; to Katherine, the wife of my said son Walter, my black mantle furred with minever, and to Thomas his son a green bed, embroidered with one greyhound."

WILL OF RICHARD BERNE
(1461)

"Will of Richard Berne, of Canterbury, 28th April, 1461. My body to be buried in the aisle before the cross, in the south part of St. Paul's, at Canterbury. To the rebuilding of the bell tower of the monastery of St. Augustine ix l. to be paid as soon as the said work shall be begun; to the prisoners of the Castle of Canterbury and of Westgate vi s. viii d. each; to the Prioress of the Church of St. Sepulchre, towards the works of her Church, xiii s. iv d.; to the repair of the highway leading towards Sandwich, by St. Martin's Hill and the Fishpoole, x l.; towards the repair of the highway in the Winecheape, between Bircholle's Place and St. James's Hospital, x l.; to Joan, my wife, my furniture and my best cart, and my five horses fit to draw it, with all their harness; to the building of the new bell tower of Tenterden vi s. viii d.”

THE WILL OF THOMAS WINDSOR, ESQ.

(1479)

"Item. I Will that I have brennying (burning) at my burying and funeral service four tapers and twenty-two torches of wax, every taper to contain the weight of ten pounds and every torch sixteen pounds, which I Will that twenty-four very poor men and well disposed shall hold, as well at the time of my burying as at my monethe's minde (month's remembrance).

"Item. I Will that after my monethe's minde done, the said four tapers be delivered to the church-wardens, &c.

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'And that there be 100 children within the age of 18 years, to be at my monethe's minde to pray for my soul . . . that against my monethe's minde the candles bren (burn) before the rude in the Parish Church.

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Also that at my monethe's minde my executors provide 20 priests to sing plucebo dirige, &c."

THE WILL OF SIR RICHARD HAMERTON, KNT.

(1480)

This will be found interesting from the characteristic style and quaint orthography in which it is penned; the detail, too, is eminently suggestive of a simplicity in the individual mind of the testator as well as of the social tone of the times, much at variance with the more complicated habits of our own day. Sir Richard, it must be remarked, was "the head of one of the most ancient and illustrious of the Craven families, the representatives of which still flourish and count up to more than twenty generations of Hamerton's."

"Richard Hamerton, knyghte, in my hole mynde and witt. To be beryed in the kirke of Preston in Craven, in the chapell of Our Ladye and Seignt Anne, in the southe syde of the saide kirke, wherein a chauntery is founded for a prest in perpetuite to syng for Lawrence Hamerton, esquier, and me, the said Richard Hamerton, knyghte, our wyffes, our childre, and all our ancestres.

"Item: I gyff in the name of my mortuary my beste hors, with my sadell, bridell, and othre thingis pertenying to the same.

"Item: I bequeth to the abbot and convent of the monastery of Sallay a standing maser covered and gilted, to pray for me.

"Item: I bequeth to my son William my best whyte cupp of sylver standing.

"Item: To my son Sir Stephen my salet gilted, ij basyns, ij lavers, ij chafours, ij pottes, vj doublers, xij dysshes, and vj sausers, according to my fader will, as apperith folowyng: i.e. to the saide Sir Stephen and to the heires male of his body; and for defaute, then to Raner Hamerton, son of John Hamerton, broder to the saide Sir Stephen; then to Roger Hamerton, broder to the saide Raner; then to William Hamerton, broder to the saide Sir Stephen; and for defaute I wille that the saide sylver plate shalle remayne to

the abbot and convente of the monastery of Sallay for evermore; for which the saide abbot and convente and ther successoures shall praye for the saules of the said Lawrence Hamerton and Isabell his wyffe, and me, the saide Richarde and Dame Elizabeth my wyffe, our childre saules, and all our auncestres, and for those saules whose bodyes we wer most behalden unto in ther lyffes, and for all Cristen saules.

"Item: I bequeth to my saide son, Sr. Stephen, the tabel in the chapell, wt. all thingis belongyng the same, a ladell, ij brasse pottes of the grettest, ij garingsshe of pewder vessell, a chargiom, a handreth of yern iiij fete, iiij lange spyttes of yren. To my nevewe, John Hamerton, my grete countour in the hall. To my nese, his wyffe, a standing cuppe of sylver dim gilt.

"To my broder James ij oxen, and also my wyffe hath given to hym ij whyes.

"To Raner Hamerton a horse of ij yeres olde ambulyng, another of the same age that ambulys to Roger Hamerton.

"To Cristofer Jakson, a stot and xiij s. iiij d. of money. To Richard Clerk a don hors and xiij s. iiij d.

"To John Rayngill, a stot and whye. To Thomas Kay a stot of ij yeres olde. To William Iveson a styrk.

"To William Fisshe a whye styrk. To Robert Coke a styrk and a whye. To Majory Stowte a whye of age. To William Standen an oxe.

"Item: I bequeth to a priest xij mark to syng ij yeres for my saule, and my wyffe, and all Cristen saules. To iiij orders of Freres iiij . To the Prior and Convent of the Monastery of Bolton xl s. I bekueth x marke to be distribute emonge my pore tennantes and neghtburs. I bequeth x marc to be distribute emonge pore falkes at the daye of my burying. I ordene and mak my wyffe, Dame Elizabeth, my sones, Sir Stephen and William Hamerton, myn executors. I bequeth ij stottes to William Scarburgh. To Richard Hamerton, my broder James son, a fylle of iij yere. To my wyffe a wayne wt. vj oxen. To my son William an othir wayne and vj oxen. To John Ellis the yonger a mair.

"Testibus Ricardo Parisshe, Ablate de Sallay, et Willelmo Scarburgh generoso."