Will of William Elliott, yeoman, 1706 (proved 1710)
National Archives PROB 11/516
In the Name of God Amen I William Elliott of Winslowe in the County of Bucks Yeoman being weak in Body and of perfect mind and memory praised be Almighty God therefore And calling to mind the certainty of Death and the uncertain time thereof Do this Thirteenth day of September Anno D(omi)ni 1706 make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following that is to say First and principally I commend my Soul into the hands of Almighty God my Maker hoping through the Meritts Death and passion of Jesus Christ my Saviour to be made partaker of everlasting Life And my Body I commit to the Earth to be decently buried at the discretion of my Executor or Overseers hereafter named And as for such temporall Estate as it hath pleased Almighty God to bestow upon me I give and dispose thereof as followeth Imprimis I give will devise and bequeath unto Anne Dandrige my Sister the summe of Ten pounds of lawful money of England to be paid unto her by
[f.2] Joseph Dandridge her son within Twelve Months next after my Decease out of my Messuages Land and Tenements hereinafter bequeathed unto him Item I give will devise and bequeath unto Francis Dandridge William Dandridge George Dandridge Ann Bigg and Mary Pursell five Children of my Sister Anne Dandridge Twenty pounds a peece of lawfull Money of England to be paid unto them by Joseph Dandridge their Brother within Twelve Months next after my Decease out of my Messuages Lands and Tenements hereinafter bequeathed unto him Item I give will devise and bequeath unto William Elliott son of my Brother Joseph Elliott the summe of Fifty pounds of lawfull Money of England to be paid unto him by Joseph Dandridge my Kinsman son of my Sister Anne Dandridge within Twelve Months next after my Decease out of my Messuages Lands and Tenements hereinafter bequeathed unto him Item I give will devise and bequeath unto Thomas Pickfatt Son of my sister Joan Pickfatt Twenty pounds of lawfull Money of England to be paid unto him by the said Joseph Dandridge within Twelve Months next after my Decease out of my Messuages Lands and Tenements hereinafter bequeathed unto him Item I give will devise and bequeath unto Mary Pickfatt daughter of my sister Joan Pickfatt the summe of Thirty pounds of lawfull Money of England to be paid unto her by Joseph Dandridge my Kinsman within Twelve Months next after my Decease out of my Messuages Lands and Tenements hereinafter bequeathed unto him Item I give will devise and bequeath unto Elizabeth Slade Daughter of Mary White my Sister in Law if she shall be living six months next after my Decease one Annuity or yearly summe of Five pounds of lawfull Money of England for and during the Term of her naturall Life to be paid unto her by the said Joseph Dandridge my Kinsman out of my Messuages Lands and Tenements hereinafter bequeathed unto him at half yearly payments by even and equall portions the first payment to become due and payable Twelve Months next after my Decease Item my Will meaning and desire is that if the said Elizabeth Slade my Kinswoman shall happen to depart this Life and Leave any Children lawfully begotten on her Body Then I give and bequeath unto such Children as are lawfully begotten on the Body of the said Elizabeth Slade the summe of One hundred pounds of lawfull Money of England to be equally divided between them share and share alike to be paid unto them by the said Joseph Dandridge my Kinsman out of my Messuages Lands and Tenements hereinafter bequeathed unto him immediately after the Decease of the said Elizabeth Slade if such Children shall be then of the Age of One and Twenty years But if such Children shall not be of the Age of One and Twenty years at the time of the Decease of the said Elizabeth Slade their own Mother then my Will meaning and desire is that the said Joseph Dandridge my Kinsman and his Heirs shall keep the said Legacy or summe of one hundred pounds until such time as such Children shall attain to the Age of One and Twenty years
[f.3] And that the said Joseph Dandridge my Kinsman or his heirs shall at the time as such Children shall have attained the said Age of One and Twenty years well and truly pay or cause to be paid the said Legacy or summe of One hundred pounds and all Interest Money which shall be due for the same after the rate of five pounds per Cent per Ann(um) from the decease of the said Elizabeth Slade unto such Children to be equally divided between such Children that if the said Elizabeth Slade my Kinswoman happen to depart this Life and leave but one Child lawfully begotten on her body Then I give and bequeath unto such child the said Legacy or summe of One hundred pounds of lawfull money of England to be paid unto such Child by the said Joseph Dandridge my Kinsman or his heirs out of my Messuages Lands and Tenements hereinafter bequeathed unto him immediately after the Decease of the said Elizabeth Slade if such Child shall be then of the Age of One and Twenty years But if such Child shall not be of the Age of One and Twenty years at the time of Decease of the said Elizabeth Slade Then my Will meaning and desire is that the said Joseph Dandridge my Kinsman and his Heirs shall keep the said Legacy or summe of One hundred pounds until such time as such Child shall attain to the Age of One and Twenty years And that the said Joseph Dandridge my Kinsman or his Heirs shall if such Child shall Live to attain to the Age of One and Twenty years at the time as such Child shall have attained the said Age of One and Twenty years well and truly pay or cause to be paid the said Legacy or summe of One hundred pounds and all Interest Money which shall be due for the same after the rate of five pounds per Cent per An(n)o from the decease of the said Elizabeth Slade unto such Child But if such Children of the said Elizabrth Slade shall all of them happen to depart this Life before their Legacy or summe of One hundred pounds shall be due and payable then my Will and meaning is that the said Legacy or summe of One hundred pounds given and bequeathed to such Children or Child of the said Elizabeth Slade shall be and remain unto the said Joseph Dandridge my Kinsman and his Heirs for Ever and I do give and bequeath the same accordingly And whereas I have surrendered all my Copyhold and Customary Messuages Lands Tenements and Hereditaments whatsoever with their appurtenances scituate lying and being within the Towns Fields Parish and precincts of Winslowe and Shipton in the said County of Bucks and holden of the Mannor of Winslowe cum Membris in the said County of Bucks To such intents and purposes are mentioned expressed and declared in and by my last Will and Testament Now I do give will devise and bequeath all my said Copyhold and customary Messuages Lands Tenements and hereditam(en)ts with their appurtenances unto the said Joseph Dandridge my Kinsman son of my sister Anne Dandridge and his Heirs to the only proper use and behoof of the said Joseph Dandridge and his Heirs for Ever provided always and upon this Condition that if the said Joseph Dandridge and his Heirs do and shall well and truly pay or cause to be paid unto the
[f.4] said Anne Dandridge his Mother the Legacy or summe of Ten pounds herein before bequeathed unto her when the same shall become due and payable And do also well and truly pay or cause to be paid unto the said Francis Dandridge William Dandridge George Dandridge Ann Bigg and Mary Pursell their Legacies herein before given and bequeathed unto them when the same shall become due and payable And do also well and truly pay or cause to be paid William Elliott Son of my Brother Joseph Elliott his legacy herein before given and bequeathed unto him when the same shall become due and payable And do also well and truly pay or cause to be paid unto the said Thomas Pickfatt and Mary Pickfatt their Lagacys herein before given and bequeathed unto them when the same shall become due and payable And do also well and truly pay or cause to be paid unto the said Elizabeth Slade my Kinswoman her Annuity or yearly summe of Five pounds herein before bequeathed unto her for the term of her natural Life when the same shall become due and payable to her as aforesaid And do also well and truly pay or cause to be paid unto such Children or Child of the said Elizabeth Slade as aforesaid the Legacy or summe of One hundred pounds herein before bequeathed unto such Children or Child when the same shall become due and payable And do pay and reimburse unto my trusty and well beloved Friends Thomas Wright and William Shelton the younger within one Month next after my Decease All such summe and summes of Money which they or either of them shall expend or lay out concerning my Funerall charges so as they do not expend or lay out more than the summe of Ten pounds of lawfull money of England But if the said Joseph Dandridge my Kinsman and his Heirs or any of them do and shall at any time hereafter neglect or refuse to pay the said Legacy herein before bequeathed unto the said Anne Dandridge as aforesaid or the said Legacies herein before bequeathed unto the said Francis Dandridge William Dandridge George Dandridge Ann Bigg and Mary Pursell as aforesaid the said Legacy herein before bequeathed unto William Elliott Son of my Brother Joseph Elliott as aforesaid or the said Legacies herein before bequeathed unto the said Thomas Pickfatt and Mary Pickfatt as aforesaid or the said Annuity or yearly summe of Five pounds herein before bequeathed unto the said Elizabeth Slade as aforesaid or the said Legacy or summe of One hundred pounds herein before bequeathed unto such Children or Child of the said Elizabeth Slade as aforesaid or all such summe or summes of Money not exceeding the summe of Ten pounds which the said Thomas Wright and William Shelton the younger shall expend or lay out concerning my Funerall charges as aforesaid Then I give and bequeath my Forty acres of Land now in the occupation of Thomas Henly and the appurtenances belonging to the same being parcell of my Lands Tenements and hereditaments herein before bequeathed unto the said Joseph Dandridge unto the said Thomas Wright and William Shelton the younger my
[f.5] well beloved Friends and their Heirs upon this speciall Trust and confidence nevertheless in them reposed that they the said Thomas Wright and William Shelton and their Heirs shall and will sell and dispose of the same at and for the best price that can or may be conveniently had or gotten for the same And that by and out of the Moneys raised by such sale they the said Thomas Wright and William Shelton and their Heirs shall and will pay and discharge all such Legacies as I have herein before bequeathed unto any person or persons whatsoever And that if after all my said Legacies shall be paid and satisfied any part of the money raised by such sale as aforesaid shall remain in the hands of the said Thomas Wright and William Shelton or their Heirs they having likewise deducted to themselves their Legacies hereinafter mentioned and also all their reasonable charges and Expences concerning my Funerall and in and about the Execution and management of the premises aforesaid Then my will and desire is that the said Thomas Wright and William Shelton and their Heirs shall and will pay such surplus or overplus money unto the said Joseph Dandridge my Kinsman Item I do hereby desire the said Thomas Wright and William Shelton if my Executors shall not be with me at the time of my Decease to see my body buried in a decent manner And also to be overseers of this my last Will and Testament and to see the same performed And I do give each of them a Guinea for their trouble and pains therein to be paid unto them by my Executor within one month next after my Decease Item all the rest of my Goods Chattles and personal Estate whatsoever and wheresoever I give will devise and bequeath unto the said Joseph Dandridge my Kinsman paying my Debts Legacys and Funerall expences whom I make full and Sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament And lastly I do hereby revoke and make void all former Wills by me heretofore made And do declare this to be my last Will and Testament In Witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seal the day and year first above written in the Fifth year of the Reigne of Queen Anne over England &c William Elliott Signed Sealed published and declared in the presence of us who have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses in the presence of the Testator William Shelton Sen(io)r Peter Goldsworth Will(iam) Goldsworth.
[Probate at London on 16 June 1710 on the oath of Joseph Dandridge]
Notes
For more on Joseph Dandridge, see Dandridge family. He immediately sold his inheritance to William Lowndes and his trustees: see special manor court, August 1710. The legacies were actually paid by William Lowndes (see Lowndes Roll 1). According to this William son of Joseph Elliot was a soldier in Ireland and Spain.
William Elliott served as churchwarden and overseer. He was buried on 12 June 1710. He and Ann (bap. 1644) appear to have been the children of George Elliott, but William's baptism is not recorded at Winslow. He held 44 acres of land and 2 messuages (not including one in which he lived) when he died.
In 1687, "William Elliott of St Giles Cripplegate Victuler and Ann his wife" acquired 39 acres in Winslow and Shipton.