Winslow History | Will of Wendover Lowndes, 1687

Will of Wendover Lowndes, 1687

National Archives PROB 11/389/237

In the name of God Amen I Wendiver [sic] Lowndes being of sound memory praised be God doe make this my last Will com(m)iting my soule to Allmighty God in hopes of Salvac(i)on through the meritts of Jesus Christ and my body to the Earth in hopes of a Joyfull resurrection And I dispose of my Worldly Estate as followes (vizt) First I appoint Twenty pounds for my funerall desireing to be buried at Winslow neare my Ancestors and that my Debts shall be satisfyed out of my Estate and after the payment of my funerall charges and debts I give to my brother in Law Robert Mountague fifteene pounds w(hi)ch he owes me and eighty five pounds more to be paid him by my Executor Edmund Lowndes to make up the whole one Hundred pounds Item I doe order and appoint two shillings six pence aweeke to be paid every Munday morning to my sister Frances Coates to her ownes [sic] hands for her maintenance dureing her life, from the time of my decease soe that her Husband shall not intermeddle therewith, and my meaning is that she or her Husband shall be intitled to nothing else that belongs to me Item I give my Couzin Robert Lowndes tenne pounds for a peice of plate to remember Item I give to my deare brother Edmund Lowndes my Lease of a house and land at Dulw(i)ch in Surrey a mortgage of Thomas Spooners house at Winslow my interest in a house in Cherry Court at Westminster all the money that is due to me from Mr Robert Squibb all the money that is due to
[p.2] me upon a Mortgage from Charles Coates w(hi)ch was for one Hundred pounds and all other debts dues and demands Leases Mortgages Securityes goods chattells rights credits and Estate whatsoever any way belonging to me , and I make my said brother Edmund my sole Executor and my Couzin William Lowndes Overseere of this my Will, and I revoake all other wills by me made Wittnesse my hand and Seale the ninteenth day of October one Thousand six Hundred eighty seaven

W. Lowndes

Signed sealed and published in the presence of
Edmund Phillipps
the marke of W(illia)m Hunt
W(illia)m Vinmant.

[Latin] This will was proved at London before the venerable William Oldys Doctor of Laws, surrogate of the venerable and distinguished lord Sir Richard Raines also Doctor of Laws, Master Keeper or Commissary legitimately appointed of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, on the second day of the month of December 1687 on the oath of Edmund Lowndes brother of the said deceased and executor nominated in the said will, to whom was entrusted administration of all and singular the goods, rights and credits of the said deceased, sworn on God’s holy gospels to administer the same well and truly.

Notes

Wendover Lowndes lived in London in the parish of St Margaret Westminster. He was born in 1658, son of Wendover Lowndes senior (d.1672) and Susanna, nee Fyge (d.1667). He was buried at Winslow on 26 Oct 1687. His sister Martha, wife of Robert Mountague, was born at Winslow on 19 April 1661, but the other siblings Frances and Edmund must have been born in London. Frances married Charles Coates at St James Duke's Place, London on 25 Oct 1685, and Martha married Robert Mountague at St Lawrence, Little Stanmore, Middx, on 4 April 1686. Frances and Martha inherited Wendover's property in Winslow in 1695 on the death of Edmund.

See Winslow Hall for more about the family; Wendover was the first cousin of the builder of the Hall, who is the William Lowndes named as overseer in the will. In 1686 Wendover transferred to William Lowndes a bond for £20 (with £40 penalty for non-payment) which he held from John Huett of Winslow (British Library, Add. ms. 37069 f.177). In June 1680 William seems to have proposed Wendover for the post of "King's waiter, London port", a sort of customs inspector (Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 6, 1679-1680), and he certainly had some sort of civil service function as he is recorded several times receiving or disbursing official funds. Wendover must also have worked as a law writer: in December 1680 he received a payment from secret services funds for "making copies of several commissions", and another in 1685 for "engrossing a list of severall baronets" (Moneys Received and Paid for Secret Services of Charles II and James II, 22, 122)