Will of Robert Sinfield, victualler, 1822 (administration 1823)

Herts RO 259AW6

1822 Dec(ember) 3^th
this is to Sertefy that I Make My Will in the way I Mean It And Soled and Sober And Sound Mind that is to Say I Wish My Wife Sarah Sinfield to have and to hold All My property that Now Belongs to Huss Both for Hur Lif But if ples God takes Me furst then What Propertey thear is House Land Catel or funetur is Hurn for Hur Life And After But if ples God thakes Me Befor James Broun Is 14 years of I shald Wish him to be Bount & prentes to A Respeted Trad And After Serven is prentes Ship £20 to \be/ payd to Him But if he dos Not Serve is time then give im £10 and Let im go
[p.2] But if My Wife Sarah Sinfield Marrys A Gayn then I Declare the Next Husband As No Besnes With the House No Longer than ur Lif And af Hur deth I Wish House Land Catel or furnetur to Be Sold And devided Betwext Hur Neves And Neses And Mine Let thear Be few or Meney

[another hand] Archdeaconry of Saint Alban   The 12^th day of December 1823
Sarah Sinfield Widow Administratrix with this Will annexed was duly sworn as such And that the personal Estate of the Testator doth not amount in the whole to the Sum of four hundred and fifty pounds to the best of her knowledge and belief
Before me James Preedy

Archdeaconry of Saint Alban      
The twelfth day of December in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty three
Appeared personally James Hill of Winslow in the County of Bucks Liquor Merchant and Richard Matthews of the same place Cabinet Maker and being sworn on the Holy Evangelists to depose the truth made Oath that they knew and were acquainted with Robert Sinfield late of Winslow in the County of Buckingham and within the said Archdeaconry Victualler deceased for severall years next preceding and down to the time of his death during which time they have often seen him write and thereby became well acquainted with his manner and character of hand writing and having now seen and carefully perused the paper writing hereunto annexed bearing date the third day of December One thousand eight hundred and twenty two purporting to be his Will beginning thus “1822 Dec(ember) 3th This is to sertefy” and ending thus “betwixt hur neves and neses and mine let thear be few or meney” they these Deponents do depose that they verify and at their conscience believe the whole series and contents of the said paper writing beginning and ending as aforesaid to be all of the proper hand writing of the said deceased

Sworn at Winslow aforesaid day and year first above written  
[signed] James Hill  Richard Matthews
James Preedy Surrogate

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Notes

This very unusual will (which has some good examples of 1822 Bucks dialect) wouldn't have been legally valid as it wasn't witnessed and didn't name an executor. As it was preserved, someone must have tried to prove it, but Sarah Sinfield is named as administratrix not executrix, so Robert was treated as intestate. This seems to be what he intended to say, in standard English:

This is to certify that I make my will in the way I mean it, being of solid, sober and sound mind. That is to say, I wish my wife Sarah Sinfield to have and to hold all my property that now belongs to us both for her life, but if God pleases to take me first, then what property there is (house, land, chattels or furniture) is hers for her life. But if God pleases to take me before James Brown is 14 years of age I should wish him to be bound apprentice to a respectable trade, and after serving his apprenticeship £20 to be paid to him, but if he does not serve his time then give him £10 and let him go. But if my wife Sarah Sinfield marries again then I declare the next husband has no business with the house, no longer than her life. And after her death I wish house, land, chattels and furniture to be sold and divided between her nephews and nieces and mine, whether there are few or many.

Robert Sinfield kept the Old Crown. He probably began running it in 1817 or 1818, but became owner in 1822. After he died his widow Sarah remained as owner but didn't run it herself, and in 1864 it was sold by Walter Sinfield of Great Brickhill, probably Robert's nephew. Sarah was living in Winslow as a boarder with independent means in 1841 and 1851.

Robert was baptised at Great Brickhill in 1782 and buried at Little Horwood in 1823. His widow Sarah was buried at Wingrave in 1863 aged 76. They are probably the Robert Sinfield and Sarah Warren who got married at St Andrew Holborn in 1816. In the 1861 census, Sarah was living at Wingrave as a boarder along with James Brown, a baker aged 45. Her birthplace was given as Hogshell or Horstall, Warwickshire (presumably the Bucks enumerators couldn't understand her accent).