Will of John Crowch

Corneybury, Hertfordshire - died Feb 1606 buried 14th Feb 1606 in St Bartholomew's

Will dated 16-Aug-1605

In the Name of God Amen the sixteenth day of August in the year of our Lord God one thousand six hundred and fyve I John Crowche of Corneybury in the Parish of Laiston in the County of Hertford Gent being in good and perfect remembrance thanks be to Almightie God, doe make this my last Will and Testament in manner and forme following First I give and bequeath My soul unto Almightie God in whome I truste in Jesus Christe onely to be saved And I commit my bodie to the earthe to be buried within the Chancell of Laiston Church at the discretion of mine Executor hereafter in this my laste will nominated And for ? temporall goods lands and tenements

Fyrst I Will that all such debts ?etc I doe owe unto anie p[er]son or p[er]sonns in right and Conscience shalbe truly paid

Item I give unto the poorest people of the Parish of Laiston to be bestowed amongst them at the discretion(?) of the Vicar and Churchwardens of the said parish of Laiston the sum of fortie shillings

Item I give unto my son John Crowche the six hundred pounds which he oweth me upon _______

Item My will is that my said son John Crowche shall(?) _______ and ________ unto him the said John and to Anne his nowe wife and to the longer lived of them and to the heires of the bodie of the saide John begotten of the bodie of the saide Anne And for want of such issue to the righte heires of the said John my manor of Aswicke? and Donnhall with all thereto belonginge nowe beinge in the occupacon of Richard Crowche with the orchards and fishe pondes there and the sheepe walke for an hundreth sheepe And all ? landes which I bought of ?mithall ? And a pe…by Alswicke ponde and three Acres of lade on popeshad hill that ………John …………des And all the tythe due to the personage of Laiston oute of the premisses and five tenements on the ? greene and one tenement in …saleable lade in the occupation of their tenant viz John S.op. Richard Turner Adam …..Richard Wigge ..Knott one of them beinge nowe voide was lately in the tenure of Thomas Swallowe And fower Acres and half a roade on tower hill that was Maurito Lamond with the tythe thereof etc I have alredie by my deed? under my seale devsed the same

Item I give unto my sonne Thomas Crowche and to his heires my mannor of Corneyburye and all thereto belonginge as shalbe named hereafter that is to saie Corniburye house with all the outhouses orchardes and gardens the Close aboute the house the two laye Closes by the highe waie towardes the towne one of them accompted fowerteene acres and thother Tenne acres and beneath them the Slipe and two meadowes the one of them Called Batonsmeade the other lyinge ? next ? lytle feilde And the six acres meade nexte the house and the two middle meadowes of three acres a peece more or lesse and five holmes and the Slipe by them and north meade Cossons Close the …….. pasture the Close Called the Saffron grounde and Delfeilde and seaven Others in Spurne Feilde and a Close Called Cormilye And tenne Others beyonde Cormilye And six Others nexte to Sir George ??? and twoe acres in twoe peeces upp to Bartewaie eaie and twentie acres there and eighte Acres and a peece at the upper end of the eight acres by the same waie and one acre nexte Delfeilde and all the lands betweene the pounde wood and Bartewaie Land and Austens …………. and one and twentie acres Brownwswell feilde and two acres and a halfe in Brownes Corner and …….. Parke and Cowleas and all Cornyfeilde Called ….sbridgefeilde the ponde wood and the wood by Cormylie the Close Called Buttonswellfeilde on the west side of the highe waye Twoe peeces beyond the Churche Called the towne Acres peeces on this side the olde mill and the saide ould mill and Twoe Acres boughte with the saide mill and the five Acres nexte the saide mill and the twelve Acres there and the howse that the miller dwelleth in and one Acre more in the occupacon of William Browne that was Willingtons and six acres of my demesne lyinge by the saide Acre and mine Acres on the other side of Smaile meade and an acre and a halfe by the mill that was Willingtons and all my landes in litle feilde and one Acres and an halfe in Swallowefeilde that was Bottrells

Item I give unto my saide sonne Thomas Crowche and his heires a Barne and a Close lyinge therto with all their appurt[ena]nces Called Allens Barne and the sheepe walke belonginge to Cornybury and the Coute Baron and Leete Royalties p[er]quisites and profitts of Courts and Leete and quitrents unto the saide mannor of Cornyburie in any waie belonginge or appeteyninge and the Advowson? and patronage of Laison and Chappell of Alstwicke aforesaid and the tythe of all the landes abovesaide soemuche? as app[er]teyneth to the personage of Layston aforesaide

Item I give alsoe unto my said sonne Thomas and to his heires a tenement in Buntingford nere the Chappell nowe in the occupacon of Joane Bird Widowe and alsoe a Tenement with a Backside? and all the owte howses therunto belongige nowe in the occupacon of Thomas Swallowe and a litle peightell by the millers howse late John Reynoldes and a litle meadowe Called Konte or Gi………..conteyninge one acre more or lesse in the tenure of Arthure Hardie

Item I give moreover unto my saide sonne Thomas and to his heires a litle peightell Called Bowndeswell peightell wherin Hughe Lewes hath builded a Cottage and had noe righte to the same and also a litle peece of pasture Called Crokethomstall And moreover my Will is that yf there be any other builded Tenements of hereditaments belonging to Cornybury or Gibtrake which shall not by this my last Will and testament be otherwise devised I doe give the same unto my saide sonne Thomas and to his heires

Item I give unto my sonne William Crowche my nowe house at Buntingford that was Reynoldes with the Pightelle and CLose on the backside that was Elvies and those p[ar]celle of lande followinge That is to saie Three acres by S.naylesmeade two Acres nexte Aspidonfeilde on the next side of the highe waie and all my landes in Bowndeswellfeilde and halfe an Acre in moonemeadefeilde abuttinge uppon Hertfordmeade and five acres at ?Leedvalley and a meade plott up to Throckinge Close and one Acre in Howoodfeilde more or lesse by Tansiemeere and one Acre in the same feilde late mr Brograves? And the George in Buntingford with all the howses belinginge and Chappell meade and a Close Called James Close over against the vicaridge howse towardes the northe and fower Acres of in Bortholomewe feilde and one Roode lyinge by Sir George Gylles? nowe howse Called litle Courte the lane beinge on the southe side of yt Alsoe I give unto my saide sonne William one Acre Called Claiepitt Acre that was John Reynoldes and nine Acres beyond the vicaridge howse abbuttinge on the twelve Acres at the easteheade and uppon the Close behinde the newe howse aforesaid at the other and which said peece as p[ar]cell of the demeasnes of Cornyburye

Item I give unto my saide sonne William all the tythes app[er]teyninge to the personage of Layston throughoute the wholle p[ar]ishe of Layston exceptinge all such tythes as ar yssuinge owte of any of the mannor landes Tenementes and hereditaments before by theis present given ordained to any other of my sonnes all which p[ar]cells above saide menconed to be given to my saide sonne William I doe give them unto him and to his heires for ever uppon this Condicon notwithstandinge that he my saide sonne William doe discharge me and mine Executors from all manner of legacies given to him by his Grandfather and Grandmother deceased or eyther of them Moreover I give unto my saide sonne William the fower hundreth poundes which he hath alredie hadd receaved of me

Item I doe give (unto) unto my daughters Elizabeth Freeman Jane Barkham Joane Freeman and Margaret Hare for a remembrance and token of my goodwill towardes them to eache of them tenne poundes

Item I doe give unto my Syster Joane ?Hills …. …… her yearly duringe her naturall life by my Executor and his heires the somme of fortie shillings a yeare

Item I give to my servantes that is to say To Hellenor Pogram? five poundes to Margarett ??ye fortie shillings To Anne Cole Grace Larke Thomas Maxey Richard Turner John Carelesse Edward Turner Robert Cole ……. Crowche Edward Luck Luke ………… John Yonglove and Goodwife Turner and to eache of them twentie shillings

Item I give to the reparinge of the hwses which were given foe the releife of the poore of Buntingford the ?somme of fower poundes

Item I doe give towardes the repairinge of Cornybridge and the highe waie between that bridge and Buntingford townesende yearly twentie shillings foe ever to be yssuinge and raised owte of the p…. my stalles in the markett place in Buntingofrd

Item I give further unto my saide sonne John Crowche the somme of five hundreth poundes to be paid unto him by mine Executor within two yeares after my decease That is to saie twoe hundreth poundes thereof within one yeare after my decease And the three hundreth pounds residue within the saide twoe yeares nexte after my decease uppon this Condition notwithstandinge that hee my saide sonne John Crowche shall with this and the other giftes and legacies to him herin given and bequeathed houlde himselfe fully satisfied for any futher Claimes or demands of any other of my landes and goodes and shall further within three momthes nexte after my decease upon reasonable and lawfull Warninge and request to him the saide John Crowche given and made with sufficient notice of this Condiconall guifts and legacies of five hundreth poundes seale and deliver as his deede and sufficient release unto my saide sonne Thomas Crowche and his heires of all his rightes tythe intereste Claime or demandes whatsoever which he the siade John Crowche shall or maye at any tyme hearafter have? or Challenge in or to any of my mannors landes tenements or hereditaments goodes or Chattells herin given or bequeather uto my saide sonne Thomas Crowche and his heires and Executors And alsoe uppon lyke Condidon to make the like release in manner and forme above specified unto my saide sonne William Crowche and his heires uppon reasonable demande to be made by the saide William or his heires or lawfull assignes unto the saide John Crowche or heires

Item I doe further make and ordaine my saide sonne Thomas Crowche myne onely and sole Executor of this my last Will and testament In Witness whereof I have hereunto putt my hande and seale the daie and yeare first above Written By me John Crowche Memorandum that this Will and testament of the saide Crowche tholder conteyned in theis five sheets of paper sowed together was? by him the saide John Crowche published and declared to be his last Will and testament in the presence of Edmund Kinge Richard Crowche

Probatum fuit huismodi Testamentum apud London coram m[agist]ro Johannes ?Annye legum doctore Suurogato venerabilis virid.. Johannes Bennett milite legum etiam doctoris Curie prerogative Cantuar m[agist]ri Custodis suie Comissarii …….. Constitut septimo die menses martii Anno d[omin]i juxta Cursum et Computarem ecclie Anglican milisimi sexcentesimo quinto Juramento Thome Crowche filii et Executoris in testamento producto nominat Cui Administrand etc An Sancta dei Evangelia Jurat.

View scanned originals:  From the National Archives