Will of Thomas Crowch

of Corneybury, Hertfordshire - buried 1616 in St Bartholomew's

Will dated 19-Oct-1612
Will codicile 10-Aug-1613

In the name of God Amen I Thomas Crouch of Corniburie in the parish of Leyston within the Countie of Hert being (God be thanked) in good state of body and mynd that I may be provided for the orderinge And settlinge of my state before the tyme of my last Conflict w[i]th sicknes and Death doe thus beforehand make my last will and Testament as followeth First I Commend my soule into the handes of Almightie God w[hi]ch Created it and of Jesus Christ my blessed Saviour w[i]th whome is mercie am?.. plentious redemption And my bodie I will that it be decentlie buried w[i]thout makeinge much adoe? Item I doe Constitute and appointe my Well beloved bretheren and Freindes Mr Edward Barkham and my sister Jane his wife my Brother William Crowch and my brother in law Josua Gallard to be guardians and Governors of my Children and theire estates not doubtinge but that they and every of them will Carefully and Conscionably Discharge the especial trust w[hi]ch I repose in them Item I doe will and ordaine that noe revenewes or proffitte issuinge oute of my Landes ten[emen]ts and hereditaments or any of them nor any Childe p[ar]tes or porcons or summes of money shalbe due or payable unto my Children before theire severall ages or temes followinge that is to saye unto my sonnes at theire severall ages of fower and Twenty yeares compleate and unto my daughters at theire severall ages of one and Twentie years Compleate or theire dayes of marriages w[hi]ch shall first happen. In the mean while I doe appointe and order that theire guardians above named shall receve take and gather as well the said revenewes and proffitts as allso all other my goods and Chattells not otherwise Disposed herein and shall imploye the same for the maintenance of my said Children at theire Discretions and for the raysinge of a stocke to be Devided amonge them or the Survivors of them at the termes aforesaid. Item my will and meaninge is yf both my sonnes John and Thomas shall attaine the their said ages of fower and Twentie yeares that then soe many equall shares (as nere? as in their Discretions they can) beinge sett out as there be p[er]sons all the rest shall have theire shares alike onelie my sonne John in regard that all my landes Doe Discend unto him shall have but halfe a share and the other halfe shalbe for my sonne Thomas besides his owne. But yf either of my said sonnes shall happen to Die before the said terme, then I will that all my Childrens porcons that shal survive be made equall,. Furthermore I doe will and ordaine that the guardians of my Children above named shall out of my goods and Chattels allowe and Disburse some competent some of money for the placinge and bestowinge of Michaell Crouch sonne unto my Unckle Michaell Crouch deceased soe that it be not above the some of Twentie poundes. Item I give and bequeath unto my sister Ann Wincoll? Tenn poundes. Item I will that my Aunt Hilles? Lilles shall have her payment of xl s yearelie continued unto her duringe her life. Lastlie I doe bequeath unto the said guardians to each of them v li not as a recompence for theire paynes but as a token of my hartie good will w[hi]ch I bere unto them Desireinge then to imploy it some waye for a remembrance of me. other matters for a Distribution unto the poore and unto my Servants I leave unto theire Discretions. This is my last will and Testament written w[i]th my owne hand and published and signed by me this19th Daye of October 1612 Thomas Crouch Witnesses hereof Alexander Strange Edward Brakham Junior

August 10 1613

Uppon further Deliberacon I doe nominate and appoint my said beloved Bretheren William
Crowch and Josua Gallard Executors of this my last Will and Testament. Thomas Crowch

Probatum fuit Testamentum suprascriptum unarum Codicillo apud London coram venerabili viro Mag[ist]ro Edmund Pope legum Doctore Surrogato venerabilis viri Domini Johannis Benet militis legum etiam Doctoris Curie prerogativo Cantuar..se Mag[ist]ro Guilfordie suie Commissary legitime constituti Octavo die mensis January Anno Domini iuxta …….et Computacon Ecclie Anglicane millesimo sexcentisimo Decime sexto Juramento William Crowch et John Gallard Executor.. in eodem Testamentuo nominate Quibus comissa fuit Administraco bonorum Jur…….et Creditorum dicti defuncti de bone
et fideliter Administrando etc ad sancti dei Evangelia jurat.

View scanned originals:  From the National Archives