Scope and Content
[p.1] IN THE NAME of the most holy and moost blissed Trinite, the Fader the Sone and the holy Goost, amen. I RICHARD FOWLER, Chaunceller of the Duchie of Lancastre though I be visited with ' sikenesse. Nevertheles beyng of hole mynde and in good memoir', thanked be almighty god, make and ordeyne this my present Testament conteynyng therynne my last wille, on Friday in the vigill of alle Seintes, the yere of our lord 1m CCCC1xxvij. and the xvij yere of the Regne of our soverain lord kyng Edward the fourth, in the fourme that foloweth: FIRST I bequethe and commende my soule unto almighty Jhesu my Redemer. and to the moost blissed virgyn his Moder oure lady seint Marie. to seint George. seint Christofre. seint Edward. seint Romwold. seint Anne. seint Kateryn. seint Margarete. seint Brigette. and to all the holy cumpanie of heven. AND my body to be buryed in the Ile of seint Romwold withynne the Chirche Prebendarie of Bukyngham. begonne of newe to be made. that is to wite. in suche a place on the southside of the Shryne there, as shall be thought by myn Executours moost convenient, Forseen alwey, that ther be no Toumbe, but oonly a flat stone, with Images and Scochons etc. ITEM I woll that alle my dettes be wele and truly paid as ferreforth, as eny can be proved due. and specially tho dettes due by me. the whiche appere by writynges endented, and also in quayers of paper writen with myn oune hande. ITEM I bequethe 1xx.marc'. therwith to fynde a covenable and vertuous preest to seye his divine service and to synge his Masse in the seid Ile and to pray specially for my soule and the soules of my Fader and my Moder, and for the soules of sir Water late Bisshop of Norwich, dame Isabell Shotesbroke, and for the soules of Water Henry and Thomas and for alle cristen soules, by the space of vij yeres next suyng after my deceesse, And I woll that the same preest have yerely for his salarie .x. marc', the said terme of vij yeres enduryng. ITEM I bequethe to the high' Auter of the Cathedrall Chirche of lincoln xx s. ITEM to the high Auter of the Cathedrall Chirche of seint Poules in London xs. ITEM to the Maister of the Temple in Fletestrete beside London xs. ITEM to the high Auter of the Chirche of Thame in the Counte of Oxon' xxs. ITEM to the high Auter of the Chirche of seint Margarete at Westm' xxs. ITEM I bequethe to everych of the Chirches of Mourton' Foscote Okeley Thornton' and Padbury xls. in money in satisfaccion and discharge of my Faders soule, of suche money as was yeven' and bequethen' unto theym by dame Isabell Shotesbroke aforenamed. Whiche shuld have been paid by my seid Fader and other his Cofeoffees. R FOWLER. [p.2] ITEM I bequethe to Johane my wyf'all the stuff of myn household in alle places and alle my greynes and my cataill. except my cataill upon the Manoir of Shobendon. ITEM I bequehte to the same Johane my wyf. plate of myn. of the best that she woll chese. beyng of the value of C li., and not above, And besidis this. I woll that she have all. her oune apparaill and array belangyng to oune body. ITEM I woll and bequethe. that my Sone Richard have of my plate. a Bacyn and an Ewer of silvere, oon stondyng Cup covrered of silvere and gilt, a peir of smale Saltsalers with oon Coueryng of silvere and gilt wrethed, and a doseyn Spones of silvere. to be delivered unto hym whanne he shall come unto his age of xxj yeres, yf he lyve so longe and be of good rule and sadde conversacion, and be ruled and guyded by my seid Wyf his moder and by myn Executours in his mariage yf it fortune that they may gete the mariage of hym of the Kynges good grace. and yf he be not so ruled and guyded. thenne I woll that he have noon of my seid plate, but thenne I woll. that all my seid plate to hym by me so bequothen. be disposed and applyed by myn Executours about the execucion of this my Testament and wille. ITEM I bequethe to myn Aunte Sibile Quatermayns by wey of remembraunce a stondyng cup covered of silvere and gilt ITEM I bequethe to my doughter Sibile Chambreleyn a stondyng cup covered of silvere and gilt ITEM to my Suster Alice Rokes a stondyng Cup covered of silvere and gilt. Alle to be of the Cuppes of the lesse sort. ITEM I woll that Johane my doughter be maryed to Edward Stradlyng whos warde and mariage I have bought and ordeyned for her. yf god of his grace woll suffre theym to lyv till they come unto their Ages of discrecion, that is to sey, to the age of xv yeres, and also that it please god to put in their myndes at that tyme. to love togiders, and can fynde in their hertes to be maryed togiders, and elles not in no wise And yf it fortune the seid Edward to deceesse afore that age. or elles that either he or my seid aoughter Johane disagree so to marie. thanne I woll. that the same my doughter be maryed in suche other place. as it shall please god to dispose for her by the advice and assent of myn Executours, And yf she so be maried, thanne I woll that she have four hundred marc' to her mariage, And for the payment of the same. I woll that the Warde and mariage of the seid Edward be solde, And of the money comyng thereof the seid four hundred marc' to be paid, And in this. I woll that his warde and mariage be solde to suche. as beth like to his birthe, and that he be not disparaged by his mariage in no wise. ITEM I woll that yf the seid Edward deceesse without heir of his body begoten lyvyng his Suster Anne. the same Anne beyng withynne age or unmaryed. thanne I woll that my seid Sone Richard be maryed to the same Anne. yf he thenne be unmaryed. in caas he and she can fynde in their hertes. to love either other by way of mariage. and elles not, And yf he or she can not fynde in their hertes so to do. or elles that the same Richard my sone deceesse. before she come to her lawefull age. thanne I woll. that the warde and mariage of the same Anne, be solde by myn Executours to [p.3] the moost avauntage, and so that she be in no wise disperaged by her mariage, And of the money comyng of the same sale the seid four hundred marc' to be paid to the marriage of my seid doughter Johane, as afore is seid. yf she be maryed by thadvice and assent of my seid Executours, And yf she be not so ruled in her seid mariage or elles yf that she deceesse vnmaryed, thanne I woll that the seid four hundred marc'be disposed and applyed by myn Executours about the execucion of this my present Testament and Wille. ITEM yf if be so that the seid Edward Stradlyng lyve till he come to his age of xxj yeres. thanne I woll that the seid Anne his Suster have C marc' to her mariage in caas that she be ruled and guyded in her mariage by thadvice of myn' Executours And in caas that the Graundemoder of the seid Edward deceesse. lyvyng the same Edward. and afore that he come to his age of xvj yeres. thanne I woll that the seid Anne have an other C marc' to her seid mariage. yf she be ruled and guyded in her seid mariage by my seid executours as it is aforesaid. ITEM I woll that my Feoffees suffre my seid wyf duryng her lyfe to take and perceyve alle the Revenuz issues and profites comyng of the Manoirs of Shobendon. and Mourton in the Countee of Oxon, and of alle my londes and tenementes in Stuteley, Bukyngham, Bourton, Mourton, Foscote and Shalston'in the seid Countee of Buk', My dwellyng place in Bukyngham aforesaid, with alle the landes medes Closes and pastures perteynyng to my same dwellyng place. oonly excepted. the whiche. I woll that my brother Thomas Fowler have the profites therof duryng his lyfe. without eny thyng yeldyng. So that he sufficiantly repaire if yerely. ITEM I woll that my Feoffees suffre my seid wyf duryng her lyfe to take and perceyve. alle the revenuz issues and profites comyng of alle my londes and tenementes in Kenyngton, Lyford, Stanlake, and Takkeley in the Countees of Oxon' and Berk' . ITEM I woll that my Feoffees after the deceesse of myn Aunte Sibile Quatermayns afore named. do not make estate to my seid wyf. of and in the manoir of Shirbourne in the seid Countee of Oxon' with thappurtenauntz accordyng to the tenour of thendentures therupon' made. between my late uncle Richard Quatermayns and me with other'. Or elles atte leest to continue their astate therynne duryng the naturell lyfe of my seid wyf. Suffryng her. or other to her use. to take and perceyve alle the Revenuz issues and profites therof. without interrupcion, what mannere of lyvyng that she take her self unto, And after her naturall lyfe passed. to make estate therof to myn heires. accordyng to the tenour of the seid endentures. ITEM I woll that my seid wyf and Executours take and perceyve the Revenuz issues and profites comyng and growng of alle lordships manoirs londes and tenementes, the which I have, or the whiche shull growe unto me or to theym by reason of the warde and mariage of the seid Edward. or of his seid Suster Anne. or of eny other his or her heires. till he she or they come unto their full and lawefull age. of lesse thanne his mariage or hers be solde. as afore is seid. [p.4] ITEM I woll that the forseid Ile of seint Romwold in the forseid Chirche prebendarie of Bukyngham Where my Moder and other of my Frendes lyen buryed. the whiche Ile is begonne of newe to be made. be fully made and pefrourmed upp perfitely in alle thynges at my cost and charge, AND in the same Ile I woll that ther be made of newe. a Toumbe or a Shryne for the seid Seint. Where the olde is now stondyng and that it be made curiously with marble. in lengths and brede. as shall be thought by myn Executours moost convenient. Consideracion hadde to the Rome, and upon the same Toumbe or Shryne I woll that ther be settle a Coffyn or a chest curiously wrought and overegilt. as it apperteyneth. for to ley yn the bones of the same Seynt And this also to be toon in alle thynges at my cost and charge. ITEM I woll that ther be a Monke or a preest founden to synge daily in the chapell of seint Dunstone in thabbey of Westm'. Where my fader lyth buryed. for the terme of v yeres next suyng after my deceesse, And yf he be a Monke of the same place, thanne I woll that he have vj marc' in money for his salarie yerely duryng the same terme, And yf he be a seculer preest. thenne I woll that he have x marc' in money for his salarie yerely duryng the seid terme, by the handes of myn executours to pray for my soule. and for the soules of my Fader and my Moder and for alle other soules aforedeclard. in suche manere and fourme. as shall be ordeyned by my seid wyf and Executours ITEM I woll that Thomas More have an Annuite graunted unto hym by my Feoffees . of xx s. by yere. out of alle my landes and tenementes in Tettesworth duryng his lyfe, with sufficient clause of distresse, for defaute of payment by the space of a month after eny day of payment there usuall. ITEM I woll that my servaunt Roger Bartelot have xl s. And Christofre Holand xx s. And Thomas Fairewell xl s., And Christofre Standyssh xl s., and every other menyall yoman servaunt of myn xiij s. iiij d beside their wages. ITEM I woll that John Cook my sernaunt have in money overe his wages leej s. iiij d. ITEM that Margerie Power have toward her mariage Cs. ITEM that Elizabeth Heryng have under like fourme xl s. ITEM that Anneys Berewell yf she be ruled and guyded by my wyf in her mariage have to her mariage C s. ITEM I woll that at the day of my buryng and of the kepyng of my Moneth mynde ther be disposed x li. in money amonge preestes and pouere people. And x li. to the mariage of pouere Maydyns not havyng Fader or moder or eny other Frends to preferre them, And in this I woll that the doughters of my pouere Tenauntes. have preferrement afore alle other, [p.5] ITEM where I have bequothen before to my seid wyf all the stuff of myn houshold in alle places and alle my greynes and my cataill, except my cataill upon the Manoir of Shobendon. I woll that yf my seid wyf kepe her self sole unmaryed.that thanne she to have all my seid cataill beyng there, and asmoche money of the dettes whiche beth owyng to me by the kyng and his Tresorer of household, as shall extende. with the value of the seid cataill to the somme of C li. And in caas that she kepe her self not sole. thanne I woll that she have a yerely annuite of xvj li. xiij s. iiij d. oonly and nomore out of the seid Manoir. Any writyng afore made. in any wise not withstondyng. ITEM. I woll that my warde John Horsey, with the kepyng of alle his londes and tenementes the whiche I have now in possession'. be solde by myn Executours. to the moost profite and availl. Reservng to myn Executours duryng his nounage. certein londes and tenementes therof to he yerely value of xl marc' or elles reservyng to them an annuite to the same yerely value duryng the seid nounage. ITEM I woll that myn Executours releesse to my Brother Thomas Fowler alle suche dettes as he oweth to me ITEM I woll that my Foeffes of and in my londes and tenementes in Chichelee in the Countee of Buk. do make astate therof immediatly after my deceesse to my servaunt John Byrd. to have unto hym and to his heires for evermore. ITEM I woll that my Feoffees beyng enfeoffed in certein tenementes in the parissh' of Seint Nicholas Oluf beside Oldefisshestrete of London'and in the parissh' of Seint Mighell at Quenehithe of London, pourchaced by me of my late uncle Richard Quatermayns. do selle the Reversion therof whanne it shall falle, And the money therof comyng, to be applyed to theexecucion of this my present Testament and wille. AND THE RESIDUE of alle my godes catals plate Juelx and dettes what so evere they be. after my dettes paid, my funeralx expenses full doon. the legates comprised in this my present Testament and last wille fully perfourmed and alle other charges born' concernyng this my present Testament and last wille. and thexecucion of the same. I woll it be disposed by myn Executours [p.6] in dedes and werkes of pitee. suche as to theym shull be thought moost acceptable to the pleasure of almighty god for the relief of my soule AND for the perfite execucion of this my seid testament and last wille I make and ordeyne. myn Executours. the reverend Fader in god. William Bisshop of Duresme William Hastynges knyght Lord Hastynges the kynges Chambreleyn, Masiter John Morton Clerk of the Rolles of the Kynges Chauncelrie, Johane my wyf, and Henr' Danvers citezen and Mercer of London. Every of them to have a stondyng cup covered of silvers and gilt by wey of Remembraunce, And yf eny of these named Executours refuse to take upon hym the charge as Executour, thanne I woll that he so refusyng. stonde and be Supervisor of this my Testament and last wille receyvyng his seid Cup' IN witnesse wherof to this my present testament and last wille I have set my deale. the day and yere above writen, and subscribed it with myn oune hands. R. Fowler. Probate 22 Nov 1477