Scope and Content
1. John Lord St John of Bletsoe, Hon John St John esquire, his eldest son and heir; 2. Peter Simond, esquire, Susanna Louisa his eldest daughter; 3. Havey Sparks, esquire, Richard Hull, esquire; 4. Sir John Hynde Cotton, Baronet, Sir Joshua Van Neck, Baronet.
Reciting: Deed to lead uses, 13 November 1755, and Recoveries, by which the following estates are limited:
(i) Hundred of Beresford. To use of (1b) for life, remainder: rent charge of £1500 per annum to Elizabeth Lady St John for her life, then to use of other sons of (1a) in tail male.
(ii) Manors of Bletsoe and Woodford etc. To use of trustees, to raise £18,000 for portions of younger children of (1a) (Marriage Settlement of John Lord St John and Elizabeth Lady St John).
Marriage Settlement of John St John (1b) and Susanna Louisa Symond (2b):
-- portion of (2b) to be £20,000, as follows: £4000 to (1a), £11,000 to be invested in names of (4), £5,000 to be secured by bond of (2a) to (4) in trust for younger children of (1a)
-- conveyance of whole estate by (1) to (3) in trust: Manors of Bletsoe and Woodford and estates in Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Suffolk and London, to use of (1b) for life, remainder to trustees to preserve contingent remainders, remainder: manors of Bletsoe and Woodford to (2b) for life as jointure, rest to sons of marriage in tail male.
-- Hundred of Beresford and manors and rectories of Melchbourne, Riseley and East Haddon, and all estate in Melchbourne, Riseley, Skelton, Deane, Biddenham, Tilbrook, Over Dean, East Haddon, to use of (1a) with remainder to trustees to preserve contingent remainders, remainder (subject to rent charge of £1500 per annum to Lady St. John) to use of (1b), etc.
-- (1b) is to present to the rectories of Bletsoe and Woodford such of his brothers as (1a) shall appoint, for one turn.
-- (1b) may settle £500 per annum on a second wife and may raise £10,000 from the estate for the children of his second marriage.
-- portions of younger children of the present marriage to be from £10,000 for one child to £2,000 for more than three, subject to the apportionment of (1b) and (2b).
-- an only daughter is to have £10,000 more.
-- (1) may sell lands in Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and London, and pay money to (3) to buy other lands in Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire.
-- if (2b) marries again after the death of (1b), she will pay £100 per annum for the maintenance of eldest son of the first marriage.