Scope and Content
(i) Anne Howard of Bedford, widow
(ii) John Moore Howard of Bedford, keeper of H.M County Gaol,
Edward Jeffreys of Bedford, draper and w. Mary,
Thomas Mayes of Bedford, woodman and w. Anne Paradine,
Emery Eastaff of Bedford, widow
Thomas Bright of Bedford, joiner and w. Elizabeth
James Shaw of Woburn, cabinet maker and w. Mary
(iii) John Jackson of Bedford, hosier
(iv) John Blackwell of Bedford, gent
(v) William Watkins of Bedford, gent
Recites will of John Howard.
Thomas, nephew of John and brother of John Moore Howard, died in lifetime of his aunt Margaret, without docking entail, so that property did not descend to John Moore but to James Shaw, by virtue of his being son of Thomas Shaw, Woburn, cabinet maker, and wife Anne, who was only child of James Howard, decd., next brother and heir of testator and older than Thomas., father of John Howard's nephews and nieces.
John Jackson withes to purchase the property and John Blackwell part of the same.
- messuage and shop on west side of High Street, occupied by John Jackson, adjg. the George south and messuage of Mrs Rebecca Day occ. John Blackwell north;
Part of messuage called tghe George Inn, in high Street, which begins "in the middle or centre of the arched brick gateway of the inn fronting the High Street and contains 5ft, 6ins till is adjoins the house and shop" occ. John Jackson and is the northern hald of the gateway, and which with the front of John Jackson's mess. measures 30ft. 7ins.
And also all those partments or pieces of rooms or dwellings over the arched brick gateway on the northern half in a direct line upwards from the iddle of the crown of the gateway to the top of the Inn on the outside of the tiles of the roof thereof (the division of the apartments to be made with studwork and to be lathed and plastered on both sides at the expense of the proprietors of the south part of the Inn and of John Jackson equally);
Also all those parts of the upper and lower yards of the Inn being the N. side thereof as they are now divided and set out by a bending or curved line with stumps already set down, which line begins in the middle of the outside of the gateway and leads through the said Upper Yard to the gateway of the Old Building which was formerly a chapel and under under that gateway close to the wall on the left-hand side thereof through the said Lower Yard to the yard belonging to the workhouse situated on the E. side of Angel Street., which said Lower Yard from the bottom where a stump is set down at the end of the line adjoining to the said workhouse yard and measuring northwards on the outside of the end of the 17-stall stable there contains in length 40ft.;
Also all the rooms etc. on the north part of the Upper and Lower Yards call the Staircase, scullery, Shepherds room, old kitchen, old brewhouse, cooperage, granary, stable, woodhouse, 4-stall stable, and the stable under the old chapel with the rooms, granaries, chambers and lofts over the same; also the 17-stall stable and coachhouse and part of the stable adjg. the south side of the coachhouse with the lofts over, which stable and coachhouse are at the bottom of the north part of the lower yard; also all lofts and buildings over the old chapel gateway, measuring in a direct line upwards close to the inside of the south wall of the gateway to the top of the outside of the tiles of the roof (which wall is to belong to John Blackwell as proprietor of the south part of The George);
Piece of ground formerly part of the Crown Inn, used with the George, 14ft wide and 3p 18f long measuring from Goal Lane towards the George Yard, at the end of which legth ut joins what always was part of the lower or stable yard of the George, and from which lower yard a piece has lately been sold to Alderman Edward Chapman and laid to the yard of his house, formerly the Crown Inn;
With free liverty of ingress, egress and regress to the pump in the south part of the Upper Yard and free use of the pump and well belonging to John Jackson, being at a half part of keeping the pump in repair;
Also liberty of passage with horses, carts and carriages from High Street through the arched brick gateway, down the Upper Yard to the through the chapel gateway into the said Lower Yard; (except passage reserved to the Proprietors of the south part of the Inn from High St. through to the Lower Yard and through part of the same yard inclining to the right through the piece of ground formerly belonging to the Crown in Goal Lane; excepting also liberty of passage from the chapel gateway through the Lower Yard along the curved line into the south part of the Lower Yard within the distance of 11 yards from the end of the line at the Workhouse Yard; excepting also liberty of passage for Edward Chapman and the occupiers of the formre Crown from Goal Lane through the piece of ground formerly part of the Crown yard to Chapmans yard.
Recites also fine, hilary term last which included the aboves premises, uses of which are declared. (See no. 18)
Witnesses: Jeremy Fish Palmer, Thomas Kidman