Seth Ward Will

In the name of God Amen the fouertenth daie of / Februarie in the yeare of our Lord god One thousand five hundred ninetie eighte/ I Seth Ward of Abbington [Abbington is almost certainly Abington Pigotts, adjacent to Litlingtion, and not Little and Great Abington located in a different part of Cambridgeshire] in the countie of Cambridge yeoman being sicke in/ bodie but in perfect remembrance thanks be given to Almightie God doe ordaine &/ make this my last will and testament in manner and forme followinge First/ I bequeath my soule to Almightie God my maker surlie beleeveing that by the death/ and passion of Jesus Christe my redeemer to have forgivenes of all my synnes and my/ bodie I will to be buried in the church yarde of my parish church of Abbington/ aforesaide Item I give unto Annis my wiefe five pounds six shillinges and eight/ pence yearlie during her naturall liefe to be paid quarterlie unto her out of my farme/ in Abbington where I now dwell (that is to saie) fouer nobles everie quarter. Also/ I give unto my saide wiefe two beast in my yarde one browne cowe with high/ hornes and one black pyed cowe and six sheepe with the pasturing and goeing of them/ in the commmons or feildes of Abbington as my sonne John goeth. Also I give unto her/ my saide wiefe one joyned bedd and a frondle bedd standing in the poller with one/ fetherbed one bolster two pillowes one mattrice two blancketts and one coverlett and/ a quilte with the curtaines to the same belonging furthermore my will is the/ my saide wiefe should have her meate and drink and abideing with my sonne/ John during her leefe yf she doe like of it provided alwaies and yf she doe not like/ of it her borde with him my saide sonne John his heires or assignes that then my/ will is that she shall have her dwelling on one tenement wherein one Seth Warde/ laborer nowe dwelleth in Abbington payinge noe rent for the same dureing her liefe/ Also I will that my saide sonne John his heires Executors or assignes shall yearlie/ everie yeare at this owne costs and charges laie two carte loads of woodes in the yarde/ of the saide tenement to the use of my wiefe And one acre of my best wheate and / one acre of my best barley that she my saide wiefe or her assignes shall elect and

choses out of my saide farme in Abbington everie yeare dureing her liefe to be chosen at or/ before the feast of Saint James the appostle and the same to be cutt down and carried &/ and laide where my saide wiefe shall thinke good within the saide towne of Abbington at the/ coste and charges of my saide sonne John his heires executors or assignes and if my/ said wiefe shall happen to departe from my saide sonne John that then my saide wiefe/ shall have the goeing of two beastes in the commons and the proffitt of them to her/ own use. Item I give to my daughter Marie threescore and six poundes thirteen shillings/ and fouer pence of good and lawfull monie of England to be paide unto her at the daie of / her marriage or within one quarter of a yeare after my decease which of them shall/ first happen to come provided that yf my saide daughter shall happen to depart this/ world before either of the saide tymes then I will that her portion shall be/ equallie devided amongst my other children that then shalbe liveinge Also I give unto/ my saide daughter Marie two beasts (that is to saie) the one a blacke cowe that/ calved first to years and the other a redd heifer greate with calfe Also I give / unto her one joyned bedsted a cupboard one joyned table and forme a more fetherbedd/ and a bolster two fustian pillowes a mattrice five blanketts and one new bird rowlett/ six paire of flaxen sheetes and eight paire of lennen sheetes three paire of flaxen/ pillobeares one flaxen tablecolth two fower tableclothes and a flexen drinking cloth/ one flaxen fonell one dozen of napkins six peuter platters six peuter dishes six/ sawecews two pewter salts two white candlesticks and a lattin candlesticke a/ latttin chafing dishe a brasse pott a great brass pann one kettle and a hosnet/ a chamber pott two littel joyned stooles and a chaire. [Debts to be delined unto her at the day of marriage or with in one quarter of a year after my decease. – this in margin] Item I give unto my/ sonne Enoshe all my freehold lands and tenements with thappurtenances thereunto/ belonging which I have lying and beinge in Littlington and Steeple Morden fields/ to have and to hold to him and to his heires and assignes forever. Also I give &/ bequeath unto my saide sonne Enoshe all my customarie landes and closes holden of / the mannor of Huntingfeiles lying in Littlington and Steeplemorden aforesaide to/ him and his heires and assignes according to the custome of the manor Also I/ give unto him fouer horses to take his choise out of the north temor which carte/ geares and plough geares to furnish the saide foure horses and one longe carte/ with the wheeles he to take his choice after my sonne John hath first chosen/ and one tumbrill and a paire of wheeles the worst but one and one new carte body/ six moreover I give unto my saide sonne Enos halfe my cropps which I have /for my part of Edward Hinton his lands for the yeares after my decease and I/ give him two beasts and a yeareinge calfe (this is to saie) one white backed / cowe and the other a white and red pyed yeareing calfe. Also I give unto/ him a joyned bedstedd in the little chamber by the dore a mattrice a fetherbedd/ and bowlster two pillowes that is a fustian pillowe and a tiek pillowe, two/ blanketts a new coverlett being greene and yellw three paire of flexen sheets/ three paire of lenen sheets three flexen pillobeares and one hemp teare/ a hande towell halfe a dozen of table napkins one longe flexen tablecloth two/ shorte table clothes a drinking flexen clothe one brasse pott and greate/ kettle a new posnet three greate pewter platters three pewter dishes three / sawcers one white candlesticke one lattin candlesticke a pewter salt a fruite/ pewter dishe one highe chaire two joyned stooles the one of the the bigger sorte and the/ other of the lesser sorte the middle spitt and the least dripinge panne of yron a/ paire of yron Andirons one greate barrell and two barrells of the lesser sorte/ one of the best tubbs for worfe a maulte quearne the best fryinge panne/ Item I give unto my sonne Thomas tenne poundes of lawfull Englishe monie/ to be paide unto him within one halfe yeare after my decease and other five/ pounds of like lawfull Englishe monie to be paide unto hime that tyme twelve

month after Also I give him two beasts (this is to saie)the one a blacke and the other/ a brwone cowe Item I give unto my daughter Anne Jacob five poundes to be paide / unto her within one yeare after my decease Also I give Elizabeth Jaccob my saide daughter/ Annes childe the somme of five poundes of lawfull Englishe monie to be paide unto her at/ such tyme as she shall accomplishe the age of sixtene yeares and if it happen the saide/ Elizabeth to die before she doth accomplishe the saide age that then my will is that yf my/ saide daughter Anne have anie more children it shall remaine unto the next childe of/ my saide daughters and if she have noe more children then it shall remaine unto John/ Warde the sonne of my sonne John Warde and he happen to die then to remaine unto/ Seath Warde his brother Item I give unto Robert Warde my brother twentie / shillinges of lawfull Englishe monie to be paide unto him within a quarter of a yeare / after my decease Also I give unto my sister Wilsonne tenne shillinges to be paide within/ one querter of a yeare after my decease I give unto the reparations of my parish/ church of Abbington aforesaide tenne shillinges of lawfull English monie Also I give / unto the poore people of the towne of Abbingtn tenn shillinges to be paide unto them at/ the daie of my buriall Also I give unto John Warde the sonne of my saide sonne John / Warde foure poundes of lawfull Englishe monie to be paide unto him at the age of one & /twentie yeeres Also I give unto Seth Warde his brother the somme of tenne poundes/ of like sawfull Englishe monie to be paide unto him at the age of one and twentie yeeres/ Alos I give unto Anne Warde daughter of my saide Sonne John and unto Martha / Ward Allice Warde Marie Warde to everie of them the somme of five pouneds/ to be paide unto either of them at such tyme as they shall accomplishe the age of / sixtene yeares providied alwaies that yf anie of these my sonne John his children/ shalle happen to die before they shall accomplishe the saide age of sixtene yeares that/ then their portions shalbe equallie devided amongst the other children that then shalbe/ liveinge. Also I give unto everie one of my servantes three shillings and fouer pence/ to be paide unto either of them within one quarter of a yeare after my decease/ Also my will is that Annys my wiefe and my sonne John shall equallie parte/ and decide all the brasse pweter and lynnen between them which is unbequeathed/ The residue of my goodes and landes unbequeathed by debtes paide and my legacies/ fulfilled I give unto John Warde my sonne whome I make my sole executor / of this my last wil and testmaent Also I doe ordaine Richard Stevens & John/ Jacob to be my supervisors of this my will and testament and I give to either/ of them for their paines five shillinges Witness to this my last will Raphe/ Bolnest and Robert Warde with others Signum Seth Ward by me Raphe / Bonest Robert Warde.