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Will of John Jeffrey, merchant, of Northam 1724

Written 3rd August 1724

© Crown Copyright

North Devon Record Office, ref: 1843A-PF94

Transcribed by David Carter

In the name of God amen.

I John Jeffery of Appledore in the parish of Northam in the county of Devon merchant being but in an ordinary measure of health of body but sound in mind & memory blessed be almighty God therefore and called to mind the transactors of this life and the uncertainty of my latter end Do make this my last will & testament in manner and form following (viz):

First & above all I do bequeath my soul to Almighty God my maker hoping through the meritorious death and passion of my blessed redeemer to have full and free pardon for all my sins & transgressions, my body to the earth to be decently interred as my executor hereafter named shall think fit, and as to the willing bequeathing of all such temporal estate goods & chattels as it hath pleased Almighty God to bestow upon me, I give and devise in manner and form following:

I will that all those debts that I owe in right or conscience to any person or persons whatsoever together with my funeral charges be well & truly pain in convenient time after my decease.

I give and bequeath unto my cousin Philip Edward Jeffery and Edward the son of Phillip Jeffery all my wearing apparel both linen & woollen, excepting the apparel both linen & woollen that I have now with me at Bristol. Should it be the will of God that I dye there I give & bequeath unto my cousin Joseph Langdon and I order that my apparel be equally divided which is above bequeathed between Philip & Edward Jeffery and Edward the son of Philip Jeffery and three pounds a piece to each of them to be paid in twelve months after my decease.

I give and bequeath unto my cousin Robert Follett son of George Follett the sum of forty shillings and to Jeffery Follett the brother of Robert Follett the sum of three pounds sterling.

I give unto Elizabeth Palmer & to each of her children ten shillings a piece and to James Price and his wife ten shillings to each of them and to each of their children ten shillings a piece.

I give unto John the son of my cousin Edward Jeffery the sum of ten pounds sterling and each of the other children of him the said Edward Jeffery I give twenty shillings a piece.

I give unto Mary the wife of John Cooloar forty shillings and to her son twenty shillings.

I give unto Rowland Rogers and his wife ten shillings a piece and to each of their children twenty shillings a piece.

I give unto Amey the wife of Alexander Sloley her life in the house that Thomas Phillips dwelleth in and to Anna the wife of Thomas Ellis the house that she now dwelleth in for her natural life and also to her son Thomas after the decease of his mother for his natural life provided they pay five shillings per annum to my executor hereafter named.

I give unto the wife of Joseph Langdon the house that my neighbour Downman now dwelleth in for her natural life and also twenty pounds in money to be paid to her in two years after my decease she paying three shillings per annum high rent to my executor hereafter named and those whom I have given the aforesaid houses for their lives are to keep them in good repair during their tenure.

I give unto the two daughters of my cousin Philip Jeffery twenty shillings a piece and to all my relations in blood and not here named I give one shilling a piece.

I give unto Joan Gleeby that now dwelleth with me twenty pounds sterling to be paid in two year after decease.

I give unto Edward the son of my cousin Philip Jeffery the house that Alexander Vaughan dwelleth in during the natural life of the said Edward the son of my cousin Philip Jeffery.

I give unto the poor of the parish of Northam three pounds a year to be given them in bread four times a year at fifteen shillings a time to be distributed forever by my executor hereafter named and the successors according to my will.

Furthermore it is my will that if any defect should be in such distribution to the poor above mentioned the overseers of the poor of the parish of Northam shall have power to distrain and levy the said money on any part of my estate farther more it is my will that forty shillings per annum be paid out of the house that Amey Sloley is to possess during her natural life and twenty shillings per annum out of the house that Anna Ellis & her son is to possess during their natural lives in order for the payment for the said bread to the poor before mentioned and this I charge my whole estate with forever provided that my executor nor the possessor of my estate hereafter be never molested in the peaceable enjoyment and possession of the garden which I have taken out of the field commonly known by the name of Gerrals field which I did by the consent of the parish, my will & meaning is that the above mentioned bread be given to none that have relief of the parish.

I do also charge my whole estate with an annuity of forty shillings per annum to be paid for ever to the use that madam Dorothy Docton of the parish of Northam shall devise by will provided that a forty pound bond which Madam Dorothy Docton hath on me be delivered up to my executor or the possessor of my estate.

I give & bequeath unto Thomas Jeffery the son of Philip Jeffery who liveth at my house the sum of one hundred pounds to be paid in five year after my decease by my executor hereafter named without coven or fraud.

I give and bequeath unto Mrs Anne Lampray of the parish of Northam the sum of ten pounds for her to dispose of in what she shall think fit to my memory.

Now I constitute and appoint William Jeffery the son of Edward Jeffery late of Temby who now liveth at London to be my whole & sole executor of this my last will & testament. To have and to hold all my estate ships goods wares & merchandises and debts whatsoever and wheresoever to him and his heirs male for ever. And in case of failure of heirs male from the body of the said William Jeffery son of Edward Jeffery late of Temby and now dwelleth at London whom I constitute as my executor as aforesaid on failure of heirs male of his body my will is that me estate descend to John Jeffery the son of Edward Jeffery of Timby to him and his heirs male forever. And in failure of John Jeffery having heir male then my estate to descend to the next heir that is of the same name and blood of me John Jeffery to him and his heirs for ever.

This being my last will & testament, revoking & disannulling all other wills formerly made by me.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal this third day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and twenty four.

Signed: John Jeffery

Signed sealed published & declared to be the last will & testament in the presence of John Knill, Mary Stevens, Bridget Jeffery, William Bevan.

 

[N.B. There is no obvious reference to the burial of John Jeffery at Northam]