Will of Sampson Hele of Halwell [House]

Proved 4 December 1655

© Crown Copyright

PROB 11/246/360, Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury

Transcribed by Kathleen Noye

In the name of God Amen The tenth day of October in the yeare of our Lord God accordinge to the Computacon [computation] of the Church of England one thousand sixe hundred fiftie and three I Sampson Hele of Hallwell in the County of Devon Esqr the vnprofitable servant of Almightie God beinge of perfect health and sound memory (due thanckes therefore be humblie given to his holy name) Doe make and ordaine this my last Will and Testament in manner and forme as followeth ffirst into thine handes oh Lord God of truth I com[m]end my Spiritt for thou hast redeemed me by thy welbeloved sonne Jesus Christ my onelie Lord and Saviour in whome thou art well pleased And my desire is that my bodie wheresoever it shall fall may be speedily and decentlie without pompe and black[es] interred amongest my departed Christian brethren as one whoe with them beleiveth and expecteth in Jesus Christ a ioyfull resurrection Moreover to manifest the love which I beare vnto Johane my beloved and vertuous wife I doe hereby giue and declare and my will is that my said wife shall enioye all such landes which I haue assured vnto her for her Joynture and augmentacon of her Joynture and livelyhood accordinge to the purport & true meaninge of the severall Conveyances thereof made Item I giue vnto my said wife all my Corne that shalbe growinge at the tyme of my death vpon my Barton and ffarme of Hallwell and vpon these my twoe Tenements called Yarnacombe and Torre or in any of my Barnes mowes or Gonnaryes [granaries?] Item I giue vnto my said wife All myne Oxen kyne sheepe horses and all other kinde of Quickestuffe and Poultrye whatsoever as well at Hallwell Yarnacombe and Torre aforesaid as alsoe at Withmore in the parishe of Vgborough Item I giue vnto my said wife all my houshold stuffe, Lynnen implements of house and of husbandrye remayninge in my house called Gnaton in the parishe of Newton fferris [Ferrers] in the said Countie of Devon together with the silver spoones and Guilt standinge Ball with his cover remayninge alsoe in my said house of Gnaton Item I giue to my saide wife one silver Bason and Ewer with twoe standinge fflagons, one with our Armes are impaled, and all her Jewells ringes border and chaines of gold Item I giue vnto my said wife the sume of Twoe hundred poundes of lawfull money of England To be paid vnto her by my Executor hereafter named within the space of one yeare quarterlie after my death by even and equall portions Item I giue vnto my saide wife my best suite of diaper [cloth with a woven pattern of repeated small figures] Table Cloathes and napkins and halfe my houshold Lynnen at Hallwell aforesaid Item I giue vnto my fower surviveing sisters (that is to saie) To my sister ffrances Snellinge widdowe, the Lady Isobell Davy my sister Agnes Hele and my sister Susan Isaacke Twentie shillinges a peece in Gold Item I giue vnto all my Grandchildren fforty shillinges a peece in gould Item I giue vnto all my Covenant servaunt[es] as well women as men One yeares wages a peece Item Whereas by an Indenture Tripartite bearinge date the eleaventh day of October in the seaventeenth yeare of our late Kinge Charles and made betweene me the said Sampson Hele of the one parte Sr Samuell Rolle Knight Robert Rolle his eldest sonne and heire apparant, Robert ffortescue, Thomas Hele, Henry Walter and William Bastard of the second part And Mathewe Hele my eldest sonne and heire apparant and Joane Rolle daughter of the said Sr Samuell Rolle of the third part In consideration of a marriage then to be had, and which afterwards tooke effect and was solemnized betweene my said sonne Mathewe Hele and Joane Rolle I haue conveyed and setled my messuages Mannors landes Tenements and hereditaments to such person and persons for such estate and estates and to such vses intents and purposes as in the said recited Indenture is more perticulerly menconed and expressed And amongest other thinges therein menconed and conteyned To this vse intent and purpose That my Trustees therein menconed should after my death raise out of my said landes and hereditament[es] one thousand poundes a peece for my seaven younger sonnes if vnmarryed at the time of my Death to wete [to wit] John, Sampson, Walter, ffrancis, William Arthur and Nicholas And the like sum[m]e of one One thousand poundes a peece for my twoe daughters to wete Sara & Alice if vnadvaunced and not married at the time of my death, as for their severall and respective porcons And likewyse allowe and pay vnto every of my said sonnes and daughters the sume of Twenty poundes yearlie for and toward[es] their maintenaunce And whereas in the said recited Indenture is alsoe conteyned this Provisoe (that is to saie) Provided alwaies That if I the said Sampson Hele did by deede vnder my hand and seale in the presence of twoe wittnesses or by my last will and testament in writinge declare and make knowne That it was my intencon and meaninge that any or either of my said sonne or sonnes or Daughter or daughters should not haue his her or their entire porcon of one Thousand poundes a peece soe lymitted them as aforesaid, but onely some part thereof That then noe such entire porcon should be raysed or paid to or for such sonne or sonnes or daughter or Daughters but onely such part thereof as should be by such declaracon appointed And since the makinge of the said Conveyance twoe of my said sonnes (to wete) John and William Heale are dead and Alice Hele one of my said daughters marryed, I accordinge to the said Provisoe doe by this my last will and Testament declare That in regard I haue heretofore made a lease, and graunted vnto my said sonne Sampson Hele an estate for nynetie nyne yeares if he and twoe other persons in the said lease named doe or shall soe longe live of and in one messuage and Tenement lyinge in South Poole within the said County of Devon late in the tenure or possession of one Richard Pound my said sonne Sampson Hele shall haue and clayme by vertue of the said recited Conveyance onely the sum[m]e of Three hundred poundes and noe more Item accordinge to the said Provisoe I doe by this my last will and Testament further declare that in regard I haue formerlie alsoe made a lease graunted vnto my aforesaid sonne Walter Hele an estate for the terme of nynetie nyne yeares if he and twoe other persons nominated in the said lease doe or shall happen soe longe to live of and in one messuage and Tenement called Browaston scituate lyinge and beinge in the parishe of Newton fferrers within the said Countie of Devon late in the terme or possession of Edward Penhay that my said sonne Walter Hele by vertue of the said recited Conveyance or any thinge therein menconed and conteyned shall haue clayme and demaund onely the sume of Three hundred poundes and noe more Item accordinge to my said power in and by the saide Provisoe In regard I haue in like manner made a lease and graunted vnto my said sonne ffraunces Hele the like estate for nynetie nyne yeares if he and twoe other persons named in the said lease doe or shall soe longe live of and in one other messuage and tenement in Newton fferrers aforesaid com[m]only called and knowne by the name of Widecombs Bargaine and late in the tenure or possession of one Sampson Hele I doe hereby alsoe declare and make knowne that my said sonne ffrancis Hele shall haue and clayme by vertue of the said recited Conveyance the sume of Seaven hundred poundes & noe more Which said severall Summes of Three hundred Three hundred and seaven hundred poundes soe vnto my said three sonnes Sampson Walter and ffrancis lymitted and declared as aforesaid shalbe vnto each and every of them respectiuely paid at such dayes and tymes and in such manner and sort as their respectiue porcons of one thousand pound[es] a peece are in and by the said recited Conveyance directed and appointed to be paid And I doe hereby further will and declare That the severall leases and estates soe vnto my said three sonnees graunted and made as aforesaid together with the said severall sumes of moneyes shalbe and envre [?] in full discharge recompence and satisfaction of all further and other allowance of any yearlie sum[m]e or sum[m]es of moneye or other thinge whatsoever for and towardes his their or either of their maintenance Item whereas I am possessed and estated of and in certaine ground[es] and p[ar]cells of land scituate lyinge and beinge in the parish of Vgborough within th'aforesaid County of Devon com[m]onlye called and knowne by the name of Whitemore for the residue of nynetie nyne yeares yf William Revell Stephen Revell &            Revell sonnes of the said William Revell or either of them doe or shall soe longe happen to live I doe giue devise and bequeath the same and my whole terme and estate therein vnto my said sonne Arthur Hele To haue and to hold the same to him his Executors and Assignes and to receive and take the issues and proffitt[es] thereof to his owne vse over and besides the said sume of one thousand poundes soe vnto him lymitted in and by the said recyted Conveyance as for his severall and respectiue porcon as aforesaid Item I doe will and bequeath and by this my last will and Testament desire and apppoint my Executor hereafter named to paye vnto Nicholas Hele my youngest sonne nowe a Student in Oxford the sum[m]e of Twenty pound[es] yearelie for and toward[es] his maintenance over and besides one other sume of Twentie poundes vnto him given & lymitted for his maintenance in and by the said Conveyance soe made vpon the marriage of my sonne Mathewe Hele as aforesaid Which said sum[m]e of Twentie poundes per Annum hereby given and desired to be paid as aforesaid shalbe continued till such time as the moyetie [half] as the moyetie of the sume of one thousand poundes vnto him lymitted for his porcon in and by the said Conveyance is lymitted and appointed to be paid Item I giue vnto my daughter Sara Hele the sume of fower hundred poundes over and besides the sume of one thousand poundes vnto her alreadye lymitted as for her severall and respectiue porcon[s] in and by the said recyted Conveyance soe made vpon my sonne Mathewe Heles marriage and the settlement of my estate as aforesaid The said sume of ffower hundred poundes to be paid by my Executor hereafter named within the space of twoe yeares next after my death Provided alwaies that if any of my said sonnes or daughter to or for whome any sume or sum[m]es of money is in and by this my last will and Testament soe giuen and declared or in and by the said recyted Conveyance out of my land[es] and hereditament[es] soe lym[m]itted and appointed to be levyed and raised as aforesaid doe or shall happen to dye vnmarryed before the tyme or tymes lym[m]itted and appointed for the payment of such sume or sumes of money Then and in that case aswell my said Executor whoe otherwise was to paye the same, as alsoe my landes and hereditament[es] out of w[hi]ch such sume or summes of money was or were otherwise to be levyed and raysed shalbe thenceforth and therevpon for soe much and soe many of the porcons aforesaid absolutely freed and discharged And lastlye all the rest of my goodes and chattells not before giuen or bequeathed my debtes and legacies first satisfied & dicharged I wholeley giue to my welbeloved & eldest sonne Mathewe Hele the better to enable him to pay the porcons which I haue by this my last will ordayned to be paid And him the said Mathewe Hele of this my last will and Testament doe make and ordayne my sole and onely Executor In wittnes whereof in the presence of these credible persons whose names are subscribed I haue published this my present writinge to be my last will and Testament And for further manifestacon & corrobacon [corroboration?] thereof haue sett my hand and seale Sampson Hele Geo: Prestwood, Sam: Wakeham , Arthur Harris./

This will was proved at London the fourth day of December in the yeare of our Lord God one thousand sixe hundred fiftie five before the Judges for probate of wills and grauntinge administracons by the oathe of Sampson Hele the sonne and Executor named in the last will and Testament of the said deceased To whome administracon was com[m]itted he beinge first sworne by Com[m]ission truly and faithfullye to administer./