Last Will and Testament
Often starting, In large bold fancy letters, with;
In the name of God, Amen
The often have a section similar to this;-
... being sick and weak in body, but of good and perfect memory thanks be given fox xxx xxx xx make and xxxx this my last will and testament as followeth. First Commit my Soul into the hand of Allmighty god, and my body to be buried in the parish Church of xxx
... being very sick and weak of body but of sound and perfect disposing mind and memory blessed be God for it Considering the vulnerability of this mortal Life xxx to this my Last Will and Testament in manner following first of all I commend my soul to Almighty God hoping to have all my Sins pardoned and to have Eternal Life through the xxx of Jesus Christ my Lord and only saviour and my body I commit to the earth to be xxxxx buried according the xxxx of my Executors hereafter named and such worldly Estate as it hath pleased God to intrust me with.
The above section may be the Testament part.
Other things that need to be covered include,
- The date, sometime Ano Domini but sometimes in the reign of
- The location
- The gifts, sometimes as I give, devise and bequeath
- Sometimes, the poor of the parish
- Debts and funeral expenses
- Who administers the will, Executor(s) or Executrix (female)
- Who witnessed the Will.
The language, the spelling, and the hand writing often change with time.
Some interesting notes on some things you might find in wills form
Item - Latin for "Also" (when used at the beginning of a bequest).
Below is a copy of the tab in one of the articles where the Register of Wills is used.
ESRI Story Map
Below is, in part the culmination of my 'perambulation of the borders' of the Canford Manor, plotted on a single map so as to see the true extent of the huge manor. It is a stand alone ESRI Story Map so there will inevitably be repetition.
You can also open the ESRI Story Map An exploration of Biddlecomb(e) families by clicking on the link, which will open a new page.
Planned future additions to the story are the locations of all of the people mentioned in this article for whom I can establish a location. Some are already plotted. Others include Biddlecomb(e)'s with later stories and records. All being slowly expanded.
Scroll down the insert to see the map, which can also be expanded.
