Source: Holding, Rev. John. The Spencers of Bedfordshire, Spencer Family
Association, New Orleans, LA 1903. Pages 12-14
Will of Anne (Merrill?) Spencer of Edworth, Bedforshire, England dated
June 13, 1560
In the name of God Amen, the xiij daye of June in the yere of oure Lorde
God mccccclx. I, Anne Spencer, wydowe, in Edworth in the County of Beds.,
make thys mye laste wyll & testment in maner & forme followynge.
Fyrste I gyve mye soule to Almyghtie God & mye bodye to be buryed in
the Churche yarde of Edworth. Also I gyve to the towne shyppe of Edworth
ij of mye beste bease for to be lette unto ij powere ffolkes for syx shyllynges
a yere, and when the bease wax olde that then the prson & churche wardon
shall sell them & bye yonger to the use of the power folke, and that
the pson of Edworth & the Churche wardons thene beynge shall have the
sellynge & lettynge of the said ij kyne & to receive the money of
the ptyes so beyng lette unto, and that the prson & churche wardons shall
gyve of the foresayde . . . . of moneye to the powere folke in the towne
of Edworth vj days before the feaste of the natyvte of oure Lorde Jesus Chryste
everye yere whyle the worlde enduryth. Also I gyve of the overplus to the
prson iiijds & to other wardons iiijds everye yere
for to se thys ? done to the neadye. Also I gyve to Gerarde mye son syx
of my beste horses, & they shal be praysed wythe iiij men, & he to
take ether the horses or the pryce wych he wylls. Also I gyve to the sayde
Gerarde mye sone half mye shype & half mye shyppe ?. And I wyll that
Mychaell mye sone shall kepe them wynter meale & somer meale, pasteure
& lyter, as he dothe with hys owne; ? the time of my lease the said Gerarde
shall receave hys shyppe at Martynmas nexte, and the malt at the prsonage
contenentlye after my decease. Also I gyve to the sayde Gerarde mye sone
ij ? carts ye newest & beste, & all newe geares belongeyng to on
? for vj horses, or anye carte, ij harrowes or rowle, ij yron raks the beste,
the beste sythe, ij oxen that are laste boughte, ij kyne, ij ? bullocks,
halfe the baken hoggs, halfe the stoves, half the ? tymbre, all the wode
that standyth before the halle, & . . . for ? ? the daye of hys maryage,
halfe the pewter, halfe the brasse, halfe the latten, the beste lether bottell,
the parlor were to ley yn yt, and to have egresse & regresse to the daye
of his maryage, and not to be interrupted but to have yt quyetly to take
oute and to brynge ? all thyngs necessarye to hys pfytte, wythe all other
thyngs in the parolor, ij pyllowes, iij pyllowe bearreares, a table upon
the bench, the great spytte, a chayre, the cobyens, vij payres of shetts,
iij table clothes, ij table napkyns, the rownde table, a cofer that standythe
in my chamber, my russet that ys at spynnynge yt shal be dressed at the ?
& charge of mye sone Michaell, a cheste that was hys brother John's, xij
quarten of . . . barleye, strawe & chaffe that cometh yt hence, a newe
plowe wyth all thynges newe that belongeth to a ? for syx horses, the . .
. panne, halfe a bare of yron of xxv poundes, all thes gyfts he shall receave
at xxj yeares of age, he is now seventeen yeares olde. Also I gyve to John
Spencer Mychaell my sonne sonne twenty poundes. Also I gyve to Elisabeth
Lymer at the day of her marryage iiij poundes. Also I gyve to Alyce Aystin
a weeynge calfe. also I gyve to evrye on of mye servants a quarter of malte.
Also I gyve to the mendying of London Brygge waye xs. Also I
gyve to eche of my husbands godchyldren and myne that be ? a lambe. Also
I gyve to to Alexander Cyrkybb a quarter of malte, to Steven Johnson halfe
a quarter of malte, to mother Starre my rede petycote. Also I gyve to everye
poore householder in Edworth ij busshyles of malte, one contynently after
mye buryall & the other at Chrystemas nexte. Also I gyve to Edwarde
Cayle a quarter of malte, toWyllyam Denton halfe a quarter of malte. Also
I gyve my brother Edward's children xxs that he borrowed of me,
& the three quarters of barley that he dyd gyve to mye sonnes I gyve
yt to hys chyldren. Also I gyve to Nicholas Merryll & to John Merryll
hsy brother the three quarters of barley that theyre father dyd gyve to mye
sonnes. Also I gyve to Mychaell my sonne my lease of my farme and all my
goods unbequethed, my detts payd, my legacyes fullylled & mye funerall
dyscharged. Also I make Mychaell my sone myne executor to se thys my laste
wyll & testament fulfylled.
Wytnesses: Henrye Johnson, prson
Richard Waple
Mychaell Spencer
Richard . . .
wyth other moo.
Proved xxj April, 1561.