In the Name of God Amen
In the xiij th day of February in the yeare of our Lord God one thousand six
hundred thirtie and eight after the accompt of the Church of England and in
the xiiij th yeare of the raign of our Sov[er]aigne Lord Charles by the grace of
god of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith &c
I John Pulton of Desbrugh, in the County of North'ton, Esqe being in
p[er]fect minde and good memory (praysed be god for the same), Doe ordayne and make
this my last will and testament in manner and forme following:
First I profess from my heart that, renounceing all sorte Schismes and
Heresies, I doe firmely and without all doubt hould and believe the Holy
Christian Catholique faith and every point thereof w[hich] our mother the
Holy Catholique Church, instructed by the promised Spirit of truth, hath
taught and declared, yet being now right sorrowfull that I have not
continued a faithfull member of the same ever since my baptisme, Doe now, nothwithstanding, in that faith moste hopefully and joyfully surrender my
Soule into the most mercifull hands of the almighty, trusting assuredly by
the infinite merits of his deare Sonne Jesus Christ, my only Redeemer and
Saviour, and by his most precious blood soe abonndantly shed for me, to be
made a partaker of his everlasting kingdome, w[hi]ch, that I may obteyne, I
most humbly pray and beseech the most blessed Virgin St Mary, mother of my
Lord and god, with all the blessed Company of Heaven, and my deare mother the
Holy Catholique Church allwayes to be intercessors for me.
My earthly bodie I betake to the earth whereof it is made to be buried in
the Church of Desbrugh aforesaid next to the bodie of my sometime
memorable kinsman Ferdinando Pulton.
And as concerning such lands and goods of this world as it hath
pleased god to bestowe upon me, for w[hi]ch I give his most heavenly
ma[jes]tie
most humble and heartie thankes;
My debts being first duly and truly payed, my fun[er]all discharged, and my
legacies satisfied, I give and bestowe in manner and forme
w[hich] followeth:
And first I revoke all former wills and testament by me heretofore made; and
by this my will I doe confirme and make good all such conveyances and
estates as heretofore I have made and sette my hand & Seale, or
w[hi]chprivity: the knowledge of something private or secret shared between individuals,
especially with the implication of approval or consent
otherwise have bin made by my Consent and privity by my trusted frends, the
same Conveyance being of such lands ten[emen]tes, annuities, rents, or leases
w[hi]ch I have purchased and bought
w[i]th my owne money though in the names
of other men, being my kinsfolks or frends, intreating
such my kinsfolkes frends and feoffees whose names I have therein used
that they would doe their utmost endeavours to see all things
p[er]formed and my meaneing satisfied.
Inprimus therefore I give unto my right welbeloved wife Frances Pulton all
the leases, goods, Cattles, or Chattles whereof I shall dye seised, as well
those w[hi]ch then shalbe in my owne hande. All those
w[hi]ch either
heretofore I have bought in other mens names, or hereafter I shall buy, she
to hould all the same dureing her n[atu]rall life, and alsoe further to
dispose of in such mann[er] as I have acquainted her withal;
Alsoe I give unto my said wife all the rents revenues w[hi]ch I have bought
in other mens names the same to enioy dureing the terme of her
n[atu]rall
life, the fee simple of such lands to descend and remaine according to
limitacons expressed in the same deeds w[hi]ch I have left in my said wive's
Custody, expecting and desireing my sayd wife out of such my leases, goods, chattles, and revenues of my purchased lands to provide for my younger
Children in such sort and manner w[hich] I have already acquainted her withal,
and in some sort and manner is expressed in certain deeds of declaracon of
trust w[hi]ch I have left in her Custody;
Also I give unto my Sonne and Heyre
George Pulton a legacy of five pounds in
money
Alsoe I leave to descend to my said sonne and his heires of his body
succeeding my house of Desbrough and an heyre loome from his great
grandfather John Isham of Lamport Esq dec[ease]d one great Silver bolle
double guilt[?] w[ith] alsoe one great Counterpoint of Bed Coverlett, nowe in my
owne possession, together w[i]th all the books left in my handes by my much
respected kinsman Ferdinando Pulton Esqr, sometime of Borton in the parrish
and County of Buckingham, dec[ease]d, them to hould under the Condicon to me
delivered when I rec[eiv]ed the same
w[hi]ch Condicon appeareth in his last
will and testament recorded in the Court of Arches at Londo in Anno
D[o]m[ini] 1617;
chargeing and comaunding my said Sonne upon my blessing, and
as he will answeare the contrary at the dreadfull day of Judgement, that he
doe not go about to disannull or contradict this my last will and testament, or
trouble or molest either by Suites in Lawe or otherwise my executor or
executors hereafter named or any of them either in proveing, executeing, or p[er]formeing
the same but that he permitt all things to be fullfilled according to my minde and intenting therein;
And further t[ha]t neither my said Sonne George, nor any other from him claymeing, shall challenge or demaund any lands, leases, goods, or Chattles
whereof I shall dye seized, w[hi]ch either already and or hereafter shalbe
purchased in my owne name or in the names of any other, more then what
formerly I have expressed or what I have estated upon him by deed at his
marriage, or by another deed since made by both our consente
w[hi]ch is much
to the same effect.
It[em] I will and bequeath unto the poore peoples of the parrish of Desbrugh
the summe of xxs.
It[em] I give to my servant Anne Ward, widdow, one annuity, or yearly Rent, of fower pounds in money; to be payed out of my purchased lande at fower days or
tymes in the yeare by equal and even porcons; that is to say at the feast of
the annuncon of our Blessed Lady St Mary the virgin, the feast of St John
Baptist, the feast of St Michaell Tharchangell, and the feast of St Thomas the
Apostle, or w[i]thin twenty days next after each of the sayd feasts next
ensueing, the first payment to begin at such of the said feasts as shall
happen next after the deathe of me and my wife and the longer liver of us,
and to continue for and during the n[atu]rall life of her the sayd Anne Ward
and noe longer.
And of this my last will and testament I make my before menconed beloved
wife Frances Pulton, my daughter
Anne Themilby, wife unto Charles Thimelby
of Sindall in the County of Yorke Esq, my executors if they will and thinke it
necessary for them to take it upon them. But if they shall refuse the same or
shall not thinke it necessary then I will appoint and make Mary Thornsby,
Nicholas Thimelby, and Thomas Thimelby, younger Children of my aforesaid
daughter Anne Thimelby, my executors of this my last will and testament,
but yet most earnestly requesting and charging aswell my said daughter Anne
Thimelby, the mother, as alsoe her before mentioned fair children, that
neither they nor any of them shall during the n[atu]rall life of my
aforesaid wife Frances Pulton, receave any Rente of any of my lands or leases
to any of their owne uses, or meddle w[i]th any my goods whatsoever
w[hi]ch
I shall leave behinde me, but suffer my sayd wife quietly to enioy all the
same
And yf my said wife shallnt[?] any by me dureing her life, or by her last will
and testament, sell, give away, or dispose of all or any my goods, leases, or Chattles,
I will & charge them all, my said other executors, to rest
contented therewith and not to demaund any porcon or part therefrom, or to
molest her for the same
And if it fortune my sayd wife to dye and depart this life not making any
will or testament, or disposal of the leases, goods, or Chattles soe by me left
unto her, Then my will and meaning is that my afores[ai]d daughter Anne Thimelby,
the mother, shall have and enioy to her, her executors, administrators, and assignes forever, all my leases, goods, and Chattles soe undisposed of by my
aforesaid wife
And in witnesse that this is my last will and
testam[en]t, I
have to every sheet of paper, being three in number, sette my hand; And to the
last Sheet putt to my hand and Seale the day and yeare first above written I
say w[i]th my owne hande
John Pulton Signed, Sealed, published and
acknowledged as the last will and testament of me John Pulton in the
p[re]sence
of
Row: Tampion,
Ephraim Goode, Wm Gill, Raphe Demty his marke.
Probate
Probatum fuit testim ...