John Yearnold - Hadsor Parish, Worcestershire, England A.D. 1575
In the name of god Amen the forth daie of August in the yere of o(ur) lorde god one (thou)sand fyve hundreth seventy fyve I John yearnold of haddyssorre in the countie of Worcest(shire) th(e)elder yoman beyng sik in body but of good & perfect rememberance (praised be given to god ) doe make and ordeine thys testament conteynyng therin my last will _____ & fo
foloweng that is to sae / ffirst I bequeath my soule into t(he) hands of almighie god my maker & redemer and my body to be buried in the churchyard of haddyssore aforesaid ITM I give & bequeath unto Jane my daughter one hundreth pounds of lawfull money of england to be paid unto her within two yeres next after my deacese uppon condicon that she be ruled by my overseers
hereafter named ITM I give and bequeath unto my daughter merye fowre skore pounds of lawfull money of england to be paid unto her att her full age of twente & one yeres or el(s)e att the day of her mariage uppon the like condicon that she be ruled by my overseers ITM my will & mynde is that Franncys my sonne shalbe keptt att the grammer sckole by the space of threwhole yeres next after my decease att the costes & charges of Ales my wyff And after the end of the same yeres I will & my mynd is that the same Franncys shalbe keptt att one of the unyversities by the space of seaven yeres then next foloweng att the costes & charges of my executor hereafter named And after the same seaven yeres expyred I will give & bequeath unto the same Franncys fortie pounds of lawfull monies of england ITM my mynd & will is that Robert my sonne shalbe keptt at the grammer and writing sckoles untill he doe accomplyshe the age of ffortene
yeres att the costes & charges of my executor and att thaer right & discresion of my overseers And ymediately after those fortene yeres expired my mynd & will is that the seade robertt shalbe bound apprentyse unto some good honest man of occupacon by my seade executor & att the discrecon of my seade oversers And after that the seade Robertt shall come out of hys apprentyshipp my myne & will is that my sead executia shall well & trulie content & paye unto the seade Robertt the some of ffortie pounds of lawfull money of england ITM my will & mynde ys that if any of my seade children be chance decease or departe this transytorie world before that tyme that the seade severall daes of payment of my seade legesyies to them given happen to be due that then his or her legesyies soe deceassing shalbe equally devyded between my executor & the rest of my seade children overliving provided alwayes & my mynd ys that the seade Robert shall have no parte of his or her legesyies that shall so happen to decease ITM I will & my mynd is that ales my wyff shall have occupie & enioy the upperend of my dwellyng house with the new p(ar)lor during her wydowhed And that my executor shall yerely during the wydowhed of the seade Ales well & trulie att hys p(ro)per costes & charges deliver or cause to be delyved unto the same Ales at my dwellyng house aforsead two wagin lodes of wood & one wagin lode of coles ITM I give & bequeath unto the seade Ales my wyff the moytye or one half of all my goods as they now be & are within my dwellyng house ITM I give & bequeath unto the same Alies yerelie during her wydowhed six pounds xiiiis iiiip of lawfull money to be paid unto her yerelie att the fower usual feastes in the yere Itm I give unto the same Alies yerelie twentie ox shepe & two mylche kyne to be yerelie pastured fedde and keptt as my sonne John shalbe or now are Itm I give unto the same Ales two swyne hogge & geese to feede than As my sonne Johne shalbe fed and keptt ITM I give unto the seade Ales twentie sarykes of wheete & twenty sarykes of barley malte to be delyved unto the same Ales yerelie & quartlie during the tyme of her wydowhed provided always that if the seade Alies my wyf shall happen to marrie or take an other man to husband then my mynd & will is that all my legacies and bequests to her in form aforsaid given and bequeathed shall utterlie from thensforth ceasse & be altogether voide And that then & from thensforth my wyll & mynd is that my executor shall yerelie during the naturall lif of the seade Alies well and trulie content & paie unto the same Alies or her assignies the some of sevne pounds of lawfull monies of england att the fower usual feastes of the yere provided always & further my myne & wyll is that if the seade Alies att any tyme hereafter shall myslike or shall nott be contented with my seade legecey in form aforesaid given or shall goe about to vexe sue molest or trouble my seade executor by lawe or otherwyse for any dower due of my land or tenant & that then all my seade legacyes shall ceasse & determyn ITM I wyll that John my sonne shall have and enioye to his and his heirs for ever all my free ground att odingley which I latelie compounded & agreed for wth sq Anthony conr__ payeng therefore all such somes of money as I coven(a)unted with the same sq conr_ for Itm I doe clearly remytt and forgive george wheter all such duties as be betwene him & me Itm I give unto any of my servnte in my house att my death one shepe Itm I give unto any poore labouring man within the parisshe of haddyssore half a saryke of corne the rest of all my goods & cattells not bequeathed after my detts paid my funerall expenses done & these my legacies performed I doe wholly give and bequeath unto the seade John my sonne whome I doe solie make and ordeyne to be my executor and I utterlie revoke annull all other written & wills ha(ve) before made also I do appoint to be overseers my sonne in lawe George wheler my uncle John Wynnes my brother Richard yearnold brother in lawe Richard bel__ these beyng wytnesses James wadall curate George wheler Richard balamy & Richard yearnold
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 17 sept 1575.
Information provided and transcribed by: Derek Yarnall
http://www.geocities.ws/ricky_yarnell/webtext/john1575w.htm