- Contributed by Gillian Palmer -
Will of Thomas Blount of Astley, contemporary copy located at
Worcester County Record Office, County Hall, Worcester, England.
In the name of God Amen, the fourth day of Septe: Ano dni 1622. I Thomas Blount
of Astley in the county of Worcs: esquire being of perfect mind & memory praised
be God intending to go beyond the seas by gode permission & therefore desiring
to settle my estate (histsoen) yt shall please almighty God to dispose of me doe
herefore make this my last will & testament as hereafter following
First I commend my soule into the hands of my maker & redeemer by whose death &
passion I hope to be saved And for my word the estate not disposed of I bequeath
as following:
First, I give & bequeath to my beloved wife Bridgett, the last of all my goods &
household stuffe, during her lief And after her death to be distributed between
my two sonnes James Blount & Francis Blount my eldest sonne by Bridgett my now
wief. And yf either of them dye th'other to have them whole Item I give to
Chrisfer my sonne, 60 li of lawful money of England, Item I give to my sonne
Charles 200 li of like money. Item I give to my sonne Walter 8 li of like money
And yf Walter shall happen to dye, Chrisfer to have his portion, yf Chrisfer
shall happen to due Charles & Walter to have his portion And yf Charles shall
happen to dye, his portion to be divided between Chrisfer & Walter & this
portion to be paid unto them by my feofees in trust after the sale of certain
lands appointed to be sould for the raising of portions, Item I give to my
daughter Katherine Bowyer 200 li of lawful money of England, to be paid her, out
of the first monies that shall be received after the sale of the said lands,
Item I give to my daughters Ann Blount and Maria Blount, two hundred pounds a
yeare of like lawful money to be likewise paid them uppon the sale of the lands
And yf the said lands shall amount to more monies themn the legacies hereby
given, my will is, that the over plus shall be divided between my said daughters
Ann, and Maria, and the either of them shall dye then to be divided between the
survivor, And Katherine Bowyer my oldest daughter Item whereas John Wynford of
Astley aforefeit rent, and others id bond wth him, to me for the payment of 120
li, And one Matthew Meysey of Shakenhurst wth others standeth likewise bound to
Walter Blount to my use for the payment of 40 li at certaine daies So (come?),
mentioned in the contracts of their several obligations, my will and meaning is,
that their two bonds shall remain in the haus of Walter Blount of Soddington Esq
one of my feofees, For the payment of one annuitie of fourteen pounds per annum
to my Brother Walter Blount which annuitie I have formerly granted unto him
during his lief, And after his decease, the benefitt of those two bonds to be
disposed of as follows Item I give xx li thereof to my sonne W'm Blount, Item I
give other xx li thereof to the eldest daughter of my sonne Bazell Blount Item I
give x li a year to Dorothie & Bridgett the daughters of my sonne Francis
Blount, Item I give to Thomas eldest sonne of my sonne James 40 li ____,
Item I give to the two oldest children of my cozna Fortune Acton had by
Joane Whittington her first husband xx li a year Item I give th'other xxx li to
poore different catho-cs, to be divided by some pure charitable Religious man
atn- cozna Walter Blount my Extor hereafter named shall appoint. Item I give the
domain preferment & advowson of patronage of the parish church of Astley
aforesaid to my sonne Francis Blount, And q' this my last will and testament I
make and appoint, my well loved Cozne the sd Walter Blount of Soddington Esq my
full extor to whome for his pains & care herein I give a ring of the price of
iii li to weare in remembrance of me for witnes whereof I have today hereof sett
my hand & fixed them allso herewth my seale the day and yeare first above
written
Signed sealed & published to
Thomas Blount
be my last will & testament the
day of the sale hereof in the
presence of Margery Attwood
Tho: Baskerville
Ralph Stanlake fran