1553 Walter Leveson

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In the name of God Amen, the thirtieth day of October in the year of our Lord God 1551 and in the fifth year of the reign of our Sovereign lord King Edward VI of England and also of Ireland in earth the supreme God.  I Walter LEVESON Merchant of the Staple at Calais and of London Haberdasher being of good health and perfect memory thanks be given to God, do make and ordain this my present containing my last will in manner and form following: First I bequeath my soul unto almighty God  my maker trusting that by his infinite mercy and the merits of Jesus Christ my only Saviour and Redeemer to have remission of my sins and fruition of the joys everlasting, and for my body I will it be buried where it shall please my executors.  ITEM; I give to my right loving wife Elizabeth Leveson one third part of all my goods debts chattels and ready monies whatsoever and wheresoever it be either one side the sea or the other according unto the good and laudable order of this worshipful City of London in that behalf provided.  ITEM; I give and bequeath unto my dearly beloved children to be equally divided amongst them in like order of this City one other third part of all my goods chattels debts and ready money whatsoever or wheresoever, and if it fortune any of my children to [xxx] this natural life before that he she or they come to their lawful ages or marriages then I will that the portion  or portions of him her or them so deceased shall remain and be equally divided to and amongst the other that survive and be living  to be paid unto them at their ages or marriages before expressed.  ITEM; the other third part and last part of all my goods debts chattels and ready money I give and bequeath in manner and form following that is to say: to the marriage of twenty poor maidens twenty pounds lawful money of England to wit twenty shillings apiece whereof ten of them to be in the City of London and the other ten in the counties of Staffordshire and Shropshire.  ITEM; I give towards the amending of the civil highways at the verges and between Cornall and Wolverhampton within Tipton Lane in the County of Stafford the sum of forty pounds to be thereupon employed and bestowed by my executors at sometime within the space of three years next after my decease.  ITEM; I give to twenty of the poorest householders within the parish of Saint Andrew Undershaft to be equally divided ten pounds. And to thirty of the poorest householders in the town of Wolverhampton fifteen pounds to be distributed unto them by my executors within the space of one month after my decease.  ITEM; I give unto  my sister SKEVINGTON a standing gilt cup of twenty marks price and to every child she has living at the time of my decease George SKEVINGTON except because he is hereafter better remembered twenty pounds apiece to be paid to their uses within one year next after my decease unto my sister their mother if she be then widow and if any of them fortune to die before they come to their lawful ages then I will the portions of them so deceased to remain to the survivors and to be equally divided amongst them.  ITEM; I give unto my cousin George SKEVINGTON to be in like manner put forth for his most profit a hundred marks of lawful English money.  ITEM; I give to every child my sister EYTON has at the time of my decease twenty pounds apiece in like manner and form as my sister Skevington’s children to wit to be put forth by my executors to heir uses and profits during their non-ages.  ITEM; I give to my sister Elizabeth LEVESON wife unto my brother Edward a gilt cup of twenty marks price.  ITEM; I give unto my sister Mary LEVESON a nest of gilt bowls of forty marks price and to my goddaughter Mary LEVESON her eldest daughter I give a nest of gilt goblets with a nest gilt ale cups count both the price of ten pounds.  I give to my two brothers Richard LEVESON and Edward LEVESON to either of them the son of one hundred pounds apiece to take some pains in seeing this my will accomplished.  ITEM; I give to every of those household servants as well men as women that they shall have in their houses dwelling with them at the time of my decease twenty shillings apiece.  ITEM; I give to William Charleton of Charsall John Woodford William Austen Thomas [Winchwyke] and my son [Galfury] BRADLEY to every of them ten pounds apiece. To [Iggrathney], Kirkby, Appleby, Norres and Hugh Norrall I give twenty shillings apiece.  ITEM; I give to Thomas [Enomewich] my servant twenty pounds.  To Roger Horton my apprentice twenty pounds. To every of my maids dwelling with me at the time of my decease ten pounds apiece. To the boy of the kitchen called Thomas George five pounds. To John Wantner and James Cutt which sometime were my [servants] to either of them if they be living five pounds apiece. And to John Cowper servant with my brother Richard LEVESON I give also five pounds.  ITEM; I do forgive Henry Edes senior of London Woolman all such money as he owes me at the time of his decease by bills of his hand and I do give him in money ten pounds.  ITEM; I do forgive Henry Butler of Calais draper all such money as he owes and has bills remaining in my hands to be delivered him [ayen].  ITEM; I give to every of the [v] poorest officers belonging to the Staple at Calais at the time of my decease forty shillings apiece.  ITEM; I give to my mother WOODRUFFE and my aunt LEVESON either of them a ring of gold of three pounds apiece.  ITEM; I give also to my cousin HEWETT and his wife, my cousin SADLER and his wife, my cousin Thomas WILKES, my cousin DAVANETT and his wife, Thomas Nicholas and William LEVESON, my cousin William WILKES, my brother Nicholas WOODROFFE and my cousin Matthew WROTTESLEY to every of them or to so many of them as be living at the time of my decease a ring of gold of ten pounds price apiece. And to my friend Henry Blankebury of Calais I give in money ten pounds.  ITEM; I give unto my executors whom I desire my father WOODROFFE, my brother Richard LEVESON and my brother Edward LEVESON every of them a ring of gold of five marks price.  The residue of all my goods chattels plate household stuff debts and ready money I give and bequeath unto my children equally among them to be divided and to be paid unto them by my executors at their lawful ages.  In witness that this is my true and undoubted last will I have written subscribed and sealed the same with my own hand and seal the day and year above written Amen God be praised. By me Walter Leveson

MEMORAND that it is my full will and mind that my wife shall have and enjoy all my plate and household stuff where so ever it be to her own proper use and behoof over and above the third part of all my other goods although I have valued the same in my estate, and further she to have my lease of this my house in London for that I would not nor yet is meant she should be destitute of a dwelling house and although this be not contained in my will yet is it my full mind which I doubt not but my executors will accomplish and so her have it. By me Walter Leveson – witnesses unto this present testament: Thomas Hunte, skinner; Henry Edes, wool packer; Anthony Pargeter, Nicholas Woodroffe.

CODICIL

The eleventh day of January in the year of our Lord God 1553 these legacies following are to be added unto this last will and testament of me Walter Leveson merchant of the Staple of Calais.  ITEM; I bequeath to the two new created hospitals that is to say Christ’s Hospital and the Hospital in Southwark to either of them twenty pounds sterling[1].  ITEM; I bequeath unto the Hospital of Saint Bartholemews in Smithfield the sum of twenty pounds sterling.  ITEM; I bequeath unto the poor people within the parish of St Christopher wherein I now dwell the sum of thirteen pounds three shillings and eight pence to be distributed at the discretion of my executors.  ITEM; I give unto Paul Hill, merchant of the Staple the sum of ten pounds sterling.  ITEM; I bequeath to Agnes Harrison sometime my servant the sum of ten pounds sterling.  ITEM; I remit and forgive unto Henry Edes the elder Woolman all such sums of money as he does owe me.  ITEM; I will that if it shall please him to take out of this transitory life my child named Susanna or children if God send me more hereafter before she or they come to lawful age or marriage that then the portion or legacies to her or them bequeathed shall remain and be divided equally by their portions the one half thereof to Elizabeth Leveson my wife and the other half to be distributed unto the poor people of the City of London to such as it shall be thought more needful by the discretion of my executors – Rowland Hill, Harry Beacher, Thomas Hunte (skinner) Anthony Pargeter

Proved 16th February 1553

[1] About £11,000 in 2016 money