11-0144-94_MorganHenbury_1624
In the name of God Amen, the two and twentieth day of August one thousand six hundred twenty four in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord James by the grace of God King of England, France and Ireland defender of the faith etc, the two and twentieth and of Scotland the eight and fiftieth; I MORGAN HENBURIE, Citizen and Merchant Tailor of London, being at this present somewhat weak of body but of good and perfect mind and memory (laud and praise therefore be given to Almighty God) calling to mind the mortality of all flesh, how sure and certain it is that all must die, but how uncertain the time and place when we shall depart this transitory life and that it is the duty of every good Christian while God has lent him time and space so to dispose and set in order the goods which God has bestowed him in this life, that God thereby may be glorified, his kindred and friends comforted, the poor relieved and all suits and controversies which hereafter by reason thereof may grow or arise foreseen and prevented, do therefore make and declare this my present testament and last will in manner and form following (that is to say) first and principally I commend my soul into the hands of Almighty God my Creator, Jesus Christ my Saviour and Redeemer and the Holy Ghost my Sanctifier, trusting and believing through the merits of Jesus Christ to have free remission of all my sins. My body I commit to the earth to be buried in Christian burial where it shall please God to appoint the same; and as touching such lands and goods as the Lord has bestowed upon [me] in this life, I give will devise and bequeath the same as follows vizt.: In primis I will that all my debts and sums of money as I shall truly owe at the time of my decease together with my funeral charges and expenses shall be paid and satisfied out [of] my estate of goods and chattels and debts and my debts and funeral expenses so paid and discharged I will that my estate of goods chattels and debts shall be divided into three equal parts, whereof one equal third part I will and bequeath unto SARA my loving wife according to the custom of the City of London; one other third part I give and bequeath to and amongst my children, RICHARD HENBURY, JOHN HENBURY, WILLIAM HENBURY, JAMES HENBURY, STEPHEN HENBURY, ELIZABETH HENBURY and SARAH HENBURY to be divided between them according to the custom of the City of London; and the other third part I give and bequeath as follows vizt.: to the poor of the Parish of St Brydes als. Bridgett near Fleet Street London whereof I am now a parishioner the sum of five pounds of lawful money of England to be divided amongst them by the discretion of the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor of the same Parish for the time being. ITEM; I give and bequeath to the poor of the Parish of East Orchard in the County of Dorset the sum of four pounds of like lawful money of England to be divided amongst them by the discretion of the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor of the same parish for the time being; and I give unto the poor of the Parish of Playstowe [Plaistow] in the County of Essex the sum of twenty shillings of like money to be likewise divided amongst them by the discretion of the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor of the same parish for the time being. Item, I give and bequeath unto my maidservant Ellen Gittins three pounds of lawful money of England and to my sister MARIE HOLLAND the sum of four pounds of like money; and the remainder of the said last third part of my estate in goods chattels and debts after the said legacies paid and discharged, I give and bequeath to my said two daughters Elizabeth and Sarah to be divided equally between them part and part alike; and my will and mind is that my said sons shall have their several portions so to them given when and as soon as they or any of them shall have accomplished their several age or ages of twenty and one years; and the portions given to my said daughters to be paid unto them respectively when they shall have accomplished their full age of one and twenty years or days of marriage which shall first happen. And my will and mind is that if any of my said sons happen to die before they shall have accomplished their said ages of one and twenty years or my said daughters before they shall have accomplished their said ages of one and twenty years or days of marriage, that then the other of my sons and daughters surviving shall have and receive the portion of him her or them so dying equally between them part and part alike. And as concerning the disposing of my messuages, lands and tenements, I will give and devise the same in manner and form following (that is to say) First I give and bequeath unto my brother ROBERT HENBURY during his natural life one annuity or yearly rent of five pounds of lawful money of England to be yearly issuing and payable out of all those my three messuages or tenements with the appurtenances in Fleet Street in the Parish of St Brides als. Bridgett aforesaid now in the possession of me the said Morgan Henbury, john Bigg and William Julian, the same to be paid at two feasts or times of the year that is to say at the Feasts of St Michael the Archangel and the Annunciation of our Lady St Mary the Virgin or within eight and twenty days of the same feasts(which shall next ensue after my decease. ITEM; I give and bequeath all the said three messuages or tenements with the appurtenances situate lying and being in Fleet Street aforesaid and which I late bought and purchased to me my heirs and assigns of John Parrett, gent and also Thomas Reason and all my estate and interest and all deeds, evidences and writings concerning the same, charged and chargeable with the said annuity as aforesaid unto the said Richard Henbury my eldest son his heirs and assigns for ever. ITEM; I give and bequeath all those my four messuages or tenements with the appurtenances situate and being in Gent Street[1] in the Suburbs of London now in the several tenures of Bryan Atkins, [ ] Burges, Thomasine Harrison, widow and [ ] Bostock and which I late bought and purchased to me my heirs and assigns of William Higham Esq and Sarah his wife and all my estate and interest and all deeds evidences and writings concerning the same unto the said John Henbury my second son his heirs and assigns for ever. ITEM; I give and bequeath all those my messuages or tenements with the appurtenances situate and being in Greens Rents near [near] Fleet bridge in the Parish of St Bride’s als. Bridgett aforesaid which I late bought and purchased to me my heirs and assigns of Edward Mainwaring Esq and Sarah his wife and Edward Mainwaring gent the son and heir of the said Edward the [ ] and all my estate and interest and all deeds, evidences and writings concerning the same unto my said two sons William and James Henbury equally between them their heirs and assigns for ever. ITEM; I give and bequeath all those my freehold and copyhold lands tenements with the appurtenances situate and being in the parish of Playstowe and county of [Middx] aforesaid which I late bought and purchased to me, my heirs and assigns of William [Preagle] Citizen and Haberdasher of London and all that my estate and interest with all deeds, evidecnes and writings concerning the same unto my son Stephen Henbury his heirs and assigns forever. And my will and mind is that the said Sarah my wife shall and may receive and take the rents and profits of all and singular my said houses, lands, tenements with the appurtenances given to my said sons as aforesaid until they shall have accomplished their several ages of one and twenty years she paying and allowing for their education and bringing up such reasonable allowance as in her discretion she shall think fit. The rest and residue of my goods, chattels, debts, sums of money and other things after my debts and funeral charges paid and legacies performed I give and bequeath unto Sarah my [ ] wife and I do ordain and make the said Sarah my wife the sole and only Executrix of this my last will and testament desiring her to see this my will in all things according to my mind and intention hereinbefore declared done and performed according as my trust is in her reposed, and I make and appoint my brother Stephen Lancastle, Goldsmith and John Bigg, Haberdasher overseers of this my last will and testament desiring them to be aiding and assisting unto my said executing in the performance of this my last will and testament and I give unto them for their pains to be taken therein the sum of forty shillings apiece of lawfaul money of England. In witness whereof to this my last will and testament containing four sheets of paper and this sheet I the said Morgan Henbury to the said four sheets have subscribed my name and to this set my hand and seal [ ] the day and year first above written – the mark of the said Morgan Henburie [Memorandit] this will containing four sheets of paper and this sheet was published sealed and acknowledged by the said Morgan Henbury to be his last will and testament in the presence of us: William Childe (Notary Public), Stephen Langcastell, Laurentia Cordell, the mark of Richard Hayden, Anthonie Habberly, Sidnam Lukins servant to the said Notary Public 23rd day of August 1624 [Memorandit] the said Morgan Henbury did subscribe his name to the said four sheets of paper and this sheet and did publish and declare the same to be his last will and testament in the presence of us: Stephen Lancastell, John Bigg, Edward Pocton, Anthonie Habberly, Sidnam Lukins
Proved 9th September 1624 by Sara Henbury, relict
[1] There was a Gent Street Ward in the Parish of St Gyles without Cripplegate in Middlesex – perhaps this was where these messuages were located
Comments or questions are welcome.