11-0380-16870_SirJohnFrederick_1685
In the name of God Amen; the seventh day of September A.D. one thousand six hundred eighty-four and in the sixth and thirtieth year of the reign of our sovereign Lord Charles II by the grace of God of England Scotland France and Ireland King defender of the faith et cetera; I Sir JOHN FREDERICK of London Knight being weak in body but praised be God of sound and perfect mind and memory make and ordain this my last will and Testament in manner following; that is to say: first, I commend my soul unto God who gave it and my body I commit to the Earth from whence it came to be decently interred at the discretion of my executors hereafter named without any pompous funeral about nine of the clock at night that being the time I usually went to bed, and I would not have any sermon preached at my funeral lest more may be said of me than I have deserved. And as concerning my worldly estate, having already by deeds executed in my lifetime upon the late marriage of my son THOMAS FREDERICK settled so much thereof as constituted in lands or tenements of inheritance or in any leases of houses in London except only a piece of ground lying on the West side of my mansion house in the Old Jewry London which I hold by lease from the Mercer’s Company of London for the term of fourscore and eleven years commencing from Midsummer one thousand six hundred sixty-eight, now therefore as concerning the said piece of ground and lease thereof, inasmuch as I have erected thereon consisting of a parlour, kitchen, two chambers, garrett over both the chambers, a yard and vault underneath the yard and have constantly used it with my mansion house and desire that it should always go along and be used and enjoyed their with as my said mansion house is settled by the said marriage deeds and whereas by the said marriage deeds my said mansion house is settled on myself during my natural life and after my decease on Dame MARY FREDERICK my wife for her life and after her decease on my said son Thomas for his life and after his decease upon and under several entails with divers remainders over, my will therefore is that from and immediately after my decease my said wife shall have and enjoy the said lease and leasehold premises and the tenements and buildings erected thereon with the appurtenances during all the said term of fourscore eleven years then to come if she shall so long live and if she died before the expiration of the said term then my said son Thomas shall have and enjoy the same for all the residue of the said term if he shall so long live and if he die before the expiration of the said term then I give the said lease and leasehold premises and the residue of the said term of fourscore and eleven years which shall then be to come therein to my sons in law JOSEPH HERNE of London merchant and FRANCIS GOSFRITH likewise of London merchant, their executors and assigns, in trust nevertheless that they the said Joseph Herne and Francis Gosfrieth the survivor of them and the executors or assigns of such survivor shall permit and suffer the same from time to time to be held and enjoyed by such person and persons to whom the freehold in possession of my said mansion house by the said marriage deeds and according to the true intent thereof shall belong to and the same may always go along will and be enjoyed with my said mansion house as part thereof to which end my desire also is that the said Joseph Herne and Francis Gosfreith their executors or assigns do at any time or times as they shall think fit procure or endeavour to procure a new lease of the said leasehold premises from the said Mercers Company with as much increase of years as they can get and’s to take such new lease in their own names or in the name or names of such other as they shall think fit the charge whereof shall be borne by my executors out of my personal estate which newly saw leases so to be taken shall upon and under the same trusts as hereinbefore is expressed touching the said lease of fourscore and eleven years now in being and as concerning all other my estate not settled by the said marriage deeds not hereinbefore dispose of the same consisting only in money goods and chattels stock in trade debts owing to me and other personal things, I dispose thereof as follows and first, in pursuance and for performance of all and singular my covenants and agreements contained and specified in a certain indenture quinque partite bearing date the sixteenth day of July one thousand six hundred seventy-five made between me the said Sir John Frederick of the first part, William Wheatley of the second part, Sir NATHANIELL HERNE KNIGHT and Alderman of London since deceased of the third part, the said Joseph Herne of the fourth part, and REBECCA FREDERICK my daughter now the wife of the said Francis Gosfreith of the fifth part, I hereby give and bequeath unto my said dear and loving wife Dame Mary Frederick the sum of eight thousand pounds of lawful money of England to be paid unto her the one moiety or half part thereof within six months, and the other moiety or half part thereof within twelve months after my decease. Item; I give and bequeath unto the executors of the said Sir Nathaniell Herne to better the portion which I gave him with my daughter Dame JUDITH his late wife and now relict the sum of two thousand pounds according to my said covenants to be added to his estate and to go as he has disposed of his estate by his last will. Item; I give and bequeath unto my son in law the said Joseph Herne to better the portion which I have already given him with my daughter ELIZABETHhis wife the like sum of two thousand pounds. Item; whereas by the said quinque partite indenture I did covenant and promise to and with my said daughter Rebecca that I would by some deed or act executed in my lifetime or by my last will and Testament give bestow or bequeath unto or upon the said Rebecca in case she should survive me or be married in my lifetime with my consent the sum of five thousand pounds of lawful money of England for her advancement and preferment in the world, and whereas she is since marriage to the said Francis Gosfreith with my consent and to my very good contentment upon which marriage I gave her or unto her said husband in marriage with her the sum of four thousand pounds in part of the said five thousand pounds and by articles made upon the said marriage did covenant and promise to and with the said Francis Gosfreith that I would by my last will and Testament give and bequeath unto him the said Francis the sum of one thousand pounds in full of the marriage portion of my said daughter Rebecca, now I do hereby give and bequeath unto him the said Francis the sum of one thousand pounds of lawful money of England in full performance of my said several covenants with the said Rebecca and with the said Francis her husband. Item; I give and bequeath unto my executors hereafter named in trust for FREDERICK HERNE eldest son of the said Sir Nathaniell Herne my grandchild and godson one thousand and three hundred pounds in lieu of certain houses in Little Lombard Street in the parishes of St Mary Woolnoth and Mary Woolchurch in London in the several tenures of Lawrence Weld, Thomas Mothershead, Samuel Symonds and Robert Tempest their respective assigns or undertenants, which houses I intended at the birth of the said Frederick Herne to settle on him and his heirs and have so often declared but have since settled the same upon my said son Thomas upon his said marriage which said sum of thirteen hundred pounds I desire my said executors to lay out in a purchase of some lands or houses of inheritance for my said grandchild and godson Frederick and his heirs. Item; I give and bequeath unto the said Dame Mary my loving wife all my rings, jewels, diamonds, plate, household stuff, coaches and horses, and her wearing apparel and also two thousand pounds of lawful money of England over and above the said eight thousand pounds hereinbefore given and by my said covenants agreed to be given unto her which last mentioned two thousand pounds my will is shall be likewise paid unto her one moiety or half part thereof within six months and the other moiety or half part thereof within twelve months after my decease. Item; I give and bequeath unto my said executors in trust for NATHANIELL HERNE and THOMAS HERNE the two youngest sons of my said deceased son in law Sir Nathaniell Herne the sum of one thousand pounds to be laid out for them by my said executors in the purchase of some lands or tenements of inheritance to them the said Nathaniell and Thomas and their heirs in such manner as that the whole may accrue to the survivor and his heirs. Item; I give and bequeath unto my said son in law Joseph Herne in trust to his three sons FREDERICK HERNE, JOSEPH HERNE and JOHN HERNE and his daughter ELIZABETH HERNE the sum of one thousand pounds to be laid out for them by their said father in the purchase of lands or tenements of inheritance to them and their heirs and to be settled in such manner that the whole may accrue to the survivors or survivor of them and to the their his or her heirs. Item; I give unto my godson JOHN CHAPMAN and to his brother ROBERT CHAPMAN and to his sister MARY CHAPMAN, the three children of my niece MARY SHADWELL, the daughter of my deceased brother CHRISTOPHER FREDERICK, which she has by her former husband CHARLES CHAPMAN, the sum of one hundred pounds apiece to be paid unto them by my executors at their respective ages of one and twenty years and by my said executors to allow them interest for the same after the rate of five pounds per cent by the year towards their respective maintenance from the time of my decease and till the same shall be paid unto them, and if any of them shall happen to die before his or her said age of one and twenty years then my will is that the one hundred pounds given to him or her so dying with such interest thereof as aforesaid shall go into and be equally divided between the survivors of them, and if all of them should so die but one then all principal and interest to that one and if all of them shall happen to die before the said age of one and twenty years then I give all the said several sums of one hundred pounds apiece given to the said John, Robert and Mary as aforesaid and to the said Dame Mary my wife her executors and administrators. Item; I give unto my said son Thomas Frederick his executors and administrators the sum of five hundred pounds upon this special trust and confidence in him and them reposed that he and they shall pay unto such person and persons as my said niece Mary Shadwell shall from time to time by any writing under her hand nominate and appoint to receive the same one annuity or yearly sum of thirty pounds of lawful money of England for and during the natural life of her the said Mary the same to be paid at the four most usual feasts or days of payment in the year that is to say the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, the birth of our Lord God, the Annunciation of the blessed Virgin Mary, and the Nativity of St John the Baptist, by even and equal portions, the first payment thereof to begin and to be made at such of this said feasts as shall first happen next after my decease, and so as she the said Mary do not appoint her now husband [ ] Shadwell to receive the same to whose hands I will by no means that the same or any part thereof be paid he having lately married my said niece without my consent and very much to my dissatisfaction, and my meaning is that after the death of my said niece Mary Shadwell, my said son Thomas his executors and administrators shall and may keep and detain the said five hundred pounds to his and their own use without paying anything out of or for the same. Item; I give and bequeath one hundred pounds to be distributed amongst twenty poor ministers at the discretion of my executors of which I will that Mr Smithes, lecturer of St Giles Cripplegate and Mr Reynolds shall be to and shall have five pounds apiece thereof. Item to Christ’s Hospital in London the sum of four hundred pounds to be laid out by the governors thereof in a purchase of lands or ground rents of houses in London of the clear yearly value of twenty pounds at the least and my will is that out of the rents and profits of the lands or ground rents so to be purchased ten pounds apiece shall be given every two years to for poor children of the said hospital for the placing them out apprentices into the better trades; and whereas the governors of the said hospital have lately made and instituted a good rule and order for the visitation of the schools belonging to the said hospital twice in every year vizt. within fourteen days before Easter and fourteen days before Michaelmas for the examining the children of the said hospital as to their proficiency in reading writing ciphering grammar learning and the mathematics which will and order if the same be put in due and constant execution I hope will very much tend to the good and advantage of the poor children of that hospital, therefore the more to encourage the due and constant execution thereof I do hereby give and bequeath unto the said hospital the sum of one hundred pounds more which one hundred pounds my will is shall but likewise be laid out by the governors of the said hospital in the purchase of the inheritance of lands or ground rent in London of the clear yearly value of five pounds at the least which five pounds per annum I will shall yearly and every year be expended in entertaining such of the said governors as shall be appointed visitors of the said schools and such others as shall come to the said examination with wine ale and cakes or the like friendly entertainment vizt. fifty shillings thereof shall be so expended at every of the said half yearly visitations provided always that if there shall happen to be a failure of the said half yearly visitations for two several times together whereon the same ought to be had according to the good rule and order aforesaid except in the case of contagion or such like public cause then my express will and mind is that my said gift and bequest of one hundred pounds and lands or ground rent to be purchased there with for the encouragement of the said visitations shall cease determine and be utterly void and then the said lands or ground rent purchased with the said one hundred pounds or the said one hundred pounds if lands or ground rent be not purchased therewith shall go to the said Dame Mary my wife her heirs executors or administrators and assigns. Item; my will is that my said executors hereafter named shall as soon after my decease as conveniently they can layout the sum of two hundred twenty and five pounds of lawful money of England in the purchase of the inheritance of such lands and tenements as may be purchase therewith and shall convey assure and settle or cause the same to be conveyed assured and settled to and upon such persons who for the time being shall be the feoffees in trust their heirs and assigns for ever to the same uses as the said gift of the said Lady Welds will and whereas by her said will the preacher or preachers of the said lecture is or are to have ten shillings out of her gift for every sermon he or they shall make and preach my meaning is that he or they shall have seven shillings and six pence for every such sermon out of this my gift desiring the feoffees to take care as much as in them lies that able and worthy persons be appointed to preach the said lecture. Item; I give unto the said Dame Mary my wife the sum of five hundred pounds upon trust and confidence that she the said Dame Mary her executors or administrators shall pay the same over unto JOHN FREDERICK the son of JOHN FREDERICK who was the son of my said brother Christopher Frederick if he shall live to attain his age of one and twenty years and in the meantime shall allow interest for the same after the rate of four pounds percent by the year for or towards his maintenance and education, the same to be paid unto such person or persons as shall have the care and be at the charge of his maintenance and education at the to most usual feasts days in the year that is to say the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel and the Annunciation of the blessed Virgin Mary by even and equal portions, the first payment thereof to begin and to be made upon such of the said feast days as shall next happen after my decease, but if the said John Frederick the infant shall not live till he attain his said age of one and twenty years, then it shall and may be lawful to and for my said wife her executors or administrators to detain and keep the said last mentioned five hundred pounds given to her in trust as aforesaid to her and their own use or uses. Item; I give unto my said son Thomas Frederick his executors and administrators the sum of five hundred pounds upon this special trust and confidence in him and them reposed that he and they shall pay unto such person or persons as my niece SARAH WARNER the wife of [ ] Warner and daughter of my said brother Christopher shall from time to time by any note or writing under her hand appointed to receive the same one annuity or yearly sum of thirty pounds of lawful money of England for and during the natural life of her the said Sarah the same to be paid at the four most usual feasts or days of payment in the year that is to say the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, the birth of our Lord God, the Annunciation of the blessed Virgin Mary, and the Nativity of St John the Baptist, by even and equal portions, the first payment thereof to begin and to be made at such of the said feasts as shall first happen next after my decease, and so as the said Sarah do not appoint her now husband [ ] Warner to receive the same to his hands I would not have the same come and I desire my said son Thomas to take the best care he can that he may not have to do with it, and my meaning is that after the death of my said niece Sarah Warner, my said son Thomas his executors and administrators shall or may keep and detain the said last mentioned five hundred pounds to his and their own use without paying anything out of or for the same. Item; I give to the Dutch Church to the use of the poor of that congregation fifty pounds to be paid to the deacons of that church. Item; I give to Mr John Leach twenty pounds. Item; I give to my maid servant Winnefrith Adney in consideration of her care and pains taken of and with me in the time of my illness and weakness the sum of one hundred pounds if she shall be living with me at the time of my decease. Item; to my apprentice John Percivall fifty pounds if he shall be living with me at the time of my decease. Item; to all other my maid servants as shall be living with me at the time of my decease forty shillings apiece. Item; to the poor of Windmill Alley in the Old Jewry London five pounds to be distributed amongst them at the discretion of my loving wife. Item; to William Parry Clerke of Christ’s Hospital ten pounds. Item; to William Moses of Gray’s Inn in the County of Middlesex Esq ten pounds. Item; to the coachman that shall live with me at the time of my decease three pounds. Item; to my servant Edmund Hopkins the sum of twenty pounds, and whereas my said wife had some plate and other things from her own friends which with her consent I sold and had the money but always promised my wife that she should have it and for that purpose gave her credit for it in my particular book, now I do give unto her the said Dame Mary four hundred pounds over and above all and whatsoever I have hereinbefore given unto her and my will is that this four hundred pounds be paid unto her presently after my decease. Item; I give unto my said son Thomas Frederick fifty pounds to buy him a silver basin and ewer as a token of my love and affection to him, I having already given him out of my personal estate the sum of eleven thousand and five hundred pounds, whereby I have preferred and advanced him with and out of my personal estate, besides what I have settled on him in lands and tenements of inheritance far above what his share of my personal estate in proportion with his said sisters my other children would amount unto, nevertheless I do give and bequeath unto him my said son Thomas Frederick the sum of one thousand pounds upon trust and to the intent that he his executors or administrators shall within twelve months after my decease lay the same out in purchase of an adventure stock or share in the East India company or else in the purchase of lands or tenements of inheritance as to him or them in their discretions shall seem best and as soon as he or they have purchased the same shall convey sure and settle or cause the same to be conveyed assured and settled to and upon my three grandchildren JOHN FREDERICK and THOMAS FREDERICK the sons and MARY FREDERICK the daughter of my said son THOMAS FREDERICK their heirs or executors and assigns in such manner as that the whole may accrue and come unto the survivors and survivor of them and to their his or her heirs executors or assigns. And as for all the rest and residue of my said estate or which the same shall amount unto over and above my debts funeral is and legacies hereinbefore given and bequeathed my will is that the same shall be divided into three equal parts one third part whereof I give unto my said daughter Dame Judith Herne one other third part thereof I give unto my said daughter Elizabeth Herne and the other third part thereof I give unto my said daughter Rebecca Gosfreith, provided always and my express will nevertheless is that if my said wife or son Thomas or any of my said daughters or my said sons in law Joseph Herne and Francis Gosfreith shall not acquiesce and rest satisfied in and with this my will and such disposition of my estate as I have made thereby but shall resort to the custom of the city of London of which I am a Freeman for his or her share or part thereof or shall claim anything of or out of the same by the said custom or by any other title or pretence of ties then by this my will then and in that case such of them as shall so resort unto the said custom and claimed thereby as aforesaid shall have no manner of benefit by this my will nor shall have any part or share of my estate or benefit thereby other than what the said custom or other title to which they have resorted will give unto them, but I earnestly desire and well hope that in their kind remembrance of me they will all rest satisfied with this my will and not go about to disturb or question that disposition of my estate as I have thought good to make thereby the rather for that (as I reckon it) what I have hereby given unto them respectively with what I have heretofore given unto my said son Thomasand daughters Judith Elizabeth and Rebecca upon their advancement in marriage is much more than their respective shares and proportions of my estate by the said custom would amount unto. And lastly I make and ordain the said Dame Mary my loving wife my said son Thomas Frederick and my said sons in law Joseph Herne and Francis Gosfreith the sole and whole executors of this my last will and Testament desiring them to give morning at my funeral to mine and my wife’s sons and daughters brothers and sisters and to our servants that shall be living with us at the time of my decease and to such others as they shall think fit. And I do hereby revoke all former and other Wills by me made and all words by me heretofore spoken purporting any will or deck oration of my mind how my estate or any part thereof should be disposed of after my death. And I do declare this present writing consisting of eight sheets of paper fastened together with a label to be my only last will and Testament. In witness whereof I have put my hand to every of the said eight sheets at the bottom thereof and my hand and seal to the label to which the same fastened at the top thereof – John Frederick – signed sealed published and declared to be the last will and Testament of Sir John Frederick of London Knight in the presence of William Moses, Thomas Gery, John Baber.
Proved May 4th 1685 by Dame Mary Frederick, Joseph Hearne and Francis Gosfrith with administration reserved for Thomas Frederick.
Comments or questions are welcome.