1677 Will - Dr. Brune Ryves
Introduction
Dated: 19 Jun 1677, Windsor Castle, BerkshireProbated: Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 12 Jan 1677/8
Recorded: Piece 356 (Reeve), folio 54 reverse
Transcript
In the name of ye most holy Blessed and Glorious Trinity Father Son and holy Ghost three persons and one God Amen. I Brune Ryves Dr in Divinity and Deane of his Maties free Chappell of St George in the Castle of Windsor being (I bless God the Authour and giver of every good and perfect giuft) in reasonable Bodily health of Perfect memory and such understanding as God in his mercy hath been pleased to give unto me Doe make this my Last will and testament being now upon the Point of foursescore yeares old And mindfull of the frailty of man and of the uncertainty of the time of my dissolution.First I bequeath my soule into the hands of God who created it humbly beseeching him to purge it from all its defilements and sinns in the Blood of my Saviour Jesus Christ the sonne of his love and to present it to himself without spott and without Blemish through the meritts of his most precious death and passion.
Secondly for my Body I committ it in trust to the Earth from whence it was taken which haveing ben the instrument of many sins committed to the dishonour of God deserves noe other Buryall than that of an Asse (as the Prophet speakes) Drawne out and cast out of the Gates of the Citty yet to comply with humane decency I have to the discretion of my executor (hereafter to be named in this my will) to dispose of it as he shall thinke fitt onely with this intimation that if I dye att Windsor lett my Body be buried in the South Ile of the Quier of the Chappell of Windsor neare to the place where my deare wife was buried there to rest in hope of a joyfull resurrection att the last day. Amen Lord Jesus & Amen.
Lastly for my temporall estate which it hath pleased God in his goodness to give unto me I doe hereby dispose of it in manner following (viz)
First I give unto my sone Robert Sewell in consideration of his great paines taken for me the sume of one hundred pound.
Item I give unto my daughter Jane Sewell the sume of two hundred pounds which I do apoint her husband to imploy to her proper use and her share of the divident
Item I give unto my grandchildren Brune Sewell Rives Sewell Jane Sewell Katherine Sewell Jonathan Sewell and Benjamin Sewell to each of them one hundred pounds and to the childe wch my daughter Sewell now goes withall one hundred pounds whereof of this money there is already in my sone Sewells hands the sume of five hundred and fifty pounds.
Item I give to my daughter Dorothy Cooke one hundred pounds besides her share in the divident of my estate.
Item I give to my sone Joseph Rives one hundred pounds besides his share of the divident of my estate.
Item I give unto my sonne Thomas Ryves the money that he hath in stock for the trade which is nyne hundred and fifty pounds and more I give him one hundred pounds besides his sahre of the divident of my estate.
Item my will is if the thousand pounds which was in one Bings hand can be recovered shall be equally devided betweene all my six children.
Item I give to my daughter Keate ten pound a yeare out of Dunmow during her life and her share in the divident of my estate.
Item I give my grandchild Katherine Keate one hundred pound
Item I give unto my Grandchild Brune Keate one hundred and fifty pounds.
Item I give my outefit unto my grandchilde younger Cooke fifty pounds for which sume I have his fathers bond
Item I give my grandchild Brune Ryves fifty poundes
Item I give unto my kinswoman Grace Taylor fourty pound besides the sume of forty pound which I doe owe unto her uppon Bond.
Item I give unto Thomas Taylor the sone of Grace Taylor one hundred pounds And to Peter Taylor and to James Taylor sones of the said Grace Taylor to each of them fifty pound
Item I give unto Dorothy Wiston if liveing at my death forty shillings
Item I give unto the widdow bigs the Blind woman twenty shillings
Item I give unto the poore of the parishes of new windsor Acton and Hasely tenn pound to each parishe to be distributed att the discretion of my executor unto those that are aged Impeteus or have many children depending on them
Item I give unto the widdow Katers? of Hasely if she be liveing at my death forty shillings and to the widdow Crow of Arton? if she be liveing at my death twenty shillings.
Item I give unto my sone Brune Ryves and to his wife and unto my son Robert Sewell and his wife and to my sone younger Cooke and to his wife and to my sone Joseph Ryves and to my sone Thomas Rives and to my daughter Katherine Keate and to my kinswoman Grace Taylor unto each of them tenn pound for mourning.
Lastly the remainder of my moneys together with all my goods Books Plate mynnen hanging Pewter Bedds bedding and household stuffe &c horses couches &c my will is that (my funerall charges debts and legacies either here or hereafter to be named being first satisfied and paid) shall be equally devided amongst my six children. And my will is that the legacies here given shall be due and payable all six moneths after my death if the moneys which are in other mens hands can be soe soon called in if not then my legacies shall be paid at nyne or twelve moneths att farthest my executor shall not be lyable to pay my interest being under an im?ately? to pay these severall legacies untill these moneys can be recovered in.
I give unto all my servants mournings att the discretion of my executor and hereby alsoe I give unto every servant which hath served me two yeares compleate and upwards before my death to each such servant respectively halfe a yeares wages over and above the wages which shall be due unto each of them att the time of my death and my will is these my legacies given until my servants theire payments shall not be delayed but shall be paid all the discrection of my family.
Item I give unto my servant Charles Bishop if he serves me att my death five pound.
Item whereas I am possessed of the lease of a parsonage and mannor of Much Dunmowe in the County of Essex with the appurtenances thereunto belonging for divers yeares yet to come and unexpired which I hold by demise from the Right Honble father in God Henry Lord Bishop of London taken in the name of my sone Brune Rives But purchased onely in trust for my selfe my executors administrators or assignes as by a deed under the hand and seale of the said Brune declaring the same appeares now therefore I settle the same in manner following First I give and bequeath to my sone Joseph Rives the sume of thirty pounds yearly during the tenure of his naturall life to be paid him out of the said parsonage and mannor of Much Dunmowe in the County of Essex by my executor clearly and without any deduction of any manner of tax or charge whatsoever att two feasts in the yeare (that is to say) att the feast of St Michaell the Archangell and our Lady day the first payment to be made att which of the said feasts shall first happen after my decease.
Item I give and bequeath to my daughter Katherine Keate the sume of tenn pounds a yeare during the terme of her naturall life to be paid her by my executor in manner aforesaid out of my said Parsonage and mannor of Much Dunmowe already expressed in my will above.
Item I give and bequeath to Thomas Peter and James Taylor the sons of James Taylor deceased late chapter Clerke to the Reverend Dean and Cannons of his maties free Chappell of St George at Windsor to each of them the sume of five pounds yearly untill they shall severally arrive to the age of one and twenty yeares and then to cease which said payments shall be made to each of them respectively by my executor in manner and forme aforesaid out of my said Parsonage and mannor of Much Dunmowe.
Item I give and bequeath the Residuary proffitts of the said Parsonage and mannor with all and every of its appurtenances to my said sone Brune Ryves his executors Administrators and assignes and for the better and more sure discharge of the said legacies I order appoint and my will is that my executor shall from time to time and all att all times hereafter in such cases usuall? at his owne cost and charge Ren?? the said lease of the said Parsonage and mannor and shall be carefull to pay the rents and perform the covenants of the said lease to avoid any forfeatures thereof to the prejudice of the said legatees or any of them.
Item for that the said Parsonage and mannor with the lease thereof was originally mortgaged to me onely for a considerable sume of moeny If therefore the mortgager thereof his executors or Administrators shall happen att any time to be entitled to the said Parsonage and mannor by Redemption of the said mortgage soe that the sume ought not to continue longer charged with payment of the said severall legacies then my will is and I doe order and appoint that the money which shall be paid in discharge and redemption of the said mortgage the premises shall be disposed of in manner following (vizt) I give to my sonne Joseph Rives the sume of three hundred pounds thereof in lieu of the said legacie of thirty pounds per Anm during his naturall age.
Item I give to my daughter Katherine Keate the sume of one hundred pounds thereof in liew of her legacie of tenn pounds per Annum during her naturall life
Item I give to the said Thomas Peter and James Taylor the sum of fifty pounds a peice thereof in liew of their severall legacies for five pounds per Anum till they come to the age of one and twenty years
Item the rest and Residue of the said money I give to my son Brune Ryves in liew of the said legacie of the Residuary proffitts of the said Parsonage and mannor. And I doe hereby consitute and appoint my loveing sonne Brune Ryves the sole executor of this my last will and testament and for his care and paines which he shall undergoe herein I give unto him one hundred pounds And the hangings in the Great Chamber where the Duke of Yorke doth lodge with the furniture of the chamber And I do conjure him as he will answere it unto God att the Great and terrible day of our Lord Jesus Christ which he shall Judge both the Quicke and the dead and as he hopes for a blessing on himselfe and his children carefully and conscientiously to fullfill and pforme this my will in every particular and to discharge this trust reposed in him by me to the uttermost of his power and to have Bowells of love and kindnes towards his Brothers and sisters And I doe charge all my children before God and his holy Angell, that they doe live together in Love and Brotherly affections one towards another Remembring as that strict account which at the Last day they must give to God of all their actions soe likewise not forgetting that they are Brothers and sisters the children of the same father and the same mother and when I am dead lett not this Admonition (By which though dead I yet ???) be buried with me But let it sink down into their hearts and make such Deepe imporessions on their souls that they may withstand and conquer all temptations to the contrary and God who is the God of peace and in whose hands the hearts of all men are incline their hearts to peace and to live in the feare of God in obedience and conformity to the Church of England Blessing God they were borne in it the best established and the most orthodox church in the world in which God grant that they may live in justice love and charity with all men Amen.
Item haveing omitted before I doe here give unto my grandchild Robert Sewell the sume of fifty pounds which is already in his fathers hands and the two lesser silver tankards I doe give the one to my daughter Keate and the other to my daughter Cooke and my gold watch and my gould seale and my owne Picture and my wifes Picture I do give unto my son Brune Rives. And I do intreat my good friend and Brother Dr John Durell Prebend of Windsor and my loveing son Robert Sewell and Giles Duncombe Esquire to be overseers of this my last will and testament And I doe give unto each of them fourty shillings apeice to buy them rings
Lastly if any controversye chance to happen betweene my children (which God forbid) concerning any thing contayned in or omitted in this my last will and testament I heartily desire them the overseers or any two of them may be sole judges or arbitrators to determine and compose all such controversies and I hereby charge (on my Blessing) all my children to be concluded and ordered by and to acquiesse in their or any two of their determinations and the God of mercy through the Blood of his beloved Son Jesus Christ and the guidance of his holy Spirit bring us all to his eternall kingdome even so come Lord Jesus come quickly Amen and Amen.
Brune Ryves
I doe signe seale and publish this for my last will and testamt these words being interlined (Robert Sewell) the 19th day of June 1677 in the presence of us Edward Fusham? Jor Butler John Sewell