ID: MARG_127

TitleWill of Thomas Frere of Fingringhoe 1663
AbstractWill of Thomas Frere of Fingringhoe 23 January 1663 transcribed from Essex Record Office document D/ACW 17/114

Transcriber Trevor Hearn 6 April 2020
There is a translation to Modern English further down the page

See also Thomas Frere and his Family's Connection to the British Slave Trade by Trevor Hearn


1   In the name of God Amen the three & twentith day of January in the fourteenth yeere of the
2   raigne of ower sov[er]aigne Lord Charles the second by the grace of God of England Scotland France
3   & Ireland Kinge Defendo[ur] of the faith e[tc] I Thomas Frere of Fingringho in the Countie of Essex
4   Marchant beeinge sick & weake in body but of good & p[er]fect memory Thankes bee given to Almighty
5   God therefore, hereby <..> re<.>vokeinge all former wills by mee at any time heretofore made doe make and
6   ordaine this p[re]sent writeinge to bee and containe my true last will and testament in manner and
7   forme followinge That is to say first & principally I com[m]end my soule into the hands of Almighty
8   God my Creator assuredly trustinge to bee saved in the gen[er]all resurrecc[i]on & judgment by the only merritt[es]
9   & passion of my Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ and my body to the earth from whence it came to bee
10   decently buried when & where it shall please God to call mee & my [...] estate I bequeath as followeth/ Imprimis I give & bequeath unto
11   Thomas Frere my sonne and to his heires executors administrators & assignes All my estate what-
12   soever both reall and p[er]sonall in the Island of Barbadoes which was bequeathed unto mee by m[r] John
13   Jackson my late brother in law & by Elizabeth Jackson his wife my late sister or by either of them or that
14   I have any right or title unto in the said Island of Barbadoes or else where from them or either of them, Alsoe
15   I give & bequeath unto the said Thomas Frere my sonne and to his heires executors administrators & assigne[es]
16   all my land[es] plantations and other estate whatsoever both reall & p[er]sonall in the Island of Antigua com[m]only
17   called Antego, And all my Land[es] & other estate both reall & p[er]sonall & arreares of pay due to mee and
18   that descended to mee as only sonne & heire of m[r] John Frere late of Kilkock neere the Citty of Dublyn
19   in the Kingdome of Ireland or by any other waies due or belonging to <..> mee But my will is and I doe
20   hereby give full and absolute power & authority unto Cristopher Sills of Fingringhoe Clarke & Joseph
21   Mann of Sudbury in the County of Suff[olk] gen[t] the executors of this my will hereunder named or the
22   survivor of them to make sale with all convenient speede they can after my decease of all my said estate
23   of what kinde or nature soever in Barbadoes Antego & Ireland to the best advantage they can, and
24   the monies that shall arise of the sale thereof to bee ymployed by my said Executors or the survivor
25   of them in the education & for the portion of the said Thomas my sonne & to such other us[es] & p[ur]poses
26   as are in this my will expressed provided <....> that if all my estate in the sev[er]all places aforesaid shall
27   arise unto above the som[m]e of Six hundred pound[es] Sterling Then my will is and I doe hereby give
28   & bequeath unto George Frere myne oldest sonne, the one halfe part of all the monies exceedinge
29   the said som[m]e of six hundred pound[es] that shall bee raised out of my estate aforesaide Item I give
30   & bequeath out of the first monies that shall bee raised of my said estate at Antegoe or Barbadoes
31   these sev[er]all legacies followinge, That is to saye unto my loveinge Friends[es] m[r] Olliph Carew and
32   m[rs] Carew his wife of Wivenhoe five pound[es] apeece, and to the said m[r] <.> Sills & m[r] Mann my
33   executors tenn pound[es] apeece Item I give & bequeath unto the said m[r] Carew one feather bedd
34   which m[rs] Carew did amend, and the bedsted blew Curtaines vallants blew rugg feather boulster
35   & one blankett thereunto belonginge, Item I give unto the twoo now maidservant[es] of the said m[r] Carew
36   tenn shillings apeece Item my will is that all my household stuff shall bee sould toward[es] the dischardging
37   of my funerall p[ro]bate of my will & paym[en]t of my debts by my Executors or the survivor of them Item my
38   will and desire is that the said Cristopher Sills & Joseph Mann myne executors <....> <..> & the survivor <..> of
39   them shall bee Guardians or Guardian unto my said sonne George Frere <..> <.....> and shall receive all the
40   rents yssues & p[ro]fitts of all the Mannors Land[es] Tenements & hereditament[es] scituate & beinge in Fingringhoe
41   & elswhere in the said County of Essex, that were devised & bequeathed unto him by the last will of m[r]
42   George Frere my late uncle deceased and shall out of the p[ro]fitts thereof, pay the Anuities Chardged
43   thereuppon by the said Last will of my said late Uncle and my will is that the overplus of all the saide
44   <..> rents yssues & p[ro]fitts (necessary reprisalls beinge deducted) shall bee paid into the hand[es] of the saide

45             Tho: Frere

Transcription Page 2

1   Joseph Mann from time to time as the same shall arise, and the same to bee paid by him the said
2   Joseph Mann in such manner & sorte as in and by the said last last will of my said late uncle m[r] George
3   Frere is directed & appointed and my will is that the said Joseph Mann uppon reasonable request
4   shall give security by Land[es] for the repayment of all such overplus monies as shall come to his hand[es]
5   accordinge to the true meaninge of the said will of my saide late uncle m[r] George Frere and that hee
6   shall give an account thereof to my saide sonne George Frere when hee shall attaine his age of twenty
7   and fower yeeres, And I doe hereby desire my said Executors to take the care of education of my said
8   twoo sonnes, and to dispose of them in such manner as shall bee most suiteable fitt and convenient
9   for them Item my will & minde is that such moderate & reasonable Sallary & payment as shall bee fitt
10   & meete to bee alowed for the <........> receveinge & manageing of the said estate of my saide sonne
11   George Frere, shall be equally parted & devided betweene my Executors And I doe constitute and
12   appoint the said Cristopher Sills & Joseph Mann to bee the Executors of this my will In witnesse
13   whereof to both sheets or leafes of this my will I have sett my hande and to the
14   last sheete as alsoe to the topp or hedd therof I have sett my seale the day and yeere
15   first above written.

16   Sealed subscribed & published in the p[re]sense of           Tho: Frere

17   John Hawber
18   George Reade jnr
19   Oliph Carew

Transcription Page 3

1   probatum fuit hu[ius]mod[i] test[a]m[entum]
2   apud Kelvedon Sexto die
3   Febr[uar]ij Anno d[omi]ni (Stilo Angliae)
4   1665 Coram Mag[ist]ro Johanne
5   Tabor Surr[ogat]o e[tc] jurament[o]
6   Christopher Sill[s] Executoris e[tc]

7           fuit
8           fit


Modern English Translation by Trevor Hearn 6 April 2020

In the name of God, Amen. 23rd January 1663.

I, Thomas Frere, a merchant of Fingringhoe, Essex, being sick and weak in body but of sound mind, thanks be to Almighty God, hereby revoke all previous wills made by me and do hereby make and ordain this my last will and testament as following:

Firstly, I commend my soul into the hands of my creator, Almighty God, trusting in my salvation in the resurrection and judgement in the mercy and passion of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. My body is to be returned to the earth in a decent burial whenever and wherever it shall please God to call me.

I bequeath my estate as follows:

I give and bequeath to my son, Thomas Frere, and to his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, all my estate, both real and personal, in the island of Barbados that was bequeathed to me by my late brother-in-law, Mr John Jackson, and his wife Elizabeth, my late sister, or by either of them; or to any estate that I may have right or title thereto on the island of Barbados or elsewhere from them or from either of them. I also give and bequeath to the said Thomas Frere, and to his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, all my lands, plantations and other estates whatsoever, both real and personal, in the island of Antigua together with all my lands and other estates, both real and personal, and all arrears of payments due to me or descended to me as the only son and heir of the late Mr John Frere of Kilcock, Ireland, near the City of Dublin, or in any other way due or belonging to me.

My will is, and I do hereby give full and absolute power and authority to, Christopher Sills of Fingringhoe, clerk, and to Joseph Mann of Sudbury, Suffolk, gentleman, being named hereunder the executors of this my will, or the survivor of either of them, as speedily as possible after my death to sell all of my said estate, of whatever kind or nature, in Barbados, Antigua or Ireland, at the best price obtainable. The profits arising from the sale thereof shall be employed by my executors, or any survivor thereof, in the education, and for the share of, my said son, Thomas Frere, and to such other purposes and uses as are expressed in this will. If the sum raised from the sale of my estates in the places aforementioned should exceed six hundred pounds sterling, then I give and bequeath to my oldest son, George Frere, one half of the sum in excess of six hundred pounds raised from the sale of estates as aforesaid.

I give and bequeath out of the monies that are raised from my said estates in Barbados and Antigua the following legacies:

I give to my loving friends Mr Oliph Carew and his wife, both of Wivenhoe, the sum of five pounds each.

I give to my executors, Mr Sills and Mr Mann, the sum of ten pounds each.

I give and bequeath to the aforesaid Mr Carew one feather bed which Mrs Carew improved, together with the bedstead, blue curtains, vallence, blue rug, feather bolster, and one blanket that belongs to it.

I give to the two current maid servants of the said Mr Carew the sum of ten shillings each.

My executors, or the survivor of either of them, shall sell all my household goods and the proceeds used to pay my funeral expenses, the probate fees and the payment of my debts.

My desire is that my executors, Christopher Sills and Joseph Mann, or the survivor of either of them, be the guardians or guardian of my said son, George Frere, and that they shall receive all of the rents, proceeds and profits of all the manors, lands, holdings and real property situated in Fingringhoe and elsewhere in the county of Essex that were bequeathed to my said son under the will of my late uncle, Mr George Frere. The said executors shall pay out of the profits aforesaid the annuities charged thereupon under the terms of the said will of the said late George Frere and that any surplus from such profits (after deducting all expenses due) shall be paid to the said Joseph Mann for payment as directed under the terms of the will of the said late George Frere. My will is that the said Joseph Mann, upon reasonable request, shall give security in the form of lands for the repayment of all such surplus funds that have been paid to him according to the terms of the will of the said late George Frere, and that an account of such funds shall be given by Joseph Mann to my said son George Frere when he reaches the age of 24.

I hereby desire that my executors aforesaid take care of the education of my said two sons and to place them in such employment as shall be as suitable and convenient for them.

My will and desire is that such reasonable salary and payment as appropriate for the receiving and managing of the said estate of my said son George Frere shall be equally divided between my executors. I appoint the said Christopher Sills and Joseph Mann to be the executors of this my will.

In witness whereof I have signed both sheets of this my will and I have set my seal both at the top of the first page and at the foot of the second page on the day and year first above written.

Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of             Thomas Frere [seal]

John Hawber
George Read, priest
Oliph Carew

This will was proved at Kelvedon on the 6th February 1665 before the Master, John Tabor, Deputy Judge, under the oath of Christopher Sills, executor. Completed.

Published23 January 1663
SourceMersea Museum
IDMARG_127