| Abstract | Will of William Hunt of East Mersea 1508 transcribed from ERO D/ACR 1/142/2
Abstract, transcription and translation by Jools Hoyle and Jill Waters February 2022
Abstract
1508 will of William Hunt of East Mersea.
He desires to be buried in the churchyard at East Mersea church.
He leaves money to the church in lieu of any tithe payments that he might have forgotten, together with a small bequest to the mother church.
He leaves his house and land to his son John, together with a boat, some kitchen and household goods and a bullock, instructing John to pay an annual allowance to his step-mother for the rest of her life. John is also named as executor of William's will and instructed to dispose of any other possessions using the proceeds for the good of William's soul, and William's friends' souls.
There is a small bequest to William's wife.
Transcription
There is a translation to Modern English further down the page.
Test[amentum] Will[elm]i Hunt de Estm[er]sey
1. In the name of god Amen the ixti day of August & in the yer[e]
2. of our[e] lorde god Ml VC & viijti I Willia[m] hunt hole of mynd make
3. my laste will & testament in man[er] & forme folowyng First
4. I bequeth my soule unto almyghti god & unto our[e] blissed ladi
5. saynt mary & unto all the company in hevyn & my body to be
6. buried in the churchyard of saynt Edm[u]nd King & marter of
7. Estm[er]sey It[e]m y bequeth unto the hie Awter of Estm[ersey] for my tithes
8. negligently forgoten xijd [Note 1] It[e]m I bequeth unto the mother church
9. of paulis [Note 2] iiijd [Note 3] It[e]m I bequeth unto my son John my howse lyyng
10. in Estm[er]sey w[i]t[h] all the land[es] & the app[ur]ten[au]nc[es] longyng therto
11. payeng my dett[es] & his mother in lawe [Note 4] iiijs [Note 5] by yer[e] the terme of
12. her lif It[e]m y bequeth unto my son John the best bede but oon [Note 6] It[e]m
13. I bequeth unto the saide John a bote w[i]t[h] all that longy[es] therto It[e]m
14. y bequeth to the said John a bulloke It[e]m I bequeth to the said John
15. ij ketill[es] a tripet [Note 7] an Awndyron [Note 8] & a tramell [Note 9] a posnet [Note 10] a fryyng
16. pan & a boller [Note 11] A spruse chist [Note 12] & a flate? [ Note 13] whoche [Note 14] It[e]m y bequeth to
17. the saide John half a dosyn of pewt[er] & ij kandilstikk[es] It[e]m y bequeth
18. unto my wif the said Table & the better of my best[es] [Note 15] whome I
19. orden[e] & \make/ myn[e] executor the forsaid John my son forto disspose my
20. good[es] for my soule & all my frynd[es] soulys after his discrec[i]on
21. made the day & yer[e] aforenamed
Translation to Modern English
Testament of William Hunt of East Mersea
1. In the name of God, Amen, on the 29th day of August in the year
2. of our Lord God 1508, I William Hunt, being of sound mind, make
3. my last will and testament as follows: First,
4. I bequeath my soul unto almighty God, to our blessed Lady,
5. Saint Mary and to all the company of heaven. My body is to be
6. buried in the churchyard of Saint Edmund, King and Martyr at
7. East Mersea. Item: I bequeath to the High Altar for tithes
8. that I may have negligently forgotten to pay, 12d. Item: I bequeath to the Mother Church
9. of St Pauls, 4d. Also, I bequeath to my son, John, my house in
10. East Mersea with all the land, rights and dues accruing to it.
11. He is to pay my outstanding debts and give his step-mother an annual allowance of 4s. for the rest of
12. her life. Item: I bequeath to my son, John, the second-best bed. Also,
13. I bequeath to the said John, a boat with all the gear belonging to it. Item:
14. I bequeath to the said John, a bullock. Also, I bequeath to the said John
15. 2 kettles, a trivet, an andiron (a firedog - in a kitchen fireplace the upright support often carried a rack for a
spit to turn on), a tramell (support for a cooking pot), a 3 footed cooking pot, a frying
16. pan and a bowl, a spruce coffer and a flat? (this word was not entirely clear, possibly a low chest or one with a
flat top) chest. I also bequeath to
17. the said John half a dozen pewter items (possibly spoons) and 2 candlesticks. Item: I bequeath
18. to my wife the table and the better of my animals (probably cattle). I
19. appoint my said son, John, as my executor, to dispose of
20. my possessions at his discretion, for the good of my soul and the souls of all my friends (i.e., to pay for prayers to
be said for their souls)
21. (this will was) made on the date given above
Notes
1. 12d (12 pence - pre decimal, the same as one shilling)
2. The Mother Church was St Paul's cathedral
3. 4d
4. Step-parents were known as mother/father in law, so this is probably John's step-mother
5. 4s (4 shillings)
6. ie the second best bed
7. a trivet (OED)
8. andiron (OED) A utensil, consisting of an iron bar sustained horizontally at one end by an upright pillar or support usually
ornamented or artistically shaped, at the other by a short foot; a pair of these, also called 'fire-dogs,' being placed, one at each side of the hearth or fire-place, with the ornamental ends to the front, to support burning wood. Sometimes 'in a kitchen fire-place the upright support carried a rack in front for the spit to turn in.
9. A support for a cooking-pot. (OED) . A series of rings or links, or other device, to bear a crook at different heights over the fire; the whole being suspended from a transverse bar (the crook-tree), built in the chimney, or from a small crane or gallows, the vertical member of which turns in sockets in the jamb and lintel.
10. A small metal pot or vessel for boiling, having a handle and three feet. (OED)
11. a bowl (OED)
12. a chest or coffer made of Spruce
13. This word may be flate/flat, possibly the chest is a very low one (or has a flat top)
14. another word for a chest or coffer used for storage (OED)
15. beasts
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