The Will of Dame Anne Bromfeild

 

In the name of God Amen:
I Dame ANNE BROMFEILD widdow formerly the wife of Sir JOHN BROMFEILD Baronet deceased and late the wife & relict of ANTHONY COLLINS of Middle Temple London esq. deceased being indisposed and weak in bodie, but of a good memorie and understanding Praised be God, do make and ordaine this my last Will and Testament in mannor following: In the first place I desire to be buried in the Parish Church of Islesworth where I now live in a ???yall and decent manner and privately without any ??? ostentation which I leave to the discretion of my Executor and Overseer herein after named: Item I give to Mr. ROBERT BEALE my kinsman who married my Niece ffive pieces of old broad Gold*; Item I give to my Cousin his wife one piece of old broad Gold, and to their daughter JULIANA BEALE all my woollen and wearing Cloathes, and I give to my Cousin Mrs. ELIZABETH NUTT all my lynon wearing Cloathes, and a little Diamond-Ring : Item I give to my Cousin Mrs. KATHERINE CALDECOT one piece of old broad Gold*: Item I give to my Cousin ANNE BAGNALL ?? pieces of old broad Gold*, and to my Cousin Mr. WILLIAM NUTT one piece of old broad Gold*; Item I give to my Sonn in law Mr. THOMAS COLLINS the Ring I gave his ffather with one Diamond which he usually wore to his death: Item I give to my Sonn JOHN BROMFEILD esq. my Pearle-Necklace, and my great Diamond-Ring and Diamond-Clasp wch the said Sir JOHN BROMFEILD his ffather gave me, And I further give and bequeath unto my said Sonn JOHN BROMFEILD all the Rents that are in arrers(?) due and owing to mee out of any part of my Jointures, and all other my Jewells and readie money both Gold and Silver, and all my Plate, household stuff, and my gold watch, and all other my Goods Chattels and p'sonall Estate whatsoever; and of this, my last will and Testament I doe make and ordain the said JOHN BROMFEILD my sole Executor during his life, And I desire my Cousin ROBERT BEALE to be the Overseer thereof, and to advise and assist my Sonn JOHN BROMFEILD in what hee shall desire; But in case my said Sonn JOHN BROMFEILD shall happen to dye and depart this life before he shall be married, Then for soe much of my personal Estate as shall be undisposed of by him in his lifetime I doe give and bequeath the same to my said four Nieces MARGARET BEALE, ANNE BAGNALL, ELIZABETH NUTT and KATHERINE CALDECOT, and doe after the said JOHN BROMFEILD's death as aforesaid unmarried, make them Executors of this my last Will and Testament; in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seale the ffirst day of June in the yeare of Our Lord (according to the computation of the Church of England) One Thou- sand six hundred eightie and One.
ANNE BROMFIELD

Sealed published and declared by the said Dame ANNE BROMFEILD to be her last Will and Testament the day of the date in the presence of:
THOMAS BEDINGFEILD
ROBT. BEALE
HANNAH HEWITT

A CODICILL to be annexed to my last Will & Testment and to be taken as part of the same: Whereas I Dame ANNE BROMFEILD by my last Will and Testament bearing date the ffirst day of this instant June have given unto my Sonn JOHN BROMFEILD my Pearle-Necklace, and my great Diamond-Ring, and my Diamond-Clasp, now I doe hereby ??? so much of my said Will as relates to the said devise of the said Pearle-Nicklace, great Diamond-Ring and Diamond-Clasp, To my Cousin Mr. ROBERT BEALE, to be kept by him until my said Sonn JOHN BROMFEILD shall attaine the age of ffour and twentie years, or be married, which shall first happen, And then, if so, my desire is that hee deliver the same Jewells to my said Sonn, and not before, Which said Jewells I have at the time of the making this my Codicill given into the hands of my Cousin ROBERT BEALE to be kept by him, upon the Trust aforesaid, and I have also given and delivered to my said Cousin Mr. ROBERT BEALE fifteen peices in broad Gold, and fourteen Gynnies (Guineas) and one halfe Gynnie upon Trust, for him therewith to pay the legacies given by my Will, and this Codicill, And to deliver the rest of my Gold to my said Sonn JOHN BROMFEILD, But my Will is that my Cousin BEALE shall not run any hazard or answer for his loss of the said Jewells and Gold in case he be robbed of the same: Item I give to my three household servants SAMUEL the Coachman, JOHN the Boy, and ANNE the Cook, if they or to such of them as continue my servants, at the time of my death, Twenty Shillings apiece above their wages that shall be due to them at my death. Item I give to my Cousin BAGNALL's mayd HANNAH HEWITT twentie shillings. In witness, my hand and seale the Tenth day of June One thousand six hundred Eightie and one.
ANN BROMFEILD
Sealed published and delivered in the presence of:
HANNAH HEWITT
SAMUEL GREGORY
JOSEPH MATT
JULIANA BEALE

PROBATE (written in Latin)....the date translates to 16 Nov 1681.
 

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*a note about "old broad gold": the coins of earlier times were hammered, and were therefore of large scale. Those coined later, in the reign of Charles II, obtained the name of "guineas" because the gold of which they were made was brought from Guinea by the African Company, and it was at this period that the earlier coins, of Charles I and James I, received the name of broad, broad-pieces, or "old broad gold". In 1732-3 the old hammered broad-pieces, which were frequently halved and quartered for convenience of change, were forbidden as currency.
 

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