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Summary:
Testator:
Christopher Copley (1),
esquire of Wadworth,
Yorkshire
Creditors:
Richard Avonford of
Adlingfleet, Yorkshire,
Sir George Cooke,
Baronet, George Clarke
of Doncaster and Richard
Sydenham of Grays Inn,
lawyer
Son-in-law:
Timothy St Nicholas (2)
of Stretton,
Warwickshire
Purchaser of lands: Sir
John Wolstenholme
Wife:
not named
Daughters:
Susan (3), Margaret and
Frances Copley (4)
Brother-in-law:
Thomas St Nicholas (5)
Executors:
Thomas St Nicholas (5),
Timothy St Nicholas (2)
and Nicholas Saunderson
Sister:
Susanna St Nicholas (5)
Nephew:
Thomas St Nicholas (6)
Brother-in-law:
John St Nicholas (7) and
his son Timothy (2) and
his wife the lady
Priscilla (7)
Legatee:
Mr. Molten (8)
Daughter:
Anne St Nicholas (2)
Signed:
not signed nor dated
Witnesses:
?Dament ?Chipsham and
Jane Field
Probate:
granted at London 25
August 1664 to Thomas St
Nicholas and Nicholas
Saunderson
Notes:
-
Testator was a son
of William Copley of
Wadworth by his wife
Anne Cressy; he
married, first,
Elizabeth Bosvile
and, second, Mary,
daughter of Roger
Jones, Viscount
Ranelagh and widow
of John Chichester;
he had children by
both wives;
-
Testator’s
son-in-law Timothy
St Nicholas was
husband of Anne, his
daughter by
Elizabeth Bosvile;
-
Testator’s daughter
Susan (d 1671) was a
daughter of his
first wife Elizabeth
Bosvile;
-
Testator’s daughters
Margaret and Frances
were daughters of
his second wife Mary
Jones; Margaret
married Gregory
Byrne and had
children
-
Testator’s
brother-in-law
Thomas St Nicholas
was the husband of
his sister Susanna
(b 1605);
-
Testator’s nephew
Thomas St Nicholas
was the son of his
sister Susanna; he
was a first cousin
of Timothy St
Nicholas;
-
John St Nicholas was
a brother of the
elder Thomas St
Nicholas and father,
by his first wife;
Audrey Good, of
Timothy St Nicholas;
his second wife
Priscilla was a
daughter of Rev
Anthony Grey, Rector
of Burbage,
Leicestershire, who
inherited the
Earldom of Kent from
a distant cousin in
1639;
-
Timothy St
Nicholas’s sister
Mercy married a sea
captain, James
Moulton.
Source:
UK
National Archives, Prob
11/314, Image 393
Text:
In
the name of God Amen. Be
it known unto all men
whom it may concern that
I, Christopher Copley of
Wadworth in the county
of York, esquire, being
at present sick in body
but perfect in my memory
and understanding
(thanks be to Almighty
God) and not knowing how
long it will please
Almighty God to continue
me in the natural life,
I do therefore upon due
and mature deliberation
make this my last will
and testament in manner
and form following
In
the first place I do
willingly bequeath and
yield up my life and
soul unto God Almighty
with a fond hope through
the merits death and
passion of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ
obtain a glorious
resurrection and then to
live with Christ in
presence of God to all
eternity
And I do in the next
place bequeath my body
to the earth to be
buried in such decent
and ??? manner as my
executors or any of them
hereafter named upon the
??? shall think fit
As
for such temporal estate
as it hath pleased God
to bless me with which I
do humbly acknowledge
through my folly and
credulity I might have
improved to a better
value than I have done,
I do desire it may be
disposed in manner and
form following (that is
to say)
To
Mr. Richard ?Avonford of
Adlingfleet in the
county of York two
hundred pounds and what
interest is due for the
same
And to Sir George Cooke,
baronet, one thousand
pounds and interest for
the same if it be not
paid since the last of
June who is upon the
payment of the said 1000
£ and interest to
deliver up the deed and
a statute and two or
three judgments as Mr.
George Clarke of
Doncaster very well
knows and to pay my
son-in-law Timothy St
Nicholas of Stretton in
the county of
Warwickshire as by his
defeasance will appear,
and to satisfy Mr.
Richard Sydenham of
Grays Inn, lawyer,
according to his
writing, if he will not
accept of so much money
as will yield eight
pounds at hundred
interest from the time
the said payments were
severally due or are to
be due
And for the better and
more speedy performance
I do desire, will and
bequeath that my
executors or any of them
hereafter named shall
bargain and sell all my
lands in Yorkshire,
Nottinghamshire,
Lincolnshire and
Derbyshire to Sir John
Wolstenholme or to any
other person or persons
whom they or any of them
shall think fit and to
dispose the like money
for the payment of the
said debts
And the remainder over
to my beloved wife as
they two shall direct
and to my daughters
Susan and Margaret and
Frances Copley by equal
portions
And whereas these and
diverse sums of money
due unto me and due unto
me and others upon real
and personal securities
and otherwise, it is my
earnest desire, will and
pleasure that those
debts so due to me may
go, be discharged and
paid after the ???
thereof to the
satisfaction of the
aforementioned debts due
to others as aforesaid
And that all the debts
that are or may be
hereafter charged upon
all or any the said
tenements, messuages,
mills, ??? and
watercourses or their
appurtenances at or near
?Faversham and Hendby
and shall be freed from
all and all manner of
??? and other charges,
rents, dues, duties and
all other encumbrances
whatsoever anything to
the contrary thereof any
way acted, permitted,
suffered or done by any
person or persons ??? to
their presents or
otherwise
notwithstanding
And I do request, ???
and ??? my beloved
brother-in-law Mr.
Thomas St Nicholas and
my beloved son-in-law
Mr. Timothy St Nicholas
and my beloved friend
Mr. Nicholas Saunderson
to be my lawful
executors and do desire
them to see this my last
will and testament
carefully and punctually
performed and that they
may not be enforced to
issue out of any moneys
for the recovery of any
part of my said estate
without their consent
save only for the
probate of the said last
will and testament and
my funeral expenses
And I do give and
bequeath the full sum of
ten pounds of lawful
money of England to
every of my said
executors and one gold
ring of twenty shillings
a piece unto my beloved
brother Thomas St
Nicholas and to my
beloved sister Susanna
St Nicholas and to my
beloved nephew Thomas St
Nicholas and to my niece
his wife to each one
gold ring of twenty
shillings ?value and to
my beloved executor the
above named Nicholas
Saunderson one gold ring
of twenty shillings
value and to my beloved
brother-in-law John St
Nicholas and to his son
Timothy and to the Hon
?wife the lady Priscilla
and to Mr. Molten and to
my daughter Anne St
Nicholas and Susan
Copley if they be in
full life at the time of
the probate of this my
last will and testament,
to each of them one gold
ring of the said value
And for an assurance
that this is my last
will and testament I
have hereunto set my
hand and seal in the
presence of ?Dament ?Chipsham,
Jane Field her mark
[There are a number of
marginal notes in the
probate copy of this
will that are very hard
to decipher, but include
the dates 19 January
1664 (perhaps when the
will was made), 19
January 1665 and the
names of the executors.]
Probate
(in Latin) … 25 August
1664 … Thomas St
Nicholas and Nicholas
Saunderson, the
executors named in the
will … to administer all
and singular the goods,
chattels and credits of
the said deceased,
having first been sworn
to well and faithfully
administer |
