In the Name of God Amen The ffourteenth Day of Aprill One Thousand seven hundred & thirty three I Thomas Cotton of Liscard in the County of Chester Mason being of Sound Mind and Memory (praised be God) Do make this my Last Will ffirst I commend my Soul to Almighty God and my body to Christian Buriall at the Discretion of my Executors herein after named and for such Worldly Estate whereof I am endowed I give and dispose these as ffollows ffirstly I Will and Devize that all my just Debts be duly and truly paid and after the same are paid and the charge of my ffunerall and probate of this my last Will Deducted I give unto my loving wife Katharin all my Estate reall and personall for and Dureing her naturall life and from or after her Decease I give Devize and Bequeath unto my Son Henry Cotton and his heirs male of his Body lawfully begotten All that my Messuage and Tenement wherein I now inhabitt and two acres of Ground thereto belonging lying and being in Liscard town fields and all my right and title thereto he and they paying unto my son Thomas and his Assigns the yearly Sume of twenty shillings for and Dureing the term twenty yeares and for want of issue Male of my said son Henry then I give Devize and bequeath unto my said son Samuel and his heires Male the Messuage & Tenement aforementioned Subject to the said annuity to his Brother Thomas for the said Term and for the want of such Issue then I give devise and bequeath the summe in issue to my right heires Item I give devise Will and ordain that the Grate, the Great Table, the Chest and the Cupboard now remaining in my said Messuage shall remain therein as here bound over my said son Henry paying unto my son Samuel and my daughters Katharine and Susan for the same the full summe of ffourty six shillings and eight pence Equally to be divided amongst them Item I give devise and Bequeath unto my son Joseph and his Assigns All that Messuage and Tenement in Northgate Street in the City of Chester now in the possession of Thomas Pool with One acre of Ground thereto belonging for and Dureing all the Remainder of my Term and Estate therein he and they paying within three Months after his entring upon it unto the Children or legall representatives of my late Daughter Hanna and to my said Daughters Susan and Katherin the full summe of Twenty pounds Equally to be divided amongst them that is to say to each One third part thereof and as for all the Remainder of my personall Estate after the Decease of my said Wife I give and bequeath the same unto my said son Samuel and my said Daughters Katharin and Susan equally to be divided between them And lastly I do Nominate and appoint my said sons Joseph and Henry Executors of this my last Will In Testimony whereof I the within named Thomas Cotton have hereunto putt my name and affix'd my seal the Day and year first willm written
 
James Gleast
P...Peters
John Guy
 
Richd Kemp and John Leather
On the death of Henry Cotton without Leaving a Son, his brother Samuel Cotton is now become entitled to the Estate in Liscard by vertue of his late ffather's Will and the applying to the Court for Administration with the Will annexed, it is denyed him whilst your Wives who were equally intitled with Saml to the residue of the personal Estate of their ffather ffirst renounce to joyne with him in the administration. Samuel Cotton tells me that the residue of his ffather's personal Estate hath long since been divided between him and your Wives - according to his ffather's Will, so that they can have no further demand from the Estate and therefore they may safely and without doing themselves any hurt renounce the Administration I write this at the request of Samuel Cotton for your Wives satisfaction and are
Yr Friend
 
Cheshire Record Office

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