In the name of god ame(n), and the xij th day of marche in the yere of oure /

lord god 1569¹ I john laidma(n) of thornyscaylle in the perishe of burghe hole [= whole] off /

mynd and p(er)fite memorye, & seike in body, doth ordane and maik my testement /

and last will as here after doth folow, the first, I bequeth my soule unto god all /

mighty my onely redeem[er] & maiker, & my body to be bured in my p(ar)rishe /

churche 3ard² of burghe, honestly to be brought furth the day of bureall, /

It(em), I do bequeth in tithes and afferanc(es) [= offerings] forgotting viij d It(em) I do bequeth /

to nicholes laidma(n), my son, my bay mare & all my gere th(a)t perteneth to sarve /

the quen & lord w(i)thall³, & half of my husbandry gere, & all aft(er) the decese of /

my wif, and lyke wise the half of my farmald [= farm hold, tenancy] now, & all aft(er) my wiffe [i.e: after my wife’s decease], /

and th(a)t my wife & he to occupye & have the crope together ^of^ the hole, & if that they can /

not agre, then my wife to have the one halff of my farmald and the /

sete house above the hecke & the seller, w(i)th the halff of the other houssis, It(em), /

I do geve to thomas laidma(n), my son son [sic], A gared why [= heifer] with caulffe, Ite(m) to John /

laidma(n) the said nicholes son, a gret blake why, & to the said nicholes two /

doughters ij why sterk(es) [= one- or two-year old heifers], It(em) I do geve to agnes smyth, my doughter do- /

ther, a red why sterke, It(em), I do geve to elsabeth anson my doughtt(er), a yowe [= ewe] /

and a lame, It(em), to s(ir) joh(n) murray⁴, xij d, It(em), to my servand robert roberson, /

my best doblat & best hosse, & my warkday jackat, & a shert, and my /

other two jackat(es) to my son nicholes & my son rechard smyth, And /

I will th(a)t my son, john laidma(n), shall have his childes portion, and /

the rist my good(es) not legatt [= bequeathed], when my fun[er]all & det(es) is paed, I do geve them /

to agnes laidma(n) my wif, & nicholes laidma(n) my son, whome I do maike /

my hole executors of this, my said last will & testeme(n)t, & all other afore /

as wood [meaning all former Wills void] & off none[?] effect, & I dissiar [= desire] my speciall & loving m(aste)r m(aste)r thomas blen /

kinsop, sq(ui)er [= esquire], to be sup(er)visser of my said will & to se it done & fulfilled, in witnes /

her of, thomas wharton, peter brunskels, & John smyth, with other, thomas laidma(n)

[Inventory]

1569

An Inve(n)tory of all the good(es) of John laidma(n) /

of thorniscaylle of the p(ar)rishe of burghe un /

der stansmore, p(ra)sed [= appraised] the xviij day of march /

by thes iiij sworne me(n), georg wilson, tho /

mas wharton, peter brunskel(es) & John smyth,

It(em), a mare with fole, xxij s

It(em), a stagg [= young horse], xx s

It(em), a fely [= filly] stagg, vj s viij d

It(em), ij oxon & a stott [= steer], iij £

It(em), iiij kye [= cows] & iij whyes, vij £

It(em), vj young cattell, xliiij s

It(em), vj youes [= ewes], xx s

It(em), iiij hogs ix s iiij d

It(em), In begge [= a poor kind of barley], v busshels, xxx s

It(em), In haver [= oats], xx ti busshels, xxiij s iiij d

It(em), tene pecks of pese, v s

It(em), In Whet & rye In the house & feld, xvj s

It(em), In straw, v s

It(em), In haye, xxxiij s iiij d

It(em), In Inseight [= inside] as fyer vessell & as bedding, and all other w(i)thin the house, & his apperrell, xx s

It(em), In husbandrye gere, xiij s iiij d

It(em), In fleche [= flesh, meat], iiij s

It(em), of John Wilking, ij s iiij d

the good(es) is, xxiij £ xiij s iiij d

the debitorye

It(em), to henry shaw, ij s

It(em), to nicholes laidma(n), iij s viij d

It(em), to rechard smyth, viij d

It(em), to another ma(n), viij d

It(em), to burthowin [“Webster” added], ij d

It(em), to the smyth, ij d

It(em), to edward dickson, j d

It(em), for the ester boke, x d [halfpenny]

It(em), for the tythe corne, x d

It(em), for the fun(er)all expensis, & for the will

maiking & p(ro)ving & portion xxvij s iiij d

the debitorye is, xxxvj s iij d

And so remanet, xxj £ xviij s iiij d

Notes:

¹ The clerk would have counted the year A.D. as beginning on 25 March, the Feast of the Annunciation of St Mary. Hence his “12 March 1569” is our 1570.

² On this single occasion the clerk has used the archaic letter “yogh”, looking very like figure “3” and sounding as “gh” in “eight”.

³ In the phrase “to sarve the quen and lord w(i)thall” the “lord” was probably one of the three Border Wardens who guarded the border against the Scots.

⁴ Sir John Murray was probably the vicar. At this period many clerks still gave the title “sir” to clergymen, in late medieval fashion.