Transcript of the Will of John Lodsman, otherwise Laidman, of the Parish of Sainte Andrewes in Holborne, London, with a Codicil, 1608

Sheet One

"[Margin, Latin: "The Will of John Lodsman, otherwise Laidman, deceased"],

In the name of god amen, The firste day of Aprill [Latin: "in the year"] one thowsand [sic] six hundred and eight, And in the yeare of the raigne [sic] of our Soveraigne Lorde James, by the grace of God kinge of England, Scotland, Fraunce [sic] and Ireland the Sixt [sic], and of Scotland the one and fortethe [sic], Defender of the Faithe, &c, I, John Lodsman, [Latin: "otherwise"] Laidman, nowe of the Parrishe of Sainte Andrewes in Holborne, London, beinge of good and perfect memorie, thanckes

Sheet Two

be given unto god, Do make and ordaine this my Testament containinge herein my last will, in manner and forme followinge, that is to saie,

First, I do give and bequeathe [word divided between two lines] my soule into the handes of Jhesus [sic] Christ, my saviour and reademer [sic],

And my bodie to be buried w(i)thin that Parrishe wherein it shall please god to call me out of this wicked worlde,

and for the disposinge of all my worldlie goodes, the w(hi)ch it hath pleased the Allmightie god to indue [= supply; see note 1] me withall in this mortall worlde, I give and bequeath in manner and forme followinge,

Item, I give and bequeathe unto my eldest syster, Grace Parke, the wife of William Park(es) [see note 2] of Bowes in the Countie of yorke, my howse and howses [sic], and all the grounde and lande thereunto belonginge and appertaynynge [word divided between two lines], to her and to her heires forever,

And allso, I do give unto her all my howsholdstuff, goodes or implement(es) whatsoever, beinge or belonginge unto my howse at Bowes aforesaide [word divided between two lines],

Allso, I give and bequeath unto my sister, Grace Parke aforesaide, on [= one] gould ring valued to the price of tenn shillinges, for a remembraunce,

And allso, I give unto Elline Parke [sic; see note 3], daughter of my saide sister Grace Park(es), to her I give Fortie shilling(es) to helpe to bringe her upp in the feare of god, &c,

Item, I do give and bequeath unto my sister, Alice Lodsman, [Latin: "otherwise"] Laideman [sic], to her I give the some [= sum] of one hundred and Fyftie poundes of lawfull monie of England,

Allso, I give and bequeath unto my sister, Alice Lodsman aforesaide, one wainescott cheste, with certaine lynninge [= linen] and other ["goodes" over erasure] in yt, standinge at M(aste)r Browers howse on Ludgate Hill, London,

I do give my sister Alice aforesaide, one gold ringe to be valued at the price of tenne shilling(es), to weare for a remembraunce, &c,

Item, I give and bequeath unto my Uncle, John Lodsman the eldest, one gould ringe of the price of fortie shilling(es), or else Fortie shilling(es) of monie for the saide Ringe, &c,

Item, I give and bequeathe unto my Cosen [sic], Thomas Lodsman in the Countie of Berksheire [sic], my best cloake, my Rapier and dagger, and fortie shilling(es) in monie,

And allso, to everie [= each one] of the said Thomas his children then livinge at the daie of my decease, the some of twentie shilling(es) apeece [sic],

Item, I do give and bequeath unto [altered from "to"] his brother, William Lodsman, the some of Fortie shilling(es),

And allso, unto the Childe of the saide Williams, I give the some of twentie shilling(es),

Item, I give and bequeath unto my Cosen, John Lodseman [sic], his brother, the some of Fortie shilling(es),

And allso, unto the childe of said John, yf it be livinge at the daie of my decease, I give it the some of Fortie shilling(es),

Item, I give and bequeathe unto my Cosen, Dorothie [sic] key, the wife of Henrie [sic] keyes, the some of three poundes six shilling(es) eight pence,

And allso, I give unto her sister, Gartred [sic; see note 3, above right] Lodsman, the some of Fortie shilling(es),

Item, I give and bequeathe unto my Aunt, Margarett [sic] Wastell of Bowes aforesaide, the some of Fortie shillinges,

Item, I give unto my Cosen, Richard Cootes, now dwellinge in the Countie of Lincolne, the some ["of" omitted] Fortie shilling(es),

Item, I give and bequeath unto Elizabeth Sutton in Holborne, ["London" interlined], widowe, and to her children, the some of tenne poundes,

Item, I give and bequeathe unto Edmond Brower and Peter Browne, the some of twentie shilling(es) apeece, for a remembraunce,

Item, I give and bequeathe unto M(aste)r Valentine Forthe and M(aste)r William Forthe, the some of Tenne shillinges apeece, for a remembraunce,

Item, I give unto my Cosen, Fraunces [sic; see note 3] Hewyttsonne [word divided between two lines], my Sytterne [= cittern, a wire-stringed musical instrument], and Fortie shillinges in monie,

Item, I give unto his brother, Raphe Hewittsonne [sic], the some of twentie shillinges, for a remembraunce,

Item, I give unto Fortie poore people of the Parrishe of Bowes aforesaid, the some of Fortie shillinges, to witt, to everie of them, twelve pence apeece,

Item, I give and bequeath unto the use of the Parrishe of Bowes aforesaide, the some of fortie shilling(es) towerd(es) [sic] the repairinge of the Parrishe Church of Booes [sic], or the Belles thereof,

Item, I give and bequeathe unto Peter Portman of Sainte Edmondes Burie [sic, two words], Suffolke, my Jemball gold ringe, fower ioyned [= four joined] all in one [see note 4, above right], for a remembraunce,

Item, I give and bequeathe [word divided between two lines] unto the poore people of the Parrishe where yt shall please god to call me out of this mortall lyfe, the some of Fortie shillinges, to be equallie devided [sic] or parted among them,

Item, I give and bequeathe unto everie servaunt in the howse where yt shall please god I shall leave this transitorie life, tenne shillinges apeece,

Item, my will and intente

Sheet Three

ys that all those somes of monie and leagacies [sic] before mentioned, by me given and bequeathed, within this my last will and testament named, shalbe [sic, one word] paide, contented and satisfied by my Executors, which shalbe hereunder named, within one yeare next ensuinge the daye [altered from "date"] of my decease,

Item, I do make and ordaine to be my Executors, my Sister, Alice Lodsman, [Latin: "otherwise"] Laydman [sic], and my Cosen, Fraunces Hewitsonne [sic] of Stratford Bowe in the Countie of Middlesex, to see that my bodie maie be honestlie buried, and this my last will accordinglie performed, accordinge to the true purpose and meaninge thereof,

Allso, my debtes and legacies before mentioned paide, and my Funerall chardges dischardged [sic], the residue of my goodes I give unto my Executors above named for theire paines takinge therein to see this my last will fullfilled and performed,

So allwaies the residue of the saide goodes be p(ar)ted share and share lyke [sic], equallie betwene them,

In wittnes [sic] whereof, I have hereunto sett my hand and seale, the daie and yeare firste above written,

John Lodsman,

Signed, sealed and as my last will and testament delivered, in the presence of us,

Edward Cooke,

Raphe Hewytsonne [sic],

Georg [sic] Handes marke,

[Codicil: "Memorandum, I have in mony, pawnes and goodes in M(ist)r(es)s Suttons howse to the valewe of some three hundred poundes and

 [added in right-hand margin: "some"]

 odd poundes, which three hundred and od [sic] poundes is clere and freelie my owne,

And for those Debtes w(hi)ch ar [sic] owinge to me, or anie such Debtes as I Do owe my selfe [sic, two words], I saie in my Debt booke yow [sic] shall finde them trulie sett downe as by that booke apperethe, which lyethe in my lyttell truncke,

and my longe box will directe yo(u)w for all such pawnes ["or" written over erasure] goodes as I have in M(ist)res(s) Suttons howse, so this is trulie sett downe as my book(es) will notiefye [word divided between two lines] unto yo(u)w,

I would have yo(u)w therefore keepe this longe box and leave her an abstracte out of this booke, untill she and yowe can make monie of theise goodes, deling well and frindelie [word divided betweene two lines] with her for the interest, ["as" interlined] yow ["shall" struck through] which ar my Executors in my will named, shall thincke fytt and meete,

In witnes whereof, that this is a truthe, I have hereunto sett my hand, the daie and yeare in my will before mentioned,

John Lodsman"],

[Latin Grant of Probate: "The above-written Will

[margin, Latin, marked to be inserted at this point: "together with a Codicil attached"]

was proved at London before the venerable man Master William Birde, Doctor of Laws, the lawfully-appointed Master, Keeper or Commissary of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, on the 13th day of the month of December in the year of our Lord 1608, by the oath of Francis Hewitsonne, one of the Executors named in this Will,

To whom the administration of all and singular the goods, etc, was entrusted, he having been sworn to, etc, well,

Power having been reserved to make a similar Commission to Alice Lodsman, otherwise Laidman [sic], the natural and lawful sister of the same deceased and the other Executor also named in this Will, when she should come to ask to be admitted to the same in due legal form"],

[added, Latin: "It was examined"]."

Note on text: N.B. 1) "w(hi)ch it hath pleased the Allmightie god to indue me withall" - Many testators of this period wrote of God having endowed them with worldly goods, but here the verb is "to indue", a variant spelling of "endue", meaning supply.

2) In phrases such as "Grace Parke, the wife of William Park(es)", the surname was clearly "Parke" and the clerk was using "Park(es)" as the possessive; i.e., he meant Grace Parke, William Parke's wife. There are other examples of this later in the text, e.g., "Dorothie key, the wife of Henrie keyes".

3) Note on Names. "Elline" is an Early Modern spelling of Ellen. At this date, Ellen and Helen were still regarded as one name, so Elline Parke may appear as Helen in other sources. "Gartred" is one of the many Early Modern spellings of Gertrude. At this period, the different spellings of "Francis" /"Frances" were not used to differentiate the sexes. The reference to "his brother" shows that "Fraunces Hewyttsonne" was a man, and this is confirmed by his being called "Francisci" (the genitive case of "Franciscus") in the Latin Grant of Probate. A woman would have appeared in the latter as "Francisce".

4) "my Jemball gold ringe, fower ioyned all in one" - The Oxford English Dictionary defines a "gemel" or "gemel-ring" (its preferred spellings) as A kind of finger-ring so constructed as to admit of being divided horizontally into two rings, but this one must have been able to be divided into four rings.

5) Only the last witness's mark is mentioned: Edward Cooke and Raphe Hewytsonne must have signed their names in the original Will.

6) What the Testator called a "Memorandum" is called a Codicil [Latin "codicillo"] in the Grant of Probate.

7) All "&c"s appear in the original text: nothing has been omitted.