This is the last will and testament of me Alice Methold of the city of Bath in the county of Somerset widow First I commend my soul to Almighty God hoping for a remission of my sins through the merits of my blessed Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ and my body I commit to the Earth to be decently buried at Weston near Bath in the said County of Somerset hereby directing that all my just debts funeral

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Expenses and the expenses of proving and carrying into execution this my will be first duly paid and discharged by my executors hereinafter named and after payment and satisfaction thereof I give and bequeath to my niece Lady Margaret Smith Burges the sum of one hundred pounds I give and bequeath to my sister Martha Burges of the town of Armagh in the Kingdom of Ireland the sum of twenty pounds for mourning I give and bequeath to my nephew John Burges esquire the sum of one hundred pounds I give and bequeath to my niece Mary Parry the sum of fifty pounds I give and bequeath to my niece Martha Johnson the sum of fifty pounds I give and bequeath to Elizabeth Mee widow of the late John Mee deceased Barrister at Law the sum of twenty pounds for mourning I give and bequeath to the Churchwardens and overseers for the time being of the parish of Armagh aforesaid the sum of fifty pounds to be by them distributed equally among the most indigent poor of that parish I give and bequeath to the Treasurers for the time being of the Bath City Infirmary at Bath the sum of fifty pounds which I desire may be applied towards carrying out the charitable designs of that Infirmary I give and bequeath to the Treasurers for the time being of the Casualty Hospital in the City of Bath the sum of fifty pounds for the purpose of better enabling them to carry on the charitable intentions of the said hospital I give and bequeath to the Treasurer for the time being of the Sunday Schools and Schools of Industry in the City of Bath the sum of twenty five pounds if united if not to be equally divided between them which I hereby direct may be applied in supporting such excellent institutions I give and bequeath to the churchwardens and overseers for the time being of the Parish of Walcot in the said County of Somerset the sum of one hundred pounds to be equally distributed amongst the most indigent poor of that parish I give and bequeath to the physician and surgeon for the time being of the puerperal or childbed charity in the city of Bath the sum of ten pounds to be by them applied in carrying on the designs of that charity I give and bequeath to the Treasurer for the time being for the asylum for the blind lately established in the City of Bristol the sum of fifty pounds in trust and to the intent that he applies the same towards carrying on the intentions of that charitable and excellent institution I give and bequeath to Elizabeth Monkton of Southampton sister to my late dear husband the sum of twenty pounds for mourning I give and bequeath to Ann Nail also sister

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to my said late dear husband the sum of twenty pounds for mourning I give and bequeath to my dear and much esteemed friends Henry and Alice Grant of Hope Place in the County of Surrey and of Portman Square London the sum of ten pounds for mourning rings I give and bequeath unto each of my servants who shall be living with me at the time of my death over and above the wages that may then be due and owing to them the sum of five pounds for mourning I give and bequeath to John Gardiner late cooper to my said dear deceased husband the sum of ten pounds I give and bequeath to John Tweed (??) of Francis Street Bedford Square London Esquire the sum of ten pounds for a mourning ring I give and bequeath to my much esteemed friend Catherine Close of Rivers Street Bath the sum of one hundred pounds I give and bequeath to my friend Elizabeth Sedgley the wife of  (gap) Sedgley of Charles Street Bath esquire the sum of ten pounds for a mourning ring I give and bequeath to Elizabeth Pottinger an old servant the sum of ten pounds as a reward for her past faithful and attentive service I give and bequeath to Gill Badeley of the City of Bath Esquire the sum of one hundred pounds together with my gold watch which I request his acceptance of as small tokens of the regard and grateful sense I have for his kind attentions to me and I give and bequeath to Henry Methold of Beamish near Durham in the County of York (!!) esquire the sum of one hundred pounds and I do hereby direct that all the aforegoing legacies and bequests to be paid and discharged within one month next after my decease out of the two thousand pounds stock three percent consolidated annuities standing in my name in the books of the Governor and Company of the Bank of England and as to my wearing apparel I give and dispose of the following articles to my said nieces Mary Perry and Martha Johnston that is to say a gold muslin gown and coat a white satin gown and coat a purple satin gown a new brown Lutestring (??) gown a night gown a chintz night gown a sea sucker gown and coat and a brown satin striped gown and coat to be equally divided between them my said nieces and all the rest and residue of my wearing apparel I give to my son in law the said Henry Methold to be disposed of as he may think proper and it is my will and meaning and I do direct that in case the said sum of two thousand pounds so standing in my name in the books of the Governor and Company of the Bank of England as aforesaid shall sell out for more money than is sufficient to discharge the aforesaid several legacies hereinbefore by me given and bequeathed

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that then and in such case I direct the overplus be divided by my executors hereinafter named in equal shares and proportions unto and among Dorothea Methold and Francis Methold children of the said Henry Methold Twenty of the oldest poor women of the parish of Walcot aforesaid in the said County of Somerset The Bath Hospital or Infirmary at Bath The most indigent poor resident in Bath of Lady Huntingdon Chapel Mrs Mary Hopkins of Bolton Street Dublin and Kitty otherwise Catherine Best of Armagh aforesaid in the said Kingdom of Ireland nurse to my said sister Martha Burges and lastly I do hereby nominate constitute and appoint the said Gill Badeley and Henry Methold joint executors of this my last will and testament In witness whereof I the said testator Alice Methold have to this my last will and testament contained on three sides of two sheets of paper set my hand to the first two sides thereof and to the third and last side my hand and seal this twenty fourth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety seven  Alice Methold signed sealed published and declared by the said Testator Alice Methold as and for her last will and testament the word fifty in the sixteenth line of the first side being first erased in the presence of us who at her request and in her sight and presence and in the sight and presence of each other have hereto subscribed our names as witnesses to the due execution thereof – James Nooth Esther Breant

This will was proved at London the sixteenth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety eight before the worshipful John Savell Doctor of Laws Surrogate of the Right Honourable Sir William xxx Knight also Doctor of Laws Master Keeper or Commissary of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury lawfully constituted by the oath of Gill Badeley esquire one of the executors named in the said will of the deceased to whom administration was granted of all and singular the goods chattels and credits of the said deceased having been first sworn duly to administer power reserved of xxx the like given to Henry Methold esquire the other executor named in the said will of the said deceased when he shall apply for the same.