In the Name of God Amen I Christian Mitford late of Sighill but now of the Towne & County of Newcastle upon Tyne Widdow do hereby make & ordaine my last Will & Testament in manner & fform ffollowing / that is to say / ffirst & pricipally I comitt & comend my soul unto God my creator hoping in & through the blood & merits of Jesus Christ my redeemer for the full & free pardon & remission of all my sins & my body I comitt unto the earth from whence it came to be interred in such decent manner as to my executors hereafter named shall see ffitting & as to the temporall estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me I give & dispose of the same as ffolloweth Whereas my late ffather Sr Wm. Blackett Barrt. Did by his last Will & Testament in Writing bearing date the Ninth day of March in the year of our Lord God 1679/80 amongst severall bequests therein mentioned will & require that his executors named in his said Will within twelve Months meet[?] after the death of my late husband Robert Midford (In case I the said Christian should happen to survive him) should should pay unto my Ex. & adm. the sum of One thousand pounds Now I do hereby give devise & dispose of the said sum of One thousand pounds in manner as is herein after mentioned & expressed/ that is to say / I Will that the sum of One hundred pounds part of the said sumof One thousand pounds as soon as the same can or shall be received shall be put out att Interest upon good security by my Ex. hereafter named & the Interest thereof shall be paid unto the hands of my Daughter Margarett Carr wife of Mr. Richard Carr Merchant for her sole & separate use without her said husband for & during the naturall life of the said Richard Carr husband of the said Margarett Carr & I will that her receipt or Acquittance without her husband the said Richard Carr Notwithstanding the Coverture betweene them shall be a good & sufficient discharge in [?] unto my Ex. for the payment of the said Interest unto my said daughter It being my Intention & Will that no part of the said one hundred pounds or the Interest thereof should att any time come to the hands or possession of the said Richard Carr & from & after the death of the said Richard Carr in case my said daughter Margarett shall survive him I will that the said sum of one hundred pounds principall money shall be paid unto my said daughter Margarett Carr Imediately upon the the Death of the said Richard Carr her husband but in case the said Richard Carr shall happen to survive his said wife the said Margarett Carr then my Will is that Imediately upon the death of the said Margarett Carr in the life time of her said husband the said Richard Carr my Ex. hereafter named shall pay the said sum of one hundred pounds unto & among all the Children of of my said daughter Margarett Carr which shall be living att the time of her death (if more than one) equally to be devided & parted amongst them share & share alike & if but one Child that then the said sum of one hundred pounds shall be paid untothe said Child but I do order that my Ex. shall not suffer by the said one hundred pounds not being att any time Lett out at Interest or or being Lett out upon any defective Security but that such loss (if any should happen) shall be sustained by the said Margarett Carr & her Child or Children Item I give & bequeath unto my daughter Diana Watson the wife of Mr. Stephen Watson of North Seaton in the County of Northumberland Gentl. (in case the said Stephen Watson shall & do quitt claim & release unto my son Michael Midford & his heirs all his right title Interest claime & demand whatsoever appointed to be paid unto me during my Coverture but not otherwise the sum of two hundred pounds other part of the said sum of one thousand pounds Item I give & bequeath unto my daughter Dorothy Midford the further sum of two hundred pounds other part of the said sum of one thousand pounds & to my daughter Barbara Midford the like sum of of two hundred pounds further part of the said sum of one thousand pounds & unto my Son Christopher Midford the sum of of two hundred pounds further part of the said sum of one thousand pounds & the further sum of one hundred pounds remaining of the said sum of one thousand pounds I give & dispose of the same as ffolloweth (that is to say) to my daughter Barbara the sum of thiry pounds & unto my Granddaughter Jane Lilburne the sum of twenty pounds, & unto each of my Daughters Elizabeth Lilburne Christian Laidman & Diana Watson to each of them tenn pounds to buy them Mourning And twenty pounds I give & bequeath to the Ministers & Church Wardens for the time being of the Parish of Earsdon to be distributed among the poor of the said Parish by ffive pounds yearly for four years successively next after my death upon Christmas Eve in each of the ffour said years the ffirst of the said payments to be made upon Christamas Eve next after my death Item I give & bequeath unto my said daughter Dorothy Midford the further sum of one hundred pounds & unto my said daughter Barbara Midford the further sum of two hundred pounds & the Chist of Linnen with what there is in the said Chest which is now att my son Watsons house att North Seaton & I give to my said daughter Diana Watson my two silver candlesticks with snuffers & snuff dish & unto my daughter Christian Laidman wife of John Laidman Clerk my largest silver tankard & the sowed[?] Bedd which is att mt Son Watsons house att North Seaton & all the rest of my household Goods Linnen & plate which I have & use att my house in Newcastle I give & bequeath the same unto my said two Daughters Dorothy Midford & Barbara Midford equally to be devided between them willing that the household Goods att Sighill house should remaine in the said house for the use of my son Michael & the heirs of Sighill Estate & as to all & every the arrears of the one hundred pounds [?] for tenn years & the yearly sum of sixty pounds appointed to be paid me by my ffathers Will & all the right title & Interest which I have or claim of in & to the portion of my late daughter Mary Midford by vertue of her last Will & Testament or otherwise howsoever after allowing & discounting what hath been paid to me & what I have received by my late husbands personall Estate I give & devise the same unto my Grandson Robert Midford oldest son of my son Michael Midford to enable & assist him to clear the Incumbrances which are upon Sighill Estate Provided Nevertheless that the said Christopher Midford my Son shall not be entitled to the above mentioned Legacy of of two hundred pounds given & bequeathed unto him by this my Will untill he the said Christopher Midford shall have ffirst by Writing under his hand & seal released & quitt claimed unto the Ex. of this my Will all right title & Interest which he hath or can shall or may pretend to have or claime of in or to the personall Estate of my said late husband Robert Midford either by being named Ex. of his last Will & Testament or otherwise howsoever or if the said Christopher Midford shall or do give to my said Exs. any suite trouble or disturbance touching the said personall Estate or any part thereof then my Will is that the said Legacy or bequest of two hundred pounds hereby made to my said son Christopher shall be void & of none effect & revoking & making void all former Wills by me made I publish & declare this to be mt last Will & Testament appointing & ordering my said Son in Law Stephen Watson & my said daughter Barbara Midford to be joynt Exs. of this my Will In Wittness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand & seal this Twenty ffourth day of November in the second year of the reigne of our soveraigne Lord George by the grace of God King of Great Brittaine Anno Dom. 1715.

Signed sealed published & declared to be her last

Will & Testamt. in the p’sence of us

Richard Coates

Cha. Clarke Robt. Wallis