1680: ARTHUR COSTER, of London
Ref: PCC PROB 11/362
Proved: 1680 Written: 1678 Mar 14
Transcribed by Martin THOMPSON, Geoff Roberts
In the name of God amen I Arthur COSTER of London in the County of Middlesex gent being in health and perfect memory Thanks be to God but calling to mind the mortal state of my body and being will ing and desirous to settle things of this world whilst God hath blessed me with life and memory, do make ordain and declare this my last Will and Testament and I do hereby revoke and make void all other wills and Testaments whatsoever at any tyme heretofore made by me,
And first I give and bequeath my soul unto Almight God my maker and to Jesus Christ my Redeemer and to the Holy Ghost my Sanctifier and my bodie to ye earth from whence it came to be buried in such decent and Christian manner my Executrix shall deem meet, there to rest until my soul and bodie shall meet again and be joyned together at the Joyful Resurrection and be made Partakers of the never-fading Joys of Immortalitie which God in mercie thought the Merits of Jesus Christ hath promised and prepared for all in those that fairly and unfeignedly repent and believe in him into the Joyes God of Hisinfinite Mercy being, my soul and body, And touching suchtemporal Estate of our Lands Goods Debts Houses and Chattles as the Lord hath blessed me with, I do order gift and bequeath the same in manner and form following
I give and bequeath to my most dear and loving wife Frances COSTER all my Estate real and personal lands of inheritance goods Debts leases chattle and whatsoever else I have or enjoy in this world which I can or may give and bequeath unto her To have and to hold all my said Estate real and personall Lands of Inheritance, goods debts Leases chattels and all other things herein given or bequeathed or intended to be hereby given or bequeathed unto her the said Frances COSTER her Heires Executors Adm[rs] and assigns forever from and immediately after my death and decease with free libertie and power to give grant demise bargain sell assign and dispose of all or any part thereof at her and theirwills and pleasures,
And I do hereby nominate appoint and declare my said wife Frances to be my sole Executrix of all I have or shall dye possessed of; which said gift and bequest I the said Arthur COSTER have made to the severall uses intents and purposes herinafter mentioned and not otherwise And ffirst that my said Executrix out of my said Goods and Estate shall pay and discharge my funerall expenses Secondly out of the residue of my said Estate my said Executrix shall pay difscharge my just Debts Thirdly that my said Executrix shall breed up dispose and educate my son Arthur and my daughters Anne and Elizabeth in such manner as she shall think fit so long as she contynues sole widow, And upon marriage of either or any of them my said children she to give and bestow a Portion or Portions at her own discretion
And my will is, that if she my said Executrix shall contynue to be widow or happen to dye, Then she shall give and bestow all the residue of my said Goods and Estate to and among of my said children or such of them as shall be then living in such order manner and proportions as she shall think fit
But in case that my said Executrix shall happen to enter marriage anytime Then my will is that my said Executrix upon her said day of marriage shall pay unto my son Arthur (if he shall be then alive and of the Age of one and twentie years) the summ of five hundred Pounds And to my daughter Anne (if she be then living and married or at the Age of one and twenty yeares) the summe of one hundred pounds And to my daughter Elizabeth (if she be then living And married or at the Age of one and twentie yeares) the summe of one hundred pounds
But if it shall so happen, that my said sonn shall be then under the age of one and twentie yeares and my daughters or either of them shall be then under the age (^ of one and Twenty years) and unmarried, Then my will is that Portions hereby appointed to my said Children or such of them as shall be then under age, and of my daughters not married, shall be paid into the hands of my Trustees herein named, or to the Survivor of them or to the Executors or adm ^tn of the Survivour of them to be put out by them as interest upon such Securitie as my Executrix shall approve of for the good and benefit of such child or children to whom such portion shall belong, And if it shall be my sonne, then it shall be payd to him when he shall attain the Age of One and twentie years, And if it shall be my daughters or either of them then to be payd to them or either of them at their several and respective Ages of One and Twentie years or dayes of marriage which shall first happen And the interest and increase of in the meanetime to be for their severall and respective supports and maintenances,
And I do appoint my said Trustees to be Guardians and overseers of my said Children after such marriage of my said Executrix, And in case either or any of my said Children shall be dead at the time when my said Executrix shall marry as aforesaid or after happen to dye before the tyme wherein such child or children's Portion is appointed to be payd by my Trustees, Then my will is that the part and portion of such child or children so dying, shall be equally divided between the survivour or survivours of them, And if my said Executrix, before her said remarriage shall have given any money to my said Sonn to put him Apprentice or otherwise for his future advancement, or if my said daughters or either of them in marriage, or otherwise for their advancement and after shall marrie, such money so payd by my said Executrix at her said day of marriage, But no abasementis hereby intended for Cloathes dyes Schooling or other education or learning, And in case all my said children shall dye before my said Executrix shall remarrie or shall happen to dye after the marriage of my said Executrix and during her lifetyme and the portions hereby appointed to all or either or any of them shall be unpayd then the same not unpaid shall rest in her hands to be payd back by my said Trustees to my said Executrix to dispose as she pleases to and her husband not to intermeddle or have anything to doe therewith.
And in lieu thereof my Executrix shall pay or put unto my Brothers John and James COSTER fiftie pounds apiece at her said day of marriage or hour of death which shall first happen after the death of my said children if they shall be then both living, or a hundred pounds to the survivour of them if one be dead,
But in case they shall be then both dead, then my will is that the said hundred pounds shall be given or payd to my said Trustees or to the Survivour of them or to the Executors or adm^rs of them Survivour of them by my said Executrix for the use and benefit of such Grandchild or Grandchildren as shall then have, But in case there shall be none, then for the use and benefit of such Child or Children my said Brothers or either of them shall have, to be equally divided amongst them, But if all my said Children shall be dead and leave not issue alive and both my said Brothers shall also be dead without leaving any issue alive, Then my said Executrix may give and bestow the said hundred pounds and all the rest of such Estate to whom and in what manner she shall think fit,
And I do hereby make constitute appoint and devise my ever honored ffather in Law Mr Brian SHARPE and my loving brother Mr John COSTER to be my overseers and Trustees, to set this my last Will and Testament performed according to the true meaning thereof and to be Guardians and overseers of my children, in case my said Executrix shall intermarry again and for their care and trouble therin and as a token of my love I give them the summe of ten shillings apiece And I do appoint my said Executrix to pay the same,
And I the said Arthur COSTER do hereby declare and it is my will that none of the limitations or uses hereinbefore mentioned shall be any ways prejudiciall to any person or persons that shall purchase any of the said Estate lands houses goods or chattels of my said Executrix her Heirs exec^rs adm^rs and assigns;
Lastly it is my Will that my said Executrix at the Proving of this my last Will & Testament and before she be admitted Executrix thereto shall seal and deliver a Bond of Six hundred pounds penalty to my said Trustees to binde herself her Heirs Executors adm^rs to perform the Conditions herein mentioned limited and expressed on her and their parts to be done and performed according to the true meaning hereof
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seale and declared this my Last Will and Testament the fourteenth day of March in the one and thirtieth year of the reign of Our Sovereigne Lord Charles the second by the Grace of God of England Scotland France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith, Anno Domini One thousand six hundred seventie eight [signed Arthur COSTER]
Sealed and delivered and declared in the presence of Robert PAREMAN, Gertrude SMYTH, Elizabeth TYRELL, Frances SHARPE
PROVED (In Latin)
Notes
| Children: | ||
| Elizabeth | Aft 1668 - ? | m. Morgan POWELL |
| Arthur | Bef 1669 - ? | Per 1739 will of Cousin Thomas as "of Ashburnham in the County of Sussex" |
| Anne | Aft 1670 - ? | m. George JONES, per mother Frances' will |