1718: JOHN
COSTER WILL
Ref: PCC PROB 11/566
Proved: 1718 Dec 9 Written: 1716 Oct
6
Transcribed by Martin THOMPSON
In the Name of God Amen this Sixth day of October in the Year of our Lord God 1716 I John COSTER of Redbrook in the Parish of Newland in the County of Gloucester Gent do make my last Will and Testament in manner and forms following: that is to say first I bequeath my Soul to God the Creator of Heaven and Earth through the merritts of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and my body to be buried at the discretion of my Executors hereinafter named
Item I give and bequeath to my beloved Wife Mary COSTER the Mansion House or Tenement at Whitecleeve in which Thomas WHITE now liveth with the Lands Orchards Gardens Barnes Stables Courts Yards and appurtenances for her life. Item I give her two new built Brick Houses in the College Green [in Bristoll] adjoining to the Gaunts church in one of which Mrs. Jane BLANCHARD now dwelleth and Mr. Francis BRIXEY in the other for her life and after to such of my Sons as she pleases Item I give her her wearing apparel and rings and two Silver Salvers and two Silver Candlesticks
Item I give her Twenty shares in the Copper Stock of Upper Red Brook Copper Workes
Item I give and bequeath to my son Thomas COSTER the aforesaid Tenement at Whitecleeve from and after the decease of my said wife and a tenement at Lydney Late in the tenure of Henry BROWNE Item I give him the meadow at Wye Side called the Hour Latch bought of Mr. Christopher BIRD in his Name to have and to hold all and Singular the said bequeathed Premifses to him the said Thomas COSTER his Heirs and Assigns forever Item I give him the house in the College Green in which Mrs Elizabeth SCOT now dwelleth
Item I give him Twenty Shares in the Stock of Upper Redbrook Copper Works Item I give and bequeath to my said son Thomas COSTER two Tenements at Whitecleeve newly built in which John ERNSTED and Ffrancis HOWELL now live with another Tenement adjoining lately bought of Prudence MORGAN and another Tenement on the other side of the way lately mortgaged to me by John and Thomas PALMER and a Tenement or Dwelling House with the Garden Stable and Appurtenances at Clower Wall lately bought of Christopher JOWLE and a piece of Arable or Pasture land in Trelleck in the County of Monmouth called Maen alt y coody now in the tenure of John PROLYN to have and to hold all and singular the said Lands and Houses with the Gardens and Appurtenances to them and Every of them belonging to the said Thomas COSTER his Heirs and assigns forever
Item I give and bequeath to my son John COSTER a new built house in the College Green in Bristoll adjoining to the Houses before mentioned and in which Thomas HOLDSWORTHY Esq now liveth Item I give him Twenty Shares in the Stock of Upper Redbrook Copper Workes aforesaid Item I give him in money the sum of ffive hundred pounds to be pay him by my Executors herinafter named within six months after my decease out of the Joynt Stock herinafter mentioned
Item I give and bequeath to my son Robert COSTER a House in the College Green in Bristoll adjoining to those formerly mentioned and in which Mr Joseph WATKINS now dwelleth Item I give him ffourteen Shares in the Stock of Upper Redbrook aforesaid
Item I give and bequeath to my said sons Thomas and John COSTER those Lands and Tenements in Redbrook aforesaid lately bought of Mr George WYRHALL in the name of my Son John COSTER called by the names of Gristmill and Reices to have and to hold the said Lands and Tenements with their appurtenances to the said Thomas and John COSTER their Heirs and Assigns forever To the intent that they may and shall have full power to alienate sell convey and Assign the same to the Proprietors of the Stock of Upper Redbrook Copper Workes aforesaid or to some person in Trust for them their Heirs and Successors for and in discharge of [the sum of] three hundred and thirty six pounds part of a debt due for advance on my Shares in the said Stock alwayes excepting and reserving out of the said bequeathed premises to the use of my said sons and other uses hereinafter mentioned the Plate mill in the said Lands with the old Grist Mill place and ground between that and the said Plate mill and the ground at the other end of the said plate mill between the Water Course to the Upper Stampers and the Roadway as far as the steps against the back door of my dwelling house or a good and Sufficient Lease of the Plate Mill and appurtenances for 99 years at the rent of four pounds per annum with the use and benefit of the Water and Watercourses to and for the use of the said Plate Mill and also reserving a small piece or parcel of Ground at the end of the Furnace Synder that is marked or Bounded by meer Stones so far down the Brook as to the upper wast to and for the use of Benedict HALL Esq his Heirs and assigns forever
And as for and concerning the plate Mill in the Parish of Stanton Drew in the County of Somersett called ByMill lately bought of Edward BABER Esq and the Mill at Swinford near Bristoll now a double Tuck Mill bought of Mr Robert SHARP in the name of my Son Thomas COSTER with all the rest of my Estate Real and personal Land Tenements and Hereditaments and their appurtenances with all my parts Shares and Interest in Tin Mines and Copper mines in the County of Cornwall with all my Water Engines Tin or Iron Bellmettle Cyllinders and Brasses and all other Engine Materials with all my Stock in money Debts Household Goods and whatsoever else I have or may dispose of and not herein and hereby disposed of Given or bequeathed Except as hereinafter excepted
I devise give and bequeath the same to my said wife Mary COSTER and to my said sons Thomas John and Robert COSTER to be and remain as a joynt Stock to and among them their heirs Executors administrators and assigns to be managed by and in the name of my said son Thomas COSTER or such other person or persons as my said Wife and Sons or the major part of them their Executors administrators or assigns shall from time to time nominate and appoint for that Purpose my said wife Mary COSTER to be Treasurer so long as she remains a Widow if she please but no longer and my said son Thomas COSTER to be accountant for the said Joint Stock for so long as he Pleases and that the said Mary COSTER and my said Sons or the Major part of them their Executors administrators and assigns approve thereof
The said stock to be divided or supposed to be divided into six and thirty parts or shares of which my said Wife to have Twelve parts or shares My sons Thomas and John to have each Nine parts or Shares and my son Robert to have Six parts or Shares and the proffits that are or shall be made or produced by from or out of the said Joynt Stock to be divided in the like proportions and paid from time to time to my said Wife and three Sons to and for the respective uses of each of them respectively their several and respective Executors administrators and assigns the accompts to be Fairly kept and every proprietor to have liberty to inspect the same at their Pleasures and to the Intent that the said Joynt Stock shall continue in my ffamily and no part or shares thereof may come into the Hands of Strangers
My Will is that no person interested therein shall Sell of Dispose of his her or their part or share or any part of it to any person or persons Whatsoever except to those hereby interested in the said stock their Heirs Executors or administrators without the consent of the rest of the said Partners or the major part of them and that the parts shares and interest of each party dying without issue and that of my said Wife at her death or day of marriage in case she shall intermarry after my decease shall descend and come to and be equally divided among the survivors their Heirs Executors and Administrators
All my debts and arrears of advance on the aforesaid Shares in the Stock of Upper Redbrook Copper Workes aforesaid that shall be due and unpaid after the conveyance of the aforesaid Lands called the Kings Mill and Reices Lands in discharge of the Sum aforesaid in part thereof shall be paid and discharged out of the Joint vested in my Wife and three Sons as aforesaid and my son Robert to be maintained out of the said Joynt Stock till he attaines to the age of one and twenty yeares after which time he shall be intitled to and paid his Dividend of the profits from thence forward ariseing out of the said Joynt Stock but not before nor for any time past before his said age of one and twenty yeares All fines for renewing the Leases of the said Houses in the College Green in Bristoll shall be paid in proportion to the yearly value of each house by the owners or proprietors thereof
Item I give and bequeath to my daughter Eugenia STOUGHTON the sum of Twenty Pounds to be paid her out of the Joynt Stock aforesaid in six months after my decease
Item I give and bequeath to my brother James COSTER the sum of Thirty Pounds provided that all accompts between him and me are first Ballanced
Item I give and bequeath to my Maid Servant Mary PEIRSE the sum of ffifty pounds to be paid her in three after my decease by my executors out of the Joynt Stock aforesaid
And I do hereby nominate and appoint my said wife Mary COSTER and my said son Thomas COSTER to be joint Executors of this my last Will and Testament revoking and making void all other wills by me heretofore made
In Witness thereof I have to this my Last Will and Testament written on both sides of this single sheet of paper with my own hand set my hand and seale the day and year ffirst above written [signed John COSTER]
Sealed and delivered and Published and declared to be the Last Will and Testament of the said John COSTER in the presence of us who subscribed our Names hereunto in the presence of the said Testator [signed: James JARRETT, John THOMPSON, Willm JONES
PROBATUM [etc. in Latin] Probate granted the 9th day of December 1718, by oaths of Mary COSTER widow and relict, and Thomas COSTER son of the deceased, Executors named in the will.
Notes
John II (Abt 1647 - 1718), per historian Joan Day identification. Bur Newland; wife Mary
Witness John THOMPSON (1686 - aft 1739) m. an Anne COSTER,1709, Newland, per GLS marriage allegations. Her age was given as 22 (b. 1687), but she has not been identified. John THOMPSON was also named in a 1709 lease of this same John COSTER.
| Children: | ||
| Thomas | 1684 - 1739 | m. 1) Astrea SMYTH; 2) Jane ROUS, 1720 |
| Mary | 1686 - bef 1694 | See second dau named Mary |
| John III | 1687/8 - 1731 | Bur Newland |
| Euginia | 1690 - ? | m. George STOUGHTON |
| Mary | Abt 1694 - 1701 | Bigland MI, Newland, age 7 |
| Robert | 1697 - 1736 | Grace PENDARVES (per IGI, 2nd marriage) |
Newland, Glos. Monumental Inscriptions (Bigland)
On a Monument in the South Aisle [transcribed fm Latin by Geoff Roberts]:
Arms: Ermine a chevron Or and Sable counterchanged, in palmy Argent a chevron Ermine couple closed Sable between three field pieces of the last, mouthed Gules
[there follows a lengthy inscription in Latin which seems to list John COSTER’s interest in Natural Philosophy, Mathematics and the Arts, giving his death date of 1718 Oct 13 aged 71 years, continuing with reference to his wife Mary COSTER died 1734 Jun 26 aged 69 (sic), his son John COSTER died 1731 Jun 27 aged 43, his son Robert COSTER died 1736 Mar 31 aged 39, Robert’s wife Grace sister of William PENDARVES, Eugenia wife of George STOUGHTON of Warwick armiger, Thomas COSTER M.P., Bristol]
On a Monument in the South Aisle
'Next to this marble lie the ashes of John COSTER who, blessed with a good and bountiful intellect, fully versed in Natural Philosophy, well educated in Mathematics, restorer of the bronze art amongst the British, not for himself but for his family he lived, outstanding in this art, many bright things shining with unequal lustre he found in the waters, but he left behind none equal to himself. Loved by all, alas, mourned by all, snatched by an untimely death he lay down on 13th day of October at the age of 71 in the year of our Lord 1718.
At his side sleeps Maria his wife, who striking her 69th year passed from this frail life to immortal reward on 26th June 1734. She bore six children, three sons and as many daughters. Four of whom are buried beneath this marble. John, the famous second born, died on 27th June 1731 aged 43, who, born with a wonderful natural ability and skilled in the art of metalworking etc. and engineering, shone out amongst the men of Cornwall. Robert, youngest by birth, died without issue on 31st March 1736 aged 39. He married Grace, only sister of William PENDARVES of Pendarves, knight. Of the daughters only Eugenia survives (for the others died in infancy) married to George STOUGHTON of Warwickshire, squire. Thomas the eldest son by birth and the only surviving, a Senator [i.e. a Member] of the British Parliament, elected by the city of Bristol, was responsible for erecting this marble in 1737 so that this monument should speak of his piety to his most dear parents and his affection for his greatly loved brothers.'