|
In the name of God Amen: The sixth day of December in the
twelveth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord Charles by the grace
God King of England, Scotland, France & Ireland defender of the faith
Anno Dm [In the year of Our Lord] 1636 I Richard
WARREN of Fordington in the County of Dorset Husbandman being in health and of good and perfect
memory thanks being to God considering my weak and frail state of being
and grown into age and Desirous to settle and dispose of that estate which
it hath pleased Almighty God for to give me in peace for the avoiding
of Controversies between my children after my death Do make and ordain
this my last Will & Testament in manner & form following and First of all I commend my soul into the hands of Almighty God having in and through the merit and mediation of Jesus Christ his only Sonne and my blessed Lord & Saviour to attain unto that eternal salvation of soul & body which he hath prepared for his elect in Christ.
Item I give and bequeath towards the reparations of the Church of Fordington Six Shillings and eight pence.
Item I give and bequeath unto my daughter Marie [Mary] BARTLETT wife of John BARTLETT the sum of six shillings & eight pence and no more in respect I have bought my copyhold tenement in Fordington for her life and she hath married without my consent. Item I give and bequeath unto John COX son of John COX of Bockhampton and of Elizabeth his wife one other of my daughters the sum of twenty pounds. Item I give and bequeath unto William COX one other of the sons of the said John COX and Elizabeth his wife the sum of twenty pounds Item I give and bequeath unto my daughter Johan wife of Edward SPRAGUE six shillings and eight pence and unto the children of the said Edward SPRAGUE and of Johan his wife which shall be living at the time of my decease the sum of twenty shillings a piece Item I give and bequeath unto my godchildren William SWANN, Richard COSENS and Christopher SAMPSON and unto Margaret WILLS daughter of Richard WILLS of Fordington the sum of twelve pence a piece. Item Upon condition that the said John BARTLETT and Marie [Mary] his wife my daughter do permit and suffer mine executors herein nominated and the survivor of them quietly and peaceably to hold and enjoy the copyhold tenement with the appurtenances in Fordington aforesaid wherein I now dwell and to take ye whole in profit thereof for the space of six months next after my decease. I give and bequeath unto my said daughter Marie [Mary] the sum of Ten Pounds to be paid unto her within 1 year next after my decease All the residue of my goods and chattels debts and credit whatsoever not being given & bequeathed I give and bequeath unto Eve my now wife and to the said Elizabeth COXE my daughter whom I make and ordain to be Executors of this my Last Will & Testament
PROBATUM: [The Probate entry is written in Latin and needs proper translation but Administration of the written testament appears to have been granted in London by the venerable Henry Martin Doctor at Law of the Perogative Court of Canterbury on the 3rd day in the month of May in the year of our Lord 1638 to his daughter Elizabeth COX of the deceased. Genealogical Notes:- (1). Richard WARREN (1557-1637) appears to have married Eve (surname unknown) in Fordington on 12 Oct 1591 (See very badly damaged marriage Register). Richard Warren is listed as a tenant in the Survey of Fordington Manor carried out in 1615 from which it is clear that he held a copyhold plot in Fordington Fields for three lives. As principal tenant his is the 1st life when his age is recorded as being 58 making him born c1557. Eve his wife is still alive on 6th Dec 1636 when he wrote his above Will and probably died during the Civil War (1642-1651) or during the restoration when all the parish registers are missing from 1640 to 1663. Richard Warren's burial appears to be the 5th of 16 burials during 1637 (again the surviving parish register is very badly damaged) but with probate being granted 3rd May 1638 and burials for that year having survived we can be sure he died in 1637. (2). Marie [Mary] BARTLETT nee WARREN (1592-aft.1650) their first child was baptised as Marye WARREN in Fordington 16th Aug 1592 and married at the age of 42 to John BARTLETT in Fordington on 25th January 1634/5. In her father's Will Richard leaves Mary "6s.8d and no more in respect I have bought my copyhold tenement in Fordington for her life and she hath married without my consent". Clearly marrying against his wishes still rankled as he had provided for her future when he bought their copyhold tenement and 22:2 acres of land on 5th Aug 1606/7 when she was only 14 years old. Mary is clearly therefore the second life recorded in the aforementioned Survey of Fordington Manor in 1615 when her age was estimated to be about 20 when she was in fact the aged 23. We can be sure this was the case as she inherits the property and land on her fathers death in 1637 and is still in possession of it in the 1650 Survey. Richard however seems to reluctantly accept that she is now married and further down the Will makes another provision that if she doesn't contest his will and allows his executors (his wife and his other daughter Elizabeth) to dwell there and take the profits from the estate for 6 months after his death she can be paid £10 a year after his death. (3). Elizabeth COX nee WARREN (1597/1602- aft.1636) - as stated above we know that Mary her sister was actually bapt at FStG in 1592 and Elizabeth (the third life in the copyhold) was approximately 5 years her junior. All parish registers are missing from 1595 to 1602 inc. She is not amongst those baptised from 1603 and was proabbly born about the turn of the century. As mentioned above by 1636 they were living in the hamlet of Bockhampton (in Stinford Parish) and had 2 children John and William COX. (4). JOHAN SPRAGUE: Johan is short for the Latin Johanna or modern Joan and was also probably born circa 1594-1602. There is no trace of a marriage between a Johane [Joan or Johanna] Warren and an Edward but certainly an Edward SPRAGUE had at least three children in Fordington (but at this date the mothers name is not given in the baptism registers): -
Johane WARREN however did marry in Fordington on 15 Aug 1623 into the Sprague family, but this was to Ralph (not Edward) Sprague and she is known to have emigrated to Massachusetts - Ralph went on the Abigail in 1628 and his wife Johane nee Warren is likely to have followed on the Lyons Whelp in 1629. There is comment about this will in "The New England historical and Genealogical Register 1897 Volume 51 page 105 where it states:- "A curious mistake has been made here. Mr Warren's daughter Johan was the wife of Ralphe Sprague, not Edward as given above. But Ralph was a son of Edward Sprague, as we see from the latter's will given in my gleanings for April 1895 (Reg vol 49 page 264). The names of father and son seem to have been confounded. From Lechford's Note Book (pp 36-38 as printed) we learn that Ralfe Sprague, sometime of Fordington , Dorset, fuller, afterwards of Charlestown N.E., planter and his wife Joane daughter of Richard Warren sent power of attorney (8-9-1638) to Mr William Derby of Dorchester (England) gentleman to demand and receive such portions as might come to them from Warrens estate and remit the same through Sprague's sister Alice Eames at Pomberry Hill near Dorchester. A letter was sent the same day by Ralfe Sprague to his sister Alice about the matter. In August 1640 (Lechford p 301) Ralfe Sprague and his wife Joane made John Holland of Tinckleton, Dorset fuller an attorney to receive of John Cox of Bowlington [actually Bockhampton] and Elizabeth his wife executors of Richard Warren deceased, seven pounds given by his will to the said Joane and her children John, Jonathan, Richard, Samuel, Mary and Phineas, or any other sum due unto them. ---For the reference to the foregoing will I am indebted to Mr. F,J. Pope, who kindly assisted me about the Cole wills in the October number of the Register for 1895 H.F.W. --- See in the Register for July 1850 page 289 a letter to Ralfe Sprague from John Corbin dated March 25, 1651. Corbin calls himself a 'father in law' to Sprague" (5). There is evidence of other children being born to Richard & Eve WARREN:- "Editha the daughter of Richard WARREN was baptised at FStG on 2 July 1605 and buried there on 29 Oct 1625. Another daughter of Richard WARREN was buried at FStG on 8 July 1626 (PR badly damaged) (6). William JOLIFFE was a wealthy draper living in Dorchester, he was appointed treasurer of the restoration fund after the Fire which occurred in Dorchester on 30th Jan 1623 . (7). John Holland of Tincleton married Alice Eames nee Sprague 20 Dec 1638 (8). William Derby was Town Clerk of Dorchester 1629-1648 and one of the investors in the Dorchester Company |