(Mary, through her marriage to Robert Morgan, is one of my 13 x great grandmothers)
I have aimed to show line breaks, spelling, punctuation and capitals as in the register copy. [ ] show additions – mostly to show omitted letters in abbreviated or contracted words.
The Will
of memorie thanckes be to Allmightie god Doe make and ordaine this my Last will and testament in
manner and forme followeinge viz First I bequeathe my soule to Allmightie god my saviour by whose
onely deathe and passion I hope to obtaine forgivenes of all my synnes and my body to be buried in
Christian buriall at the discreton of myne executor ./ Item I give to my sonne Troyelus Turbervile
Twentie poundes. Item I give to my daughter Cassander Turbervile Twentie poundes Item I give to Henry Rodney my god sonne Fower poundes. Item I give to mistris Jane Rodney the wife of John
Rodney Esquier a Longe Cushion of Clothe of gold to be chosen by her self of one of my owne Item
I give to mistris Alice Wadham [1] my gowne of Damaske a wroughte velvett kirtle and a dublett of the same
Item I give to Thomas Fitzjames my godsonn Fower poundes Item I give to John Crokehornes daughters
sonne my godsonne [2] Fower poundes Item I give to Robert Leversadge my daughters sonne [son of her dau Margery] Fower poundes
Item I give to my goddaughter Marie Sanders towardes her marriage and to be paid at her marriage
day Five poundes Item I give to the poore of Pilton bushelles of wheate Eight ./ Item I give to
the poore of wootton of wheate vz six ./ Item I give to the poore of Wormister of wheate vz two
Item I give to the vicar of whitelackington tenn shillinges Item I give to the poore of whitelackington
Twentie shillinges Item I give to the poore of Puckington Tenn shillinges Item I give to the poore
of Stocklinthe tenn shillinges [3] Item I give to eche of those that shall fortune to serve me at my howes
of deathe soe muche more money as theire yearely wages is Item I give grannte and confirme unto
William Morgan my sonne all my Landes and tenementes whatsoever To have and to houlde the said Landes
and tenementes and everye parte and percell therof to the said william Morgan and his heires for ever
Item all the residue of my goodes and chattelles not given not bequeathed as aforesaid I give and bequeathe to my said sonne Willm Morgan whome I make and
my last will and testament And I doe make the overseers of this my will John Rodney Esquier and John
Crookehorne esquier and doe give unto eche of them thre poundes a peece of currant money of England
to be bestowed in two Ringes for theire paines takeinge in seeinge this my last will and Testament
accomplished The marke of Marie Stourton Witnesses James Bisse William Walter
The marke of Richard Bisse Roger Crosse Thomas Wilkins
The Probate Statement
Lewyn legum d[oc]tore Curie Prerogative Cantuarien[sis] magistro custode sive comissario l[egi]time deputato Nono die
mensis July Anno domini mill[es]imo quingentesimo nonagesimo sexto Juramento Thome Redman notarii
publici procur[ator]is Willim Morgan executoris in h[uius]mod[i] testamento nominati Cui comissa fuit administrato &c
de bene et fideliter administrand etc Ad sancta dei Evangelia Jurat/ ex[aminatu]r
Translation of the Probate Statement
Lewyn Doctor of Laws lawful deputed Master, Keeper or Commissary of the Prerogative Court of
Canterbury The ninth day
of the month of July in the year of Our Lord one thousand five hundred and ninety six [9 July 1596] by the oath of Thomas Public
Notary procurator for William Morgan executor named in this will To whom was committed administration etc.
Well and faithfully to administer etc. He being sworn on God’s Holy Gospels./ It is Examined.
Footnotes
[1] A Troilus died c.1609 leaving a widow Ann, said to have been née Wadham – was this the Ann mentioned here? However, the research of others suggests that that Troilus was a son of Mary’s daughter Ann, and that Ann also had a daughter Cassandra. I have yet to establish whether that conclusion was correct, and there were two Troilus and Cassandras, or whether two families have been confused.
[2] A ‘Mr John Crokhorne’ and ‘John Crokhorne Junior’ were two of the witnesses of her husband Robert Morgan’s will, nearly thirty years earlier. I guess the John Crokehorne mentioned here was the elder of these, who I think was the first cousin of Mary, making her goddaughter two generations younger.
[3] It is quite common for people to remember the poor of their place of birth in their wills. With Selvinge / Selvinch where Mary came from being in Whitelackington parish, but closer to the villages of Puckington and Stocklinch than to Whitelackington village, it is not surprising that she left bequests for the poor of all 3 parishes, as well as to Worminster, where she was living when she died.
Given that she lived in Mapperton with her Morgan husband, somewhere unknown with her Turbervile husband and (presumably) in Folke with her last husband, William Stourton. William was of Folke when he died though had previously lived in Worminster. William’s will does not suggest they had separated so I think they probably both lived at Folke before Mary returned to Worminster. Unless either Wotton or Pilton were where she lived with her Turbervile husband she did not remember the poor of any of the places associated with her husbands. Perhaps it was to the poor living where she owned property and earned income (rents, leases etc.) from the people that Mary felt some responsibility to leave money for in her will.
That said, it is perhaps an exaggeration to say she may have felt some responsibility; I have yet to calculate roughly want the gifts were worth, but the monetary ones split between three parishes come to just £2, compared with £5 to a single goddaughter. Mary may simply have been following convention in making these bequests.
Sentence
I have a copy of the sentence (available, like the wills from Ancestry or from the National Archives website). However, it is in Latin, and I have not yet attempted to really understand what the dispute was about nor to transcribe it.
I can see William Morgan mentioned, described as the natural and legitimate son of Mary, also Troilus Turbervile and Ann Turbervile alias Bonvile, described as consanguineous with Mary. (Cassandra is not mentioned). Roger Crosse, presumably the one who witnessed the will, is also referred to.
A dispute could arise due to the way the will was written, perhaps there was ambiguity, but also connected with the execution – so it may have been that William was too slow at paying beneficiaries.
TNA ref: PROB 11/88/38 (will)
TNA ref: PROB 11/89/59 (sentence)
Comments
The will of Mary Stourton, formerly Morgan, née Wogan (d. c. 1596) — No Comments
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