John Narramore is a half 2nd cousin 9x removed of mine – a great grandson of my 10 x great grandfather Walter Narramore by his first wife.
Several Court of Chancery disputes followed the death of John Narramore, documents relating to which I am in the process of transcribing and intend adding to this website. In one of these, William Bennett, a yeoman, and Lawrence Comings, a butcher, both of the Kingskerswell parish, together with another yeoman, John Codner of St. Marychurch brought a bill of complaint against Abraham Peters, who had married John Narramore’s sister Elisabeth.
In his answer to the bill Abraham quotes, apparently in full, the will of John Narramore. The will starts on the 15th line of the document and line numbers and breaks are included in the transcription below to make it easy to refer back to document.
Although the date the will was written is given as 1688 I think there is an error here and it should probably have read 1698. As it was written in December and the John Pidsley who I believe is the one referred to died in June 1699 it appears it was not written that year. The will and marriage notes on John’s page explain why I believe the date is wrong.
[16] last will & testament in manner & form following Imprimis I give unto my three daughters Elizabeth Agnes & Joane to each of them two hundred pounds a piece to be p[ai]d unto each of them at such time as they shall accomplish the age of one & twenty yeares wth this reservacon tht they be at the disposall and
[17] tuition of my Trustees hereafter mencōned Item I give & bequeath unto Agnes my wife three Milk Cows twenty Deay Sheepe of one year old & twenty Ewes of two years old my white nose mare & my riding Colte Item I give & bequeath unto Anne Narramore my mother twenty Deay sheepe of a year old
[18] & twenty sheepe of two yeares old & the great Mare & Derry Fower Cows & Fower oxen called by the names of young & tender & Browne & Tender Item I give & bequeath unto Agnes my wife & Anne my mother all my household good & implmts of household of wt nature or kind soever the same to be
[19] equally devided between them Item I give & dispose unto John my Son the Gray mares Colte & the little horse Item I give & dispose unto Agnes my wife two oxen called Ladd & Jolly Item I give & dispose unto Agnes my wife the three Gorders [it might say ‘Garders’ – meaning Gardens?] & the eighth part of three Curriter meadows for the residue & remaynder
[20] of the term therein to come if the lifes on the same so long continue Item I give & dispose unto Agnes my wife my lease hold estate lying in Colyton wth in the p[ar]ish of St Mary Church for the residue & remaynder of the term therein to come & unexpired if the lives therein so long continue Item I give & bequeath unto
[21] John my Son all my goods & chattles Lands & tenemts not yet given or bequeathed whom I make Execr of this my last will & testament & I pray & intreat & by this my – will & testament do impower Mr John Hyne of Ipplepen Gent Mr Abraham Peters of Marledon Mr John Pigsley of Bishopsteington & Mr John Eastley
[22] of Marledon To have full power & authority to sell & alien or dispose of all or any part of my goods & chattles Lands or tenemts given & bequeathed to my Execs for paymt of my debts & my Children to be provided for during their minority according to the discretion of the sd Mr John Hyne Abraham Peters
[23] & John Pigsley & John Eastley or any two of them whom I do name & ordain to be trustees for my Children In Witness whereof I have put my hand & seal this eighteenth day of December Anno Dni 1688
I find it amusing that the horses are described by appearance, but the oxen all had names. Surely the horses would have as well? Maybe the oxen were too similar in appearance to give descriptions easily that would allow them to be distinguished one from another. What is meant by ‘Derry Fower Cows’? I don’t know, derry may well mean dairy, but surely four dairy cows would have been more likely referred to as ‘fower milk cows’; did it mean the diary and four cows?
And what were Deay sheep? I’d love to know, but haven’t managed to find out so far.
Given that two of the four men John asked to pay his debts and be trustees for his children during their minority were a first cousin and brother-in-law it is quite likely that the other two were also, but if so I don’t know what the relationship was – they aren’t names I’ve come across in looking at the Narramore descendants of ‘old Walter‘, but with John being a 2nd cousin to my line I haven’t looked at his mother’s or grandmother’s families – they could be related on that side, and/or relations of his wife.
TNA ref: C 6/336/20, the fourth sheet (headed ‘The Several Answer of Abraham Peters one of the Defts to the amended and supplymentary bill of Complaint of William Bennett Laurence Comings & John Codner Complts‘)
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The will of John Narramore (1664/5-c.1699) — No Comments
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