I Aldred Bickham of the parish of Old Cleeve in the County of Somerset Clothier being sick in body but of perfect mynd and memory I give my God praise therefore doe make this my last will and Testament this twenty seaventh day of February in the year of our Lord God one thousand sixe hundred fifty and one as followeth first of all I committ my soule into the hands of Allmighty God my Maker and of Jesus Christ my Redeemer being fully assured through his death and passion only to obtayn pardon and forgiveness of all my sinnes and my bodie I committ to the Earth from whence it came to be buried decently according to the descretion of my Executor hereafter named Item I leave unto Richard Bickham my First sonne a silver salt guilded with gold and six silver spoons according to my grandfathers will to remayn forever to the oldest sonne of his line and blood Item I give unto my daughter in law Thamasin my sonne Richards wife Twenty Shillings in Gold Item I give unto my daughter Ellen Escott wife of Richard Escott my shaving cup reboned with silver and guilded with gold Item I give and bequeath unto my sonne Aldred Bickham his Executors and Assigns one meadow called Kensfords meade and Turkes Cloase with a little coppied woods thereunto belonging for all the terme of yeares and Estate whatsoever I have in them to come and unexpired Item I give unto my sonne William Bickham his Executors and Assigns the other part and residue of the lands and whatsoever else I have not given as aforsayd to my sayd sonne Aldred which I hold by one Lease of George Luttrell of Dunstan Castle Esq that is to saye three cloases called the groves and three cloases called the long cloase with a revertion of one Acre of land now in the possession of William Strong lying in a field called five Acres within the parish of St Decumans and also a house and garden lying within the burrough of Watchett now in the possession of Attowill Porter for all the terme of years and Estate I have therein my sayd sonne Aldred Bickham his Executors and Assigns paying one half of the rents taxes and charges forever going out of the whole And my sayd sonne William his Executors and Assigns paying the other moyetie of the said Rents taxes and charges Item I give and bequeath unto my sonne Hugh Bickham his Executors and Assigns all my terme of years and estate whatsoever I have in certayne grounds called Chaflockes and fourt earthen grounded with the appurtenances lying in the parish of Spaxton Item I give unto my daughter Johan Bickham two hundred pounds in money of which these is fifty pounds allready delivered for her use in the hands of my sayd sonne Richard Bickham [with Bickham crossed through] and the Other one hundred and fifty pounds is to be paid her by my Executor within Sixe months most after my death Item I give unto my daughter Anne Bickham two hundred pounds of which there is bequeathed for her use the summe of fifty pounds more in the hands of my said sonne Richard Bickham And ______ ______ _______ bying one hundred and fifty pounds to be paid her by my Executor within ______ months next after my death Item I give unto my daughter Mary Bickham two hundred pounds fifty pounds these of is already delivered unto her now in the hands of the widow Harris of St Decumens and the other one hundred and fifty pounds is to be paid by my Executor unto my Overseers of this my last will in trust for my sayd daughter within eighteene months most after my decease to be imployed by them for her best use untill she shall attayne to her age of one and twenty yeares Item I give unto my daughter Isott Bickham two hundred pounds also, also of these is delivered for her use fifty pounds more in the hands of Lewes Edwards of Carhampton gent and the residue thereof being one hundred and fifty pounds is to be paid by my Executor unto my sayd Overseers in trust within twenty four months most after my death to be imployed by them for the best profitt untill she shall come to her age of one and twenty yeares, for all which foure severall fifty pounds sowithe is taken unto my sayd daughters in their owne names And I doe further will and devise that my Executor shall give and allow unto these my foure daughters meate drinke and lodeging sufficient untill he shall pay them their severall portions severally and apportionaly as aforesayd And if my sayd daughters Mary and Isott or either of them shall dye before shee or they shall attayne to her or their ages of one and twenty yeares then her or their portion soe dyeing shall goe and remayne unto all my daughters now unmarried and then living and unto my sonne Hugh Bickham equally to be divided betwixt them Item I give and bequeath unto my sayd sonne William Bickham one hundred and fifty pounds to be paid unto him when hee shall attayne and come to the age of 21 yeares Item I give unto my sayd sonne Hugh Bickham two hundred pounds to be paid unto my Overseers in trust within three years after my decease And my sayd Overseers shall take the profitts of the Tenement and Overlands given unto my sayd sonne Hugh as aforesayd and the same with the encrease of his sayd portion in money shall be imployed for his best use untill hee shall attayne to his age of 21 yeares And my will and meaning is and if God devise that if the sayd Tenement and Overlands given him shall fall from him by the death of the person by whose life the same are held on that then my Executor shall give him meate drinke and cloathes sufficient untill his sayd portion in money shall be paid to the aforesayd Overseers Item I give unto my Grandson Aldred Bickham sonne of my sayd sonne Richard Bickham five pounds Item I give unto my daughter Ellen Escotts two daughters Mary and Johan Five pounds a peace Item I give unto my brother in lawe Hugh Slocombe Twenty shillings yearly for the terme of threefoure and tenn yeares if hee shall soe long live, to be goeing and issueing out of the lands given as aforesayd unto my two sonnes Aldred and William equally either of them paying Ten shillings with the clause of distress for nonpayment to be bestowed by my sayd two sonnes and their severall Assigns in Cloathes for the aforesaid Hugh as he shall have most needs Item I give unto the poore at my funeral to be distributed five pounds Item I give unto the poore of Dunstan Forty shillings to be distributed by my Executor with the assistance of the Overseers of the poore there Item I give unto the poore of Wiveliscombe forty shillings to be distributed by my Executor with the assistance of the overseers of the poore there Item whereas my Mother hath given formerly by will unto the poore of old Cleeve aforesayd five pounds the profitt whereof was to be bestowed in two smocks yearly for two poore women of the sayd parish now I do by this my will give and adde thereunto three pounds more the whole eight pounds to be sett out to some poore trades man or men of the sayd parish for to be imployed for to keep the poore on works there, but not to be joyned with the poores stock thereby noe [moneys ?] which sayd trades men shall yield and pay therefore yearly one shilling for every pound and the same soe to continue for ever and the eight shillings yearly encrease thereof shall be best made every yeare in two smocks for two poore women as aforesayd. And my desyre is that the overseers of the poore of the sayd parish will take a speciall care that none of the sayd principal money be lost for want of goods securitie and every new Overseers yearly will look unto the sufficiencie of the sayd securitie and renewe and place the same for the use aforesaid according to the true meaning of this my last will Item I give unto all my servants which shall be in my house in service at my death five shillings a peace Item I do forgive all the debts as shall be due unto me at my death owed by any persons under tenn shillings, but all other debts which shall be due unto me by any person or persons above tenn shillings are to be paid to my Executor as by lawe it ought Item my will and true meaning is of this my last will and Testament that whereas there was given unto every of my children a portion in money by my Mother their Grandmother that none of my said children nor any others alayining under them or any of them shall seeke demande or have such portion given them by their sayd Grandmother but such portions are all included in the portions which I have given them by this my last will And that my Executor paying the legacies given and added by this my last will shall stand acquitted and discharged for payment of any other unto them or any of them All the rest of my goods and chattells both reall and personall movable or immovable of what nature soever the same are of not hereby formerly given and bequeathed I give and bequeath unto my sayd sonne Aldred Bickham whome I make my whole and sole Executor of this my last will and Testament And I do desyre my sonne in lawe Richard Escott and my sayd sonne Richard Bickham to be Overseers in trust to to see this my last will in all things performed And for their care and paines therein I give unto each of them Forty shillings a peace In witness whereof I the sayd Aldred Bickham have hereunto put my hand and seale yeaven on the day and yeare first above written Aldred Bickham Memorandum that this writing contayning two sheetes of paper was read unto uss the day and yeare first above written And I did acknowledge the same to be my last will and publish the same to be my last will in the presence of John Studdier Jun The sign of William Rose William Cooksley senior