Theydon Mount Wills: Family Connections using Wills preserved during the reign of James I (1603-1625)

Last time we saw that Wills of testators in Theydon Mount cast light on the rebuilding of St Michael’s Church between 1611 and 1614. Of those preserved at the Essex Record Office, four of the deceased were not buried in the parish churchyard.

There are in total ten “King James I” wills of Theydon Mount preserved in the Essex Record Office, all of which (since this research was done) are now available by online subscription through Essex Ancestors.

Wills are interesting because they give insight into the lives of ancestors: who their relations were, what they left to whom and, what was important to them at the time.

The ten Wills include three yeomen, two husbandmen (farmers) and a widow, a tailor and a bricklayer. Of these, there is a run of four wills matching a sequence of four burials. From the Burial Register:

1623. …

Thomas Gilson singleman was buryed June 11 A[nn]o supradicto(?)

1624. Thomas Herd [th]e elder was buryed Septem[ber] 18 A[nn]o supradicto(?)

Richard Gladwin was buryed February 5 A[nn]o supradicto(?)

Susan Winter widdow was buryed March 13 A[nn]o supradicto(?)

Richard Gladwin, whose name we came across in connection with a terrier in the Parish Register, was bricklayer and sideman in the parish. He was buried on 5 February 1624/25. His will is dated 14 December 1624:

1 The fourtenth day of December in the yeare of our Lord 1624
2 I Richard Gladwin of Thaidon Mount in the County of Essex Bricklaiar
3 being of p[er]fect mind & memory do make & ordayne this my last
4 will & testamt, as followeth First I make Thomas Gladwin my
5 sonne the sole executor of this my last will & testamt & do giue
6 vnto him all my goodes & chattell not gevein otherwise bequeathed
7 It[em] I giue unto Susan my wife forty shillinges a yeare
8 during her natural life, to be paid quarterly vnto her by
9 my executor, in lieu & stead of all her thirds out of all my tenem[en]t
10 that now I haue, or lately had. Also I giue vnto her all such
11 housholestuffe as she brought w[i]th her. It[em] I giue vnto my sonne
12 Richard Gladwin & his heirs my tenem[en]t wherin Thomas
13 Howland now dwelleth which appiwhire(?) lying in Thaidon
14 Mount aforesaid and I giue unto him my long chist in the Rest & my greatens(?) … It[em] I giue unto Bridgit my daughter
15 ten pounds at her day of marriage or age of xxi yeares
16 wh[ic]h first shall happen And if she dy before, then it to
17 remaine to the benefit of my Executor. It[em] I giue vnto
18 her a featherbed w[i]th all thinges belonging thereto & the haeshoad
19 bedsteads standing in the loft(?). And also the best payre of flaxon stools
20 and the larg of pewter platter, and the best brasse candlesticks, w[hi]ch was
21 her mothers gift vnto her & two chests w[hi]ch were her mothers &
22 my best brasse pot & my second brasse kettle
23 in presence(?) of me. Richard [X] Gladwin
24 Samuel Searle his marke

Richard Gladwin’s list of beds, chests, pots, pans and candlesticks is fairly typical of a man handing on things of value. We live today in a mass-produced and throw-away society.

The Will ends with a seal and “probatum” in Latin. (I am not a Latin scholar.)

Thomas Herd, yeoman, left bequests to a large number of relatives.

1 T Thomas Heard
2 In [th]e name of [th]e holy and blessed Trinitie the Father the sonne
3 and [th]e holy ghost so be it. The Fifh daye of June anno dom[ini] 1624. I
4 Thomas Herd the elder of Thaydon mount in the Countie of
5 Essex yeoman beinge sick in body but p[er]fect remembrance
6 …. prayse and thankes be given to allmightie God
7 doe ordaine and make this my last will and testament
8 in meanier and forme followinge First I bequeath my
9 soule to Allmightie God my maker and to Jesus Cyis
10 my Redeemer and Saviour by whom meirites I hope to be
11 saved of my body that I bequeath to the earth from whence
12 it came lookinge for a joyfull resurreci[o]n through the
13 merrites of Jesus Christ. Item I will and bequeath to
14 Thomas Heard my sonne one great copper pan
15 hanginge in a furnace in the kitchen and a great
16 twughe(?) standing in [th]e kitchen Chamber and a greate
17 presse standing in the little parlor to him and to his
18 heires for ever to remayne in the howse
19 as standing(?) for ever as they have bene henceforwode. I
20 will and bequeath to my sonn Thomas all my bookes
21 All my land is his by inheritance. Item I will and
22 bequeath to my goddaughter Anne Wallenger my daughters
23 daughter Fyve pounds of lawfull money of England
24 books called the governance of vertue. Item I will and
25 and bequeath to Elizabeth Heard my sonnes daughter
26 a book called the Pilgrimage to Paradise. Item I
27 will and bequeath to John Heard my uncle
28 George Heards sonne his fower Children that
29 he had by his first wife Fortie shillinges a peece
30 payde of this to Agnes Heard vis viijd. Item
31 I will and bequeath to the poore people of Stanford
32 Ryvers where I was borne xxs Item I give
33 and bequeath to the poor people of Thaydon
34 Munt Fortie shillinges to be bestowed whom
35 my Executors shall thinke most meete. Item I
36 will and bequeath to Rebecca Savell my
37 inlawd wallen(?) his …. xxs the residue
38 of all my goodes … moveeables
39 unmoveables whatsoever my legacies discharged
40 and Funeralls and that I may beliving [th]t
41 decently to the earth from whence I came
42 I giue and bequeath to Jonne my wife upon I
43 make my Executor of this my last will and
44 testament. And I doe ordayne and appoynt Roger
45 Ratt of the p[ar]ishe of Thaydon Garinghe to be my
46 overseer of this my last will and
47 I doe give him for theire paynes xs. I[te]m
48 witnes to this my last will. I Have written
49 this w[i]th my owne hand and … my
50 name [th]e daye and yeare first aboue written
51 by me Thomas Heard. Item more I giue
52 and bequeath to Thomas Heard my godsonne
53 at Harlowe xs and his daughter my
54 goddaughter Five shillinges. Item I will
55 and bequeath to Thomas Gardner my godsonne
56 ijs vjd and I will and bequeath to Thomas
57 Heard my godsonne my sonnes sonne a booke
58 called [th]e enemye of securitie. Item I will
59 and bequeath to my sister winters three sonnes
60 xs a peece and to Thomas Heard my kinsman
61 sonne of George Heard xs. Item I will and
62 bequeath to my Cosin Rehell(?) Renson vjs viijd
63 Item I will and bequeath to John Heard my
64 brother Williams sonne xs by me T[h]omas
65 Heard.
66 Probatum … [in Latin]

Leaving specifically named books seems unusual, but the gift was rare and valuable. It showed a high degree of literacy in his family.

Thomas Gilson, tailor, who died earlier than Thomas Heard, left the following Will.

1 T Thomas Gilson
2 In the name of god amen the teneth daie of Febarirarie Anno
3 Dom[ini] 1623. I Thomas Gilson of Theydon mount in the Countie of Essex
4 tailer being sick in bodie but in parfit remembrance thankes be
5 giuen to allmightie god doe ordaine and make this my last will and
6 teastement in manner and forme following. Furst I bequeath my
7 sowle to allmyghtie god my maker and to Jesus Christ my redemer by
8 whose merritts I hope onlie to be saued loking for a Joyfull
9 resurrection, and my bodie to the earth from wence it came.
10 Item I will and bequeath to my two brothers George Gilsom and
11 John Gilsom twentie shillinges a peese to be paid to them upon …
12 shall com to be of the age of fowr and twentye yeares a peese or at the
13 daie of marrage which of them shall com furst. Item I will and
14 and bequeath to my sister marie fiftie shillings. Item I will and beq[ue]ath
15 to my brother Richard Gilson tenn shillings and to his fowre children
16 now living twelue pence apese. Item I will and bequeath to my
17 sister Elizabeth two shillings six pence to her sonn Richard my
18 godson tenn shillings and to her two other children now living
19 twelve pence a peese. It[e]m I will and bequeath to my sister
20 Susan two shillings six pence. It[e]m I will and bequeath
21 to my brother in law George Herns two children that is to say to
22 Thomas and to William fortie shillinges a peese all those
23 children before named to have there portions paid them as they
24 shall com to the age of fowrr and twentie yeares a peese or
25 at the daie of marrage which them shall com furst. It[e]m I will
26 and bequeath to my brother John Gilson my best sute of apparel
27 the residew of all my goodes Cattell and other chattels redie monie
28 debtes being paid and legasies parformed and my finerall
29 discharges I will and bequeath to George herd my brother
30 in law whome I make my sole executer of this my last
31 will and teastament and I doo appoynt Thomas Herd the
32 younger of Theydon Mount and my brother George Gilson to
33 be my overseers of this my last will and teastament
34 and I doe giue them for tharr paines twelve pence a peese
35 the marke of Thomas Gilson
36 Wittnesses Thomas Herd senieor
37 and Thomas Herd Junior
38 with others
39 Probatu[m] … [in Latin]