Description:

Documents

1. Will: dated 6 October 1577 .
Requests to be buried in the Clodock parish church or church yard.
Beneficiaries;
First, To base son, John James, the 10 acres plus of copyhold lands held by the testator from Sir Nicholas Arnold, knight, for the tenure of the copy. [There seems to have been some dispute about the boundaries of this land as the will says 'for the meres and bounds of the said land ...I...do say as my father and other ancient men have said unto me that there is no land unto the Lord Abergavenny lying within the brook to the south side saving only Sir Nicholas Arnold...' the name of the brook was Nant y Prior.]
Also to base son, John, 4 oxen.
To base daughter, Blanch, 4 milch kine.
To Ann verch Thomas their mother, 3 kine and 3 two year old heifers and 'the vantage'.
To daughter, Gilnett, 3 heifers and a bull.
Between base son, John and his mother, 2 horses.
To base daughter Blanch, a bed with appurtenances.
To youngest base daughter, Margaret, 2 calves.
Residual legatees of all his moveable goods as household stuff, corn in the barn and growing are base son John and his mother.
To eldest son Thomas, the testator's mansion house and all the freehold land with it on condition that Thomas pays £20 to the 3 daughters by his first wife, Katherine, Margaret and Ellice towards their marriages.
The will states that Griffith Harries¹ of Clodock, gentleman owes the testator the sum of 28 marks [£18 13 4d] in respect of a mortgage on a piece of land called Gwrlod Lloide [Lloyd] formerly the land of Evan David ap Evan. The testator leaves 20 nobles [£6 13 4d] of the said money to base son John with another 20 nobles to his mother with the balance, at the discretion of her mother, to base daughter Blanch.
The will's executors, are to deliver up the documents pertaining to the above mortgage on payment of the 20 nobles. Furthermore the testator states that he gave two deeds to Gwenllian verch David Thomas of Cwmb[remainder of word missing] and he has only had one back and his executors are instructed to retrieve the second deed which relates to a parcel of land called Gwrlod Wile[?]

¹ See mfs_clo_2060 for the will of Griffith Harry

Executors: John James and his mother with overseers, Griffith Harries and William Price Lewis

No mark or signature by the testator on this copy.

Witnesses: Griffith Harrys, John Nicholas, Phillipp Nicholas, Symond Hughes, Watkin aPrichard, John Glyn and Laurence Robinson.

'Ut Script.'
'Deabts oweing unto the testator
Whereas I the said James William Powell and Thomas John ap Rees of Roulston did seal an obligation unto Mr Wyesham undersherif of Heref Shreve for one Watkin ap John
Wh[rest of name missing] promised to save 5 harmeles, but in fine my kine unto the number of 19 and a bull were driven away soe I did not only lose the profits of my said kine all that summer but also lost some of them and payed in [missing] money for the discharge of the said land £12 beside all other charges to Thomas John ap Rees and as yet I never[?] had restitution or recompense but by this my [missing but probably "will"] and testament I do leave my executors to levy and by Law [missing but probably "recover"] the said sum of money upon the goods and cattle of Watkin ap John ap David of the parish of Dowr for whom I was bound and paid the sum.'
Ite of Margaret ap David Phe and William David John her husband £7 6 8d.
Ite William Powell, for oxen 20/-

Witnesses Griffth Harrys, Harry John Thomas and Laurence Robinson with others.

2. Inventory: .nd. not totalled but value comes to £42 0 2d. No appraisers listed.

Observations:

The use of the monetary term noble in the will is unusual, a noble was half a mark i.e. 6/8d. This was a difficult will to precis as there was so much complex instruction. The description of the first debt defied shortening as the legal situation was unclear thus it has been included as a whole albeit with some modernisation of the spelling. In addition the original copyist in the 16^th century allowed the inventory to become detached from the will and inserted it separately into the book and it has now been catalogued by NLW as BR/1577/425 vol 1. It has been reconnected in this entry.
Of especial note in the inventory is the new pair of boots worth 5/- and the brawn.
The Inventory is reproduced below with modern spelling.

                                                    Inventory