Probate Collection: Will and documents for Oliffe [Olive] Button, widow, late wife of John Button deceased., Clodock, 1631, Ewyas Lacy Study Group

Held at:	National Library of Wales
Reference:	BR/1631/155
Source:	Photocopy of original documents
Title:	Probate Collection: Will and documents for Oliffe [Olive] Button, widow, late wife of John Button deceased.
Place name:	Clodock
Date:	1631

Description:

Documents

1. Will: dated 4 September 1631
Beneficiaries:
To the cathedral church of St Davids , 12d.
To Mabel vch Morgan, £18 due by bond 'unto me the said Oliffe as by bonds shall appear'. Also to Mabel, 2 kine, one heifer of a year old a mare colt and all 'my househould stuffe and ymplements of the same'.
To Elizabeth Scudamor, daughter of Symon Scudamor, 50/- and a year old heifer and two sheep
To sister, Alice Scudamore, one cow.
To James --- [name faded] Thomas and William Morgan, £5 each.
To Rosser Morgan -----[faded].
To John David, £5[?].
To Lewis Button, son of Harry Button, 20/- and two sheep to Hugh Button his brother.
To Mauld Thomas, Juhan and Ann Thomas the daughters of Thomas James, 20/- to be divided equally between them.
To brother, Symon Scudamor, £18 16s due by bond from Harry Eustance. Also one half of 6 acres of oats now standing.
'If Harry Eustance do well and truly pay the said £18 16s to Symon Scudamore then.....Symon is to pay Elizabeth Eustance, wife of the Harry Eustance, 20/-. If Harry pays up then Symon is also to pay Olive's brother Richard Scudamor, £3.
To Thomas Eustance, son of Harry, one 2 year old heifer.
To Alice Scudamore, daughter of Symon, 5 sheep.
To Mabel Morgan, above, 2 swine and one other sow, and a mare towards the testator's funeral expenses. Always provided that Mabel Morgan survives the testator by one whole year. In the event Mabel dies within the year then her particular legacies are to pass to James Lucas.

Executor: James Lucas.

Marked by the testator

Witnesses: 'sealed and delivered to John Gwyn to the use of the above named James Lucas in the presence of : Mary Watkins, Alce Scudamor' John Gwyn, [par] ia mann'.[ this last could be abbreviation for "Apparitor man" an official of the ecclesiastical court - John Gwyn was, we know from elsewhere, a clerk and probably a curate so he may have been giving himself aires]

Date of Probate: 27 September 1631.

2. Inventory: dated 13 October 1631 ; value £81 8 0d. Appraisers: Thomas Jenkins, David Thomas and Richard Jenkins.

Observations:

The documents include a Bond dated 27 September 1631 with bounden James Lucas of Clodock, yeoman and John Gwyn of the same gent.
Oliffe's will demonstrates a feminine wile and cunning means to get Harry Eustance to pay his debts; leaving a legacy to his wife if he pays up. That should put pressure on him!
Her Inventory is reproduced below with modern spelling.

Inventory

		£	s	d
Imprimis her bodily apparel	xv^s		15
Item all her household stuff	xxx^s	1	10
Item thirty cheeses	vj^s viij^d		6	8
Item two kine	iiij^li	4
Item one mare colt	xx^s	1
Item two shuttlings [piglets]	viij^s		8
Item one other cow	xxxv^s	1	15
Item one heifer	xx^s	1
Item one other shuttling	ij^s		2
Item nine lambs	xviij^s		18
Item six ewes	xviij^s		18
Item two calves	xx^s	1
Item oats in the barn	xl^s	2
Item due by bond upon Harry Eustance	xviij^li xv^s 4^d	18	15	4
Item upon Thomas Watkins	x^li	10
Item due by bond uponThomas Jenkins	viij^li	8
Item due upon Richard Scudamor	x^li	10
Item upon David Thomas	x^li	10
Item upon John Watkins	ix^li	9
	[comes to	£81	8	10d]

At the bottom the inventory is endorsed
'Exhibit 13 October 1631 and signed by Roger ---' [surname indecipherable]

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Ref: ldhsarchive_mfs_clo_1148

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