Description:

1. Will dated 4 January 1742/43:
Beneficiaries: To wife, Mary and son, Lewis, equally, together, for the term of 3 years, the freehold property and thereafter the property to be split equally between them.
At the end of 3 years:
To wife, Mary, one half of the estate for her lifetime.
To Lewis, son the other half until his mother's death when he inherits her half on condition he pays out the following legacies:
To Elizabeth, daughter, £3 p.a. for life.
To Mary, daughter, wife of William Williams, £5 within 3 years of the testator's death.
To Jane, daughter, £10 to be paid, 'at the time soever she shall depart from her mother'.
To son Lewis all instruments of husbandry

Executors: Mary Watkins, wife & Lewis Watkins, son.

Marked by testator

Witnesses: Thomas Lewis, Thomas Watkins & Rowland Jennings .

Date of Probate: 7 June 1742[ see Observation below]

Observations:

No inventory. Documents include a separate coversheet; 3 sheets in all. It is puzzling that the will is dated 4 January 1742 and the probate month in the date, written in Latin and in a not very clear hand, could be either an abbreviated form of January, in which case the probate was only 3 days after the will was signed or it is June, but June 1742 comes 6 months before January in the British calendar of the time.