Description:

Documents

1. Will: dated August 1570
Testator requests to be buried in the parish church of Michaelchurch Eskley , in the grave where 'my late wife Margaret verch Thomas was buried'.
Beneficiaries:
To the cathedral church of St Davids , 12d for forgotten tithes.
[ The next section deals with a dispute between his two sons over earlier gifts of his copy lands in Michaelchurch Eskley: 10 ?? welsh acres to son Harry William and the remainder to Nicholas William the eldest and afterwards to Nicholas' heir and son Thomas ap Nicholas. It seems the brothers are unhappy with their portions and are enjoined in the will to be content and not to go to law over this division. ]
He further states that he has made small provision for son Thomas William and therefore leaves him 5 kine and a bull and in addition 'a redd cowe' of four years old.
To Howell William, son, his yearling heifer.
To Isabell, daughter, the covering of his bed, but the bed itself he leaves to eldest son Nicholas.
To son Thomas, 'all my oats[?- word distorted by a fold in the original] now growing', also all the cheese in the house at the time of his death.
Finally he commands his sons and his current wife Gwenllian not to quarrel over the provisions of the will.
[at the end and after the witnesses] the bequests continue:
To wife, Gwenllian, 'my hawked[?]' 2 year old heifer, 2 iron broches and two pewter dishes.
To son, Thomas William, 2 quosers¹
To son,  [can't read first name] William 'my great vate'.

Executor: kinsman, David Thomas.

No indication of mark or signature by the testator

Witnesses: 'Harry William Parry, Lewis Price Lewis, Lodwig Re ap John ap Gruff and others Thomas John ap Thomas Powell'.    

Date of Probate:  nd.

2. Inventory: undated and no value given but comes to £3  18  0d. No appraisers listed.

Observations:

These documents are duplicated in the NLW catalogue at BR/1570/106, as stated above.
This will shows that little has changed in human behaviour over the centuries with warring sons, problems between the sons and their step mother and finally the testator's apparent affection for his first wife; although as she is buried within the church she must have come from a family of substance and perhaps he just wanted acknowledgement of his position, by association.
His short inventory is reproduced below; it seems to relate only to those items mentioned in the will..

                                    Inventory

                                                                                               
¹ This is an unusual term and because it is associated with a vat may be a local distortion of a 'quarter vessel' a Worcestershire expression for vessel holding 25 gallons.