Description:

1. Will dated 5 September 1661
Beneficiaries: To his nephew, Robert Jennings son of his Brother John Jennings, 'All those closes of arrable, Land meadow and pasture…being within the parish of Michaelchurch Escley ….wch I hold by assignment from Phillip Thomas Powell deceased wch I hold for the term of one Thousand years Eight hundred years whereof and upwards are yet in being'.
To his sister Johan Jennings, the messuage and tenement called Merry Hurst situated in the Parish of St Margarets. which he has from his nephew Thomas Jennings of that parish and his wife Mary redeemable upon payment of £100 at Ascension day or days to come and after the death of his sister the premises to go to her executors until '….such time as they, some or one of them shall be paid the sum of £50…by the said Thomas Jennings, Mary his wife or Charles Jennings their eldest son or by some or any of them or their heirs..' [modern spelling and punctuation] And after payment of the £50 'I give devise and bequeath all and singular [a fold in the original parchment prevented photocopying this section. It continues] Thomas Jennings, Sibill Jennings, Susan Jennings and Mary Jennings 5 children of his nephew Thomas Jennings their [hole in the parchment] £50 of Current English money shall be paid out by Charles Jennings eldest son of nephew Thomas to be equally divided between them.
To Charles Jennings, the premises, Merry Hurst. If the premises are redeemed for £100 in the lifetime of sister Johan then she gets £50 and the other £50 to be distributed as above.
To Brother John, for his lifetime, the tenement, close and arable land called Cae Cort Melyn in Longtown, '… which I have to me and mine for ever from Paul Thomas , gent, Anne his wife and Anne Thomas, widow..' On the death of John the property is to go to Rowland Jennings, brother John's eldest son.

To William Myles, Clerk, minister of Michaelchuch Escley 20/- and to the parish clerk [unnamed]10/-
Now follow numerous small financial bequest to great nephews and nieces all of a pound or two pounds. Then
To Elizabeth, daughter of brother John, £20; to the two young daughters [unnamed] of brother John £30 to be divided equally between them and to Robert their brother £15.
To Nephew Thomas Jennings of [?]Marchampton 40/-
To brother Charles, £10 and to brother John, 40/-
To nephew, Rowland Jennings, £10.
[next line difficult to decipher due to staining and bends in the original parchment] but seems to read, ' unto sister Johan all the grain in the house and in the ground'
To the poor of Michaelchurch Escley, 30/- and to the poor of Longtown, 10/-.
To 'William John David Meredith and Mary Meredith my servants, 20/- a piece'

Executors: Charles Jennings, brother, Rowland Jennings, eldest son of brother John Jennings and sister Johan Jennings.

Witnesses: Lewis Powell, Marmaduke Lewis and Thomas Prosser.

Date of Probate: 1661

2. Inventory: dated 5 October 1661 , no value [inventory appears to be incomplete, with only the first page]. Appraisers Lewis Powell, Luke Davis and Walt Pres [?Prees]

Observations :

There are 2 copies of the will, though that does not make it any easier to read. The handwriting is very small and hard to read without a magnifying glass. In addition there is a bond, marked incorrectly by NLW as X1 with bounden Charles Jennings of St Margarets, [?]Tanner, Roland Jennings, of Clodock, yeoman and Johan Jennings also of Clodock, spinster in a surety of £100 with Charles Jennings appointed administrator. There are also two other small documents in Latin the handwriting of which is difficult to decipher; 6 documents in all.