Description:

Documents

1 Will: dated 28 April 1644 .
Body to be buried in the parish church of Rowlston
Beneficiaries
To the cathedral church of St Davis , 6d.
To Rowleston parish church, 20/-, that is 10/- towards the repair of the steeple and 10/- towards the repair and upkeep of the body of the church 'the chancel excepted'.
To the poor born within the Rowleston parish, 20/-, 'that is to say 10/- at the feast of St Peter [patron saint of Rowleston church] next after my decease and the other 10/- on St Peters day the next year to be equally distributed amongst them.'
To goddaughter, Jane, daughter of Edward Watkins, £7.
To William, Margaret and Elizabeth Edwards, son and daughters of Edward Watkins, £10 between them.
To Syble Harry, daughter of Harry Phe[llip], £3.
To Elizabeth Harry, 40/-
To goddaughter, Joan Phe, daughter of Phe Harry, 40/-
To James Phe Harry, 20/-
To Harry Phe, one other of the sons of of Phe Harry, 20/-
To Thomas Prichard, son and heir of Phe Prichard deceased, £10.
To Phe Prichard, another of the sons of Phe Prichard deceased, 20/-
To Catherine, the daughter of Phe Prichard deceased, 40/-.
To Harry Phe 'if he doth live after the decease of Jenett his now wife, 10/-[?- there is a hole here so it could be xl^s   i.e. 40/-]
To wife Elizabeth his house and lands called Pwlck yr Huntt with all the corn and grain for her lifetime with the instruction she is to neither give away or sell any  timber from the estate and is to keep the land and buildings in good repair.
To brother Richard Prichard, and his heirs, the house and lands after the death of Elizabeth .and in addition all the other parts of his house and lands currently occupied by Harry Phe and his wife Jenett, the testator's mother, after the death of Jenett, on condition that Richard pays the legacies bequeathed within 2 years of the death of wife Elizabeth. 
If Richard has no legitimate heirs then his legacy is to pass to the right heirs of Edward Watkins and Anne Prichard, daughter of John Prichard of Pwlch yr Huntt, deceased under the same conditions.

Debts owed by the testator
To Edward Watkins,             £14.
To Mauld Hughes,    £3
To Thomas Powell Bevan    20/- 
To Harry Phe                         30/-
' I do appoint Richard Prichard to pay the several sums immediately after my decease or secure the creditors for the same' Richard is then to obtain the loan agreements and return them to Elizabeth the testator's wife for cancellation. To cover this Richard is given 3 parcels of land, The Hill being 5 acres, another 3 acres called pen Cay yr Deowen and finally a parcel of meadow under the kitchen to Hunt [?] together with the loft [writing too faded to read next two words] over the porch together with the one part of the sheepcott with free ingress and egress.'
.£5 to be disbursed amongst his friends and neighbours at his funeral and
'£3 to see me brought to my grave'

Executrix: wife, Elizabeth.

Marked by the testator.

Witnesses:John Scudamor, Walter George, Leis Prichard, Joan the wife of Howell Thomas, Phillipp James.
   
Date of Probate:  28 April 1645

2. Inventory: dated 20 June 1645 . value £13  17  8d. Appraisers Thomas Abrahall, Richard Prichard and Phillipp James

Observations:

The will is difficult for two reasons part of it is rather legalistic and secondly the last section has been written in a different and much weaker ink that has faded. The last few lines seem to mix up arrangement for the disposal of land to cover debts with providing accommodation for his wife. The documents include a bond undated, with bounden Elizabeth Prichard of Rowlstone, widow and Thomas Thomas Antony of St Davids iuxta [near] Llanvads county Brecon, gent in a surety of £100. 

His inventory is reproduced with modern spelling                        
                                                Inventory

                        

                                                            Sum 13^li   17^s   8^d  

The names of the prizers
Tho: Abrahall
Richard Prichard
Phillipp James.Debts due and oweing

Imprimis disbursed towards the testator's funeral expenses       v^li                      £5
$   Due to Richard Prichard the sum of                                          4^li                           £4
$   to Eliz James                                                                                    10^s                     10s
$   to two other persons                                                                         x^s                      10s
$   to W^m James                                                                                    xvj^s                           16s
$   to the poor                                                                                    ij^li                      £2
$   to Harry Phillipp                                                                            j^li     x^s                 £1 10s

                                                                                                Sum    14^li   6^s                

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