Sussex

Parnell Mede of Battle, Sussex, 1535

In the name of God amen the year of our lord God 1535 & the 22 of March I Parnell Mede of the parish of Battle and of the exempt Ins (?) there, being of good mind and whole of memory thanks be to God, ordain & make this my last will and testament in manner & form following that is to say first I bequeath my soul to almighty God, to his blessed mother Mary & to all the holy company of heaven & my body to be buried within the churchyard of Our Lady of Battle before named nigh unto the place where my first husband was buried. Item I bequeath to the high altar of the same church for my tithes and oblations negligently forgotten viiid. Item to Saint Richard's shrine of Chicester iid. Item I will that my executors shall cause to be sung and said for the health of my soul, my husbands' souls and all Christian souls at the day of my burying a dirige and five masses & in other works of charity xiiis. iiiid. And likewise at my monthsmind & at my yearsmind that is to say at any time xiiis. iiiid. and any year after uno the time that they have received money that John Love should pay to me, my executors or assigns for the house that the said John Love bought of my last husband xiiis. iiiid for the health of my soul, my husbands' souls and all Christian souls. Item I bequeath to any one of my sons' children & to any one of my godchildren iiiid. Item to my godchild Buckhold (unclear) to Robert the son of Humphrey Sykyll to any of them a (unclear) of pewter & my executors to have the rule thereof unto the time they come to the age of xx years and if they or any of them happen to die before they come to the age aforesaid then the part of him or they so departed the world to remain to the use of my executors. And I bequeath to Johane Sykyll & Alice Sykyll daughters of Robert Sykyll my best petticoats. Item I bequeath to Robert my son my best brass pot & to the wife of the same Robert my best kertle. Item I bequeath to Alice Sykyll daughter of John Sykyll a pair of whole sheets. Item I bequeath to Parnell Sykyll John Sykyll's dughter a featherbed with a bolster, a pair of sheets, a pair of blankets, a coverlet & hanging bed of linen & a pillow with a pillow(bear), iii platters, a dish, ii servers of pewter, a candlestick of the best & a saltseller. Item I bequeath to Dionise the wife of Humphrey Sykyll my best gown, my best girdle and my best bodice. Item I bequeath to Joan the wife of John Sykyll my next best gown, my next best girdle & my amber (?) bodice. Item I bequeath to Isabel the wife of Nicholas Sykyll my kirtle, my upper bodice with worsted & worsted sleaves. Item I bequeath to the daughter of Buckhold's wife my gown lined with saye. Item I bequeath to Thomasin Edrish wife of Thomas Edrish one of my best kerchers. Item I bequeath to John Sykyll son of Humphrey Sykyll my next brass pot, my best basin, my best chafing dish, a candlestick, iii platters and dishes & ii servers of pewter. Item I bequeath to Agnes the daughter of Robert Sykyll my round gown. Item I bequeath to Robert son of Robert Sykyll a pewter plate, a pewtr dish and a server. Item I bequeath to John Sykyll son of John Sykyll a pair of sheets. Item I bequeath to John Sykyll my son my folding table standing in the hall & ii silver spoons. Item I bequeath to Humphrey my son my best cupboard & my sheetchest, a maser & my other featherbed not bequeathed. The residue of all my goods, my debts paid & my will fulfilled I bequeath to John Sykyll & Humphrey Sykyll my sons whom I make my executors & they to dispose for the wealth of my soul & all Christian souls as they think best. Item I will that John Sykyll my son shall divide my goods not bequeathed in ii parts as equally as he can & Humphrey my son to have choice which part of them he will have & the other part to remain to the use of the said John Sykyll. Item I will that Nicholas Sykyll shall pay unto Humphrey Sykyll the day of my departing out of this present world or before iiiis. These being witnesses John Cetyte curate, Christopher Wygsell, Robert Trolloppe & others.

William Mede of Rye, 1543

In the name of God amen the first day of October in the year of the reign of our sovereign lord Henry the viii by the grace of God of England, France & Ireland king, defender of the faith & in earth next under God of the church of England & also of Ireland the supreme head the xxxv, I William Mede of the town of Rye in the county of Sussex, being of perfect mind & remembrance, make this my last will & testament in manner & form following. First I bequeath my soul to Jesus Christ our only savior and redeemer & to the holy company of the blessed virgin Mary & of all the saints of heaven & my body to be buried in the churchyard of Rye aforesaid. Item I will that Amy my wife of her own cost and charge with such goods as I give her by this my will do buy and bequeath & bestow at the time of my burial & at my monthsmind & yearsmind in diriges & other works of charity according to her discretion. Item I will to high altar of the said church of Rye for my tithes negligently forgotten xiid. Item I ordain & make Alexaer Wobyng & Robert Wymond to be my executors to order and dispose my goods according to the contents hereafter & Alexander Wells to be overseer hereof, they having for their labor each of them xiiis. iiiid. Item I will to John Mede my son vi silver spoons to be delivered unto him at the age of xxi years. Item I will that immediately after my decease all that land and tenements unto my said son John Mede assigned to be delivered shall be in the keeping of my said executors & they to have the custody & oversight of the same to his use till he cometh to the foresaid age of xxi years, giving unto my said son (?) & true account of the profit thereof. Item I will to Humphrey Mede my son a silver salt with a cow & vi Li. xiiis. iiiid. to be paid & delivered to him at his age of xxi years. Item I will to Martha Mede my daughter vi of my best silver spoons & vi Li. xiiis. iiiid. to be delivered to her at the age of xxi years or at the day of her marriage, and I will that my said ii children Humphrey & Martha with al uch things as herein is bequeathed them, both moveable & unmoveable, be & remain in the keeping of Amy my wife until they shall come to their several ages aforesaid, so that she keep them honestly & refuse not to be bound by sufficient bond unto my said executors at such time as they shall require the same of her for the payment & performance of my legacies and bequests herein to them my children contained & appointed, and if my said wife refuse thus to do as is above written then I will that my aforesaid executors shall have the keeping of the said Humphrey & Martha with all such things as is bequeathed them until they come to their ages above written. Item I bequeath to John Gillam my apprentice iii Li. vis. viiid. to be paid to him at his age of xxi years under condition that he serve out his full term with my said wife. Item I will that Amice now servant to Wiliam Praud whom I brought up of a child shall have in moveables necessary for her to the value of xxs. Item I will & bequeath unto my brother Rober Mede my ii best (unclear), my velvet doublet, my damask coat, my sey doublet & my sey jacket, to be delivered to him at the time of my death or within iii days after. The residue of all my moveable goods & debts of what kind or name so ever they be of I will & bequeath unto Amy my wife upon this condition first that if my executors do lawfully take away my daughter Martha or my son Humphrey from her for any of the causes above rehearsed, that then she shall give & deliver out of the said residue of my moveable goods to my executors xLi. to keep my said children withal till they shall come to their said age of xxi years, and also that she she have her (unclear) within iii days after my death or refuse not to be bound to my executors within iii days after my death by sufficient writing to pay all my debts & all my foresaid bequests & never to make claim herself nor any other for her for any manner of things to be had out of my lands & tenements under the title of her dower or otherwise and furthermore that sh emloys the money which I leave her for all the building & performance of my new housing the which I have now betaken out to be builded & if my said wife refuse thus to do then I will that all my said moveables, goods & any part thereof be equally & indifferently shifted & divided between my said children John, Humphrey & Martha Mede & her my said wife Amy. Furthermore I the said William Mede give & bequeath by this my last will & testament unto my son John Mede my tenement with the appurtenances wherein I & Robert Fowler now dwell, lying & being in the Watchbell Street, to him, his heirs & assigns forever, provided always that Amy my wife have & occupy quietly my said tenement in the which I now dwell by the space of one whole year after my death, so that she do not afterward take away the long kettles which be next the street. Item I will, give & bequeath to Humphrey Mede my son my ii tenements with their appurtenances in the which Richard Nichols & John Parrett now dwelleth, to him, his heirs and assigns orand when he cometh to the age of xxi years. Item I will that Amy my wife shall have, occupy & enjoy during the term of her life the new tenement that I have betaken out to build with the appurtenances upon condition that neither she nor any other for her do make claim or any challenge for any manner of dower or otherwise out of the lands & tenements unto my son Humphrey bequeathed & appointed, the which new tenement after the decease of my said wife & after the challenge of her dower, as is above said, I will shall remain to the use of my said son Humphrey, his heirs and assigns for and when he cometh to the age of xxi years. Item I will, give & bequeath to Martha Mede my daughter my house & tenement in the Conduit Street with the appurtenances in the which tenement Davy Corke now dwelleth & also my tenement with the appurtenances lying and being in the end of Landers lane in the which tenment Bishop's widow now dwelleth & furthermore I bequeath unto my said daughter Martha Mede my iiii shops at the Strandwth their appurtenances to her, her heirs and assigns for and when she cometh to the age of xxi years or if she marry at the time of her marriage, and if any of the said John, Humphrey & Martha Mede die without heirs of their bodies lawfully begotten then I will that each of them be other's heirs, as well the maid as the man child, & that my said lands & tenements be equally shifted & divided between them & if it fortune all my said children to die without heirs of their bodies lawfully begotten then I will my wife's children John Petite & Ellen Petite & John Gillam son of William Gillam have all my said lands & tenements with their appurtenances to them, their heirs & assigns for ever, and if any of them die without heirs of their bodies lawfully begotten then I will that each of them be others' heirs. Finally I will that Amy my wife shall have during the term of her life out of the lands & tenements that I have bequeathed to John Mede & Martha Mede my children xls. yearly to be paid by equal portions at ii normal terms of the year, that is to say vs. any quarter of the year out of the lands & tenements which I have given to John Mede & vs. any quarter of ther year out of the lands & tenements which I have given to Martha Mede, and I will that the first payment thereof to begin the next term after the decease of me the said William, the which xls. I give unto my said wife for her dower due unto her out of my said lands & tenements by the birth law so that if my said wife or any other for her do make any challenge or claim of anything out of my said lands & tenements for her dower than is aforesaid then I will this gift of xls. to be clearly void and of none effect, provided always that if the said John Mede & Martha Mede or any of them, their heirs or assigns at any time hereafter refuse to pay unto my said wife the said xls. or any part thereof then I will my said wife shall & may take her best advantage by the birth law any thing in this my will & testament to the contrary notwithstanding. These witness Richd Nichol, Richard Riche, John Taylor, Robert Fowler with others.

Robert Mede of Fairlight, 1546

In the name of God amen the 9 day of september in the year of our lord god 1546 & in the year of the reign etc, I Robert Mede clerk of the parish of Fairlight in the county of Sussex make this my last will & testament in and form following. First I bequeath my soul to Jesus Christ my saviour & redeemer & to the blessed company of the holy virgin Mary & to all the saints in heaven & my body to be buried in the churchyard of the parish where it shall fit me to lie at God's pleasure. Item I ordain & appoint Walter Marler vicar of Lullington & Charles Strange parson of Fairlight to be my executors of this my last will & testament to order & dispose my goods as herein is contained, they having for their labor each them xls. Item I will that at my burial, monthsmind & twelvemonthsmind

(very unclear)

Item I will & bequeath to Thomas Scott ii double ducats. Item I will, give & bequeath to my sister's daughter named now by her last husband Jane Law & by her first husband Jane Butler & by her father Jane Potter xxs. Item I will & give to John Chester which married the daughter of the said Jane Potter xxs. Item I will to Thoimas Ganson parish clerk of Hythe vis. iiiid. if he be alive. Item I will to the high altar of Fairlight iiis. iiiid. Item I will to the vicar of the church of Fairlight xs. The residue of all my moveable goods I will & bequeath to my executors to dispose of for my soul & all Christian souls.