The testator John Blake of Slindon Sussex has been married at least twice. His second wife is Elen Linne (but she was a widow at the time of her marriage to John). John has three children Thomas Blake his eldest son and John Blake not yet 21 years of age and a daughter married to Richard Page. He holds land by copyhold so it should be possible to learn more about him in the records of Sussex. No hints on his parents in his will and he does not mention any siblings.
Transcriber: Elizabeth Kipp
Recorded: 3 Dec 2012
Source: The National Archives PROB 11/61/261
Testator: John Blake, yeoman
Place: Slindon, Sussex, England
Type of Record: Will
Dated: 12 Dec 1578, probated 23 May 1579
Read: Electronic copy images
Condition: middle English writing fine, small print
[Margin] T[estament] Johis
[Margin]: Blake yeoman
1 In the name of God Amen the twelve daie of december Anno domini one thou
2 sande five hundred seventie and eight / I John Blake of the parishe of Slinden in the Countie of Sussex ye[o]man
3 beinge in good and perfect Remembrance thankes be given to god make this my last will and testament in manner
4 and forme followinge First I comend my soule to almightie god and my bodie to be buried in the churchyarde of
5 Slinden as nighe as convenientlie may be to the grave there of my saide wief deceased / Item I give to the mother
6 churche of Chichister two shillinges to be bestowed imediatlie after my death upon some parte of the glasse in
7 the windowes there broken or decayed Item I give towardes the Reper[at]ions of Culliton Haven ye twelve pence
8 Item my will is that if at anie time within seaven yeares next after my death that houghton bridge be nowe
9 made then my executrixe shall put towardes the charge thereof tenn shillinges / Item I give to everie one of
10 my god children xij d Item I give towardes the Repara[t]ions of the parrishe Church of Slindon iiis iiij d and to the repara[t]ions of the parishe churche of Madehurst twelve pence
11 Item my will is that there shal[l ]be twelve bushells of wheate baked and three barrells of beire and twoe sheepe to be
12 baked and geven to the poore at the daie of my buriall not to the intent that they shoulde for that praye for my soule
13 but in token of my good will towardes the relief of the poore / Item I gie to Thomas Cobden my servant tenn qu[ar]ters
14 of barley whereof five to be delivered at the feaste of all saintes next after my deathe and th[e ]other five at the feaste
15 of all saintes which shal[l ]be in the yeare of oure lorde god one thousand five hundred and eightie / Item I give to
16 Thomas Streate my servante foure bushells of barley and everie one of the rest of my servantes two bushells
17 of barley / Item I will to John Witton and Dorathie Sewarde my servauntes fifteene pounds of usual money of
18 England in full payment and satisfaction of all and singuler debtes dueties and legacies dew by me to be paide by
19 them and either of them and that all suche goodes as they have now in theire possession shal[l ]be preysed and left to
20 them in parte of payment of the said xv li and the residue to be paide by my executrixe Item I will that my executrix
21 shall geve them tenne _esses of meate furnished at the daie of theire marriage Item I give to Elizabeth Smithe my sisters
22 daughter five quarters of barlie to be paide to her at th[e ]age of one and twentie yeares or at the daie of her marriage w[hi]ch
23 shall firste happen / Item I give to Thomas Blake my sonne fortie poundes of usuall money of England to be paide to the
24 saide Thomas at the discretion of my overseers / Item I will that my executrixe at her charges this present yeare shal[l ]lese
25 and sowe both my said Thomas coppie holdes at Slinden with such grayne as the laynes there shall require and as well
26 the saide grayne so sowen as aforesaide as also the wheate nowe in grasse growinge uppon one of the two closes parcell
27 of the said coppie houldes which of them at harvest next my said sonne shall chuse to bee turned and harvested into four
28 convenient barne at the charges of my saide executrix to the use of my said sonne Thomas and my will is that if
29 my saide sonne Thomas will not be ruled by my wife and my overseers in ioyninge him selfe in mariage then I will
30 twentie pounds of the said fortie pounds to my said sonne afore given to remaine to my sonne John Blake to be paide
31 to him at the time hereafter men[t]ioned of the payment of his other legacies / Item I will to my said sonne Thomas
32 the close that I have of Simon Trimlet duringe all the yeares as yet were come in the same And I will that my wief shall
33 cut and sowe the said close with corne according to the lawe for this yeare to the use of my said sonne Thomas and the
34 corne thereof cominge to hime as his other graine afore given and this yeares cost to be paide by my said wief also
35 Item I give to Agnes Wekins my wiefe's daughter tenn pounds of lawfull money of England and I will to her
36 my cubborde bedsteddell all the seellinges and glasse in the house at Hibberde to be delivered to her at charge of eighteene
37 yeares or the daie of her marriage which of them first shall come And if it shall happen the said Agnes to die and
38 not married before the saide age Then I will the saide legacies to remaine to my saide sonne John if he be then livinge
39 and if he doe not survive the said Agnes the said legacies whollie to remaine to Elen my wief / Item I give to my verie
40 good M[aste]r Mr Anthonie Kempe Esquire five pounds to stand my good M[aste]r to my saide wief and children and to be a staye
41 and aide to them and my overseers hereafter if they shall have anie trouble / Item I give to James Evans my serv[an]t
42 five quarters of barley to be paide to him at the daye of his marriage the residue of all my goodes moveable and un
43 moveable my debttes paide and this my will performed I give and bequeathe to Elen my saide wief and John my
44 said sonne equallie to be devided amonge them and I ordaine and make the said Elen my wief whole executrixe of this my
45 last will and testament Item I appoint my said sonne John with his whole stocke and legacie to be in the custodie of the saide
46 Elen my wief untill he shall accomplishe the age of one and twentie yeares at the which age my will is that he shall
47 receive his Full stocke stocke and por[t]ion of my goodes And if it shall happen the said Elen my wief at anie time
48 hereafter to be married before my saide sonne John shall come to th[e ]age of one and twentie years Then my will is that
49 he to whome my saide wief shal[l ]be married shall before theire contract of matrimonie seale and deliver as his acte to the
50 saide John my sonnes use of such bondes and with sufficient suerties as all my overseers shall desire and like of bothe
51 for the performinge of this my will and also so the good educa[t]ion of the said John my sonne and for the saffe kepinge
52 and suer payment of the saide John my sonnes whole stocke and por[t]ion dewe by this my will when he shall come to th[e ]age
53 abovesaide And if Elen my said wiefe and he that shall marrie my saide wief doe not seale and deliver the saide bondes
54 before the contracte of theire matrimonie Then I will that John Linne Thomas Linne and William Linne my
55 wiffe's bretheren and Richard Page my sonne in lawe shall have the bringinge up of the said John my sonne in the
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56 in the feare of god and learninge and also they to have his stocke and legacies afore given untill the saide John accomplishe
57 his saide age of one and twentie yeares aniethinge before men[t]ioned to the contrarie in anie wise not withstandinge and
58 they to be bounde to the saide Mr Anthonie Kempe my goodm[aste]r for the kepinge of my saide sonne John with necessaries and
59 learninge and for the sure payment of my saide sonne Johns whole stock without diminisshinge of the saide stocke when
60 he shall come to th[e ]age of one and twentie yeares / Item I give to Agnes Page William Page Richard Page and to
61 Thomas Page my daughter's children five pounds of usuall money of England to everie of them to be delivered to ev[er]ie
62 of them at theire severall ages of one and twentie yeares or the daye of theire severall marriages which of them shall
63 happen first to come / and if it shall happen anie of the said children to die before the accomplishment of theire saide
64 severall ages and not maried then I will his her or theire legacies so deceassed to remaine to the survivor or survivors of
65 them And if all they shall fortune to die before the saide age and not married then I will theire whole legacies to remaine
66 to theire mother Also my will is that if my overseers or anie of them shall at anie time hereafter for anie convenient
67 purchase either of coppieholde lease or freehoulde that maybe necessarye and profitable for the saide John my sonne
68 when he shall come to his saide age That then my saide executrix shall paie and deliver to my overseeers or one of them
69 the saide stocke of my saide sonne John or as muche of the same stocke as shal[l ]be sufficient for the purchase aforesaide
70 within one half yeare next after request made by my saide overseeers or one of them to my saide wiefe or him that
71 shall marrie with her / Provided alwaies and my verie will is that my saide wief shall have the use and occupa[t]ion
72 of the saide landes so purchased untill my saide sonne John shall accomplishe his saide age of one and twentie yeares
73 And if my saide wief or he that shall marrie with her doe not paie suche somes of money as shal[l ]be demanded of her
74 or him that shall marrie withe her for the saide purchase so that the said some be not more then the stocke of my
75 saide sonne John shall amount unto, Then I will that thene half of the por[t]ion due to my saide wief by this my
76 last will shall remaine to my saide sonne John to be paide to him at his age aforesaide Item I will that my goodes
77 shal[l ]be preysed immediatlie after my deathe to the uttermost valewe for the better advansement of my saide sonn
78 John's por[t]ion and stocke / Item I will to Elizabeth Stradlinge wief of Anthonie Stradlinge foure bushells of wheate
79 Item I will that if by lawe there require anie mo[r]e wordes or anie wordes be superfluous in this my will that
80 my executrixe and overseers by theire learned connsaite shall have power to add or diminishe the same so that
81 no parte of the sure and true meaninge of this my will or anie clause or sentence therein be not altered or chan
82 ged and not otherwise / And I doe ordaine and make the said John Linne Thomas Linne William Linne
83 and Richard Page overseers of this my will and I give to everie of them three shillinges foure pence and all there
84 charges in anie thinge concerning this my will to be borne by mine executrxe And if it shall fortune my said sonne
85 John to die before he shall accomplishe his saide age of one and twentie yeares Then my will is that twentie pounds
86 of his stocks and legacies shall remaine to my said sonne Thomas the residue of his stocke and legacies to remaine
87 to the saide Elen my wief / witnesses of this my last will and testament Richard Stroughe Clerke parson
88 of Slindon aforesaide and John Fallicke and Henrie Puttocke with others
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