Will of Nicholas Corsellis

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This post shows the Will exactly as it was written with no attempt to break it down into paragraphs. Done in this way it shows exactly how the original document is written. As the documents are sometimes very large each line of writing in the document sometimes takes up two lines when it is transcribed in to the web site.

1 In The name of God Amen

2 The Second day of December Anno Domino one thousand Six hundred

3 Sixty ffive And in the Seventeenth yeare of the Reigne of our

4 Soveraigne lord Charles the Second by the grace of God King

5 of England Scotland ffrance and Ireland defender of the ffaith

6 I Nicholas Corsellis the elder of Love Lane in London Merchant

7 being sick and weak in body but of Perfect mind and memory (Pray=

8 sed be God therefore ) considering the frailty and uncertainty of this

9 present life Do therefore make and ordaine this my Present Testament

10 conteyning there in my Last will in manner and form following

11 ( That is to say) ffirst and Principally I recomend my Soule to All

12 mighty God my maker and creator hopeing and ?? lastly beleiveing

13 through his grace and the alone meritts of Jesus Christ my blessed

14 Saviour and redeemer to receive full and free pardon and forgive-

15 ness of all my sinnes and life Everlasting my body I Comitt to the

16 Earth to be buried in such manner as I have in my life tyme declar-

17 red my mind and intention unto my Executor in that in that behalf And

18 as tonching that worldly meanes and Estate which it hath pleased

19 Almighty God of his mercy and goodness to bestow upon me ( My

20 debts by me oweing and my ffuneral charges thereout firstt paid

21 or deducted) I do give devise bequeath and dispose thereof in manner

22 and forms following ( that is to say) ffirst I forgive unto my brother

23 Peter Corsellis all such debts as he doth owe unto mee or shall in

24 debted unto mee att the tyme of my decease Item I give unto my

25 said brother Peter corsellis All my wearing apparell of Lynnen

26 and woollen Item my will and mind is that my Executor shall pay

27 unto my said brother Peter Corsellis the yearly sum of Twelve

28 pounds and Tenn shillings of lawfull money of England dureing

29 his natural mife Quarterly by equal portons the ffirst payment

30 whereof to be made at the end of Three callender months next

31 ensueing the day of my decease Item I give unto my loveing wife

32 Susan

33 Susan Corsellis mourning according to her quality And alsoe

34 what Pearles I have given her and a little silver tankard And a little Tr?

35 And a peece of Gold that I have given unto her And I do hereby

36 charge my Executor to performe punctually my contract made with

37 her Item I give unto Ralph Meeres beermaker the sume of Tenn

38 pounds Item I give unto my Nephew Charles Corsellis the sonne of

39 my late deceased brother Abraham Corsellis the summe ffive pounds

40 of lawfull money of England Item I give unto ??? ???

41 of Megen ffive pounds And to my Nephew James Corsellis Doctor

42 in Phisicke And to my Cosen James Williamson of London Merchant

43 ffive pounds a peece Item my will is that my Executor doe pay unto

44 the Deacons of the poore of the Dutch Congregation in London the Sume

45 of ffive pounds Sterling yearly soe long as the said Church shall be

46 continued in those privilages which it now enjoys att the tyme of

47 the date of this my last will and noe longer Item I give unto the

48 Ministers of the said Dutch Church in London And the Minister of

49 the parish of St Mary Alt hill London each of them ffive pounds a

50 peece for mourning Item I give unto the poore of the said parish of

51 St Mary Alt hill the sume of thirty pounds to be paid for their use

52 to the Churchwardens of the same parish the sume to remaine as

53 a Stocke and the proffitt thereof to be paid unto the poore of the said

54 Parish half yearly Item I give unto the Dutch Poore at Yarmouth

55 ffive pounds Item I give unto the poore of the parish of St Bot-

56 tolph without Algate of London (That is to say) such of them as

57 dwell out of the freedome of London the sume of Twenty and

58 three pounds to be distributed amongst them by my Executor

59 with the Advice of the Churchwardens there Item I give unto

60 the poore of the other ffifteen parishes without the walls of

61 the City of London being part of the Sixteen parishes without

62 the said walls mentioned in the weekly bills of mortality ( out

63 of which Sixteen Parishes I exempt the said Parishes of St

64 Buttolph without Algate ) the sume of Seaventy and ffive

65 pounds ( that is to say ) To the poore of  each of the said ffifteen

66 parishes ffive pounds to be distributed amongst them Item I

67 give unto my maid servants which shall dwell with me at the

68 tyme of my decease fforty shillings to each of them to buy them

69 mourning And to my servant Michaell Maynett the sume of

70 ffive pounds in money and also mourning to be worne at my

71 ffunerall Item I give unto Anne Rowe of the parish of St

72 Leonard Eastcheape London Widdow the sume of Three pounds to

73 make her mourning I give unto Christs Hospital London

74 ffive pounds Item I give unto the poore of the parish of Wyvenhoe

75 in the County of Essex the sume of Tenn pounds to be distributed

76 among them Item I give and bequeath unto my sonne Nicholas

77 Corsellis the sume of Three hundred pounds of lawful money

78 of England to the intent and purpose that out of the rest

79 of the same he may be enabled to pay the said Annuity of

80 Twelve pounds and Ten shillings to my said brother Peter

81 Corsellis for and during the terme of his naturall life And

82 the said yearly sume of ffive pounds to the deacons of the

83 poore of the said Dutch Congregation in London for soe long

84 tyme as the said Church shall continue in the said

85 Priviledges

86 Privileges which it now enjoyeth The rest and residue of

87 all and singular my goods Chattles household stuffe ready money

88 plate Jewels wares Marchandize Adventures Leases debts and

89 other things ( not before in these presents given and bequeathed ) I give

90 and bequeath unto my sonnes James Corsellis and Nicholas Corsellis to

91 be equally devided between them And I doe make ordeint and

92 appoint my said sonne Nicholas Corsellis the full and sole Executor of

93 this my present Testament and last Will And I doe nominate and

94 appoint the said James Corsellis Doctor in Phisicks and the said

95 James Williamson the Overseers of this my will intreating them

96 to be ayding and assisting to my said Executor by their best advice

97 and councell in the due execution of this my will And it is my will

98 and mind that the division of the said residue of my Estate between

99 my said Two Sonnes shalbe made with the advice and approbation

100 of the said overseers of this my will And that asmuch thereof as

101 may be conveniently shalbe devided between my said sonnes in

102 kind And my will and mind is that what either of my sonnes shall

103 be indebted unto me at the tyme of my decease shall be accounted

104 for by either of them and brought to the residue of my Estate

105 that the devision of the said residue of my Estate between my said

106 sonnes may be made equal And I doe hereby declare it to be my will

107 and mind that att the death of my said brother Peter Corsellis the

108 sume of Two hundred and Tenne pounds part of the said Three

109 hundred pounds above given to my said Sonne Nicholas Corsellis

110 for the enabling him to pay the said Two Annuities or yearly

111 sumes of Twelve pounds and Tenn Shillings and ffive pounds shall

112 be divided and disposed as followeth (that is to say) one halfe part

113 thereof to my said sonne Nicholas Corsellis or his Children and

114 the other halfe part thereof to my said sonne James Corsellis

115 or his ChildrenAnd the sume of Nyenty pounds residue of the

116 said Three hundred Pounds shall also be devided and disposed in

117 the same manner att such tyme as the said Dutch Church in London

118 shall be deprived of the said Privilidges which it now enjoyeth

119 And I doe hereby utterly revoak and ??? all former wills

120 and bequests by mee heretofore made and given And do publish and

121 declare this my present Testament to be my very last will and

122 none other nor otherwise In witness whereof I now here=

123 unto sett my hand and seale Dated the day and yeare ffirst

124 above written Nicholas Corsellis Senior / Signed sealed Pub=

125 lished declared and delivered by the said Nicholas Corsellis the Testator

126 as and for his last will and Testament in the presence of us Thomas

127 Thecher John Alsopp his servt.