Will of William King

Wills are generally written without any punctuation or abbreviations. There is often alternative spelling of some words and using upper case letters which do not always mean the start of a new sentence. Neither are they divided into paragraphs but are continuous lines of writing This can make documents difficult to read or understand.

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.

William Kings Last Will &

Testament Dated 15 May 1723

1              In the Name of God Amen I William King

2              of Wivenhoe in the County of Essex Shipwright do the fifteenth

3              day of May in the ninth year of the Reign of our Sovereign

4              Lord George of great Brittain ffrance and Ireland King Defender

5              of the faith anno Dom 1723

6              Make and ordain this my Last Will and Testament in Manner

7              and fform following Item I do hereby order my Debts and

8              funeral Charges to be paid and Satisfied so far as my Assets will

9              Amount to and after my Said Debts and funeral Charges are

10           paid the Residue thereof if anything be over and above

11           give two third [part] thereof unto my son William King and the other third

12           part thereof I give unto my Daughter Hannah King and I do

13           hereby make vow all former Wills Testaments Legacys and Executors

14           before made Rattifying and Confirming this and none other to be

15           my Last Will and Testament And I do Constitute and ordain my

16           Loving friend Henry Walker of Colchester in the County of Essex

17           Merchant to be Executor of this my Last Will and Testament

18           In Witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seal the

19           Day and year first above written

William King

Signed Sealed published and Declared

by the said William King ye said Testator to

be his last Will and Testament in the presence of

Memorandam  before ye Sealed hereof said

William King gives unto Henry Walker Merch for

Executing the office of anExecutor two Guinneas

Henry Casson

Thomas Poynter

John Potter

21 May 1723