Will of Martha Corsellis

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.

Will of Martha Corsellis Dated 5 April 1701

1 Written the ffith day of

2 April one thousand seven hundred and one a Memorandum of

3 what I desire should be done when I am dead  I desire to be buryed with

4 as little bustle as may be with privacy and decency by my husband at

5 Layer Marney  Mourning given to my Lord and Lady Lady Alston and

6 Brother a good King to Mr Robinson and his wife £3 to the

7 poor of Wivenhoe and three pounds to the poor of Layer Marney three

8 pounds to my owne Maid and all of my cloaths thirty shillings to the

9 other two servants twenty pounds to Nicholas Parminter ten pounds

10 for a piece of plate to Mrs Martha Thompson All my Neeces and

11 Nephews a ten shilling Ring my Diamond Ring and an equal part of

12 the fine linning and a piece of plate to Mrs Martha Corsellis the other

13 part of the linning my necklace of pearles a piece of plate of equal

14 value To Mrs Betty Corsellis a piece of plate To Mr Nicholas Corsellis

15 my grandson and what is wanting in equal weight to be made up in

16 spoons or other things or Money and each of them a Ring which I

17 wear on my finger And to my dear and only son my silver stand and

18 spout Tankard and to my daughter the best silver cup All the

19 rest of the plates and other things whatsoever of household stuff to my

20 sonn And when he hath buryed me as a token of my extraordinary

21 Love to him I give half my money I shall dye possessed of the other

22 half to be divided the one half of it to Mrs Betty Corsellis as my great

23 Love to her the other half of it to be divided between Mrs Martha and Mr

24 Nicholas Corsellis and let this be done and well thought on knowing it

25 to be great Love and care it being all by my care and love for I might

26 have found ? enough it being got by Gods blessing on my owne

27 Industry therefore let not Betty fare the worse for my Love for I

28 might have given her all if I thought soe for I am sure she hath the

29 least Love elsewhere

30 October 1702

Which Day appeared personally Margarett Robertson Wife of

Patricius Robertson of the Parish of St Andrews Holborne (unclear)

Aged fifty yeares or thereabouts who being sworn upon the holy

Evangelists to depose the Truth did depose as followeth That she

knew and was well acquainted with Martha Corsellis late of Elmsted

in the County of Essex widow deceased about or near thirty yeares

And was servant to her the first Nine yeares of the said time And said

that she often saw her the said Martha Corsellis write and receive

many Letters from her keeping a correspondence with her till her death

And saith that in or about August one thousand seven hundred and

one the said deceased came to London and lodged at this Deponents

house in Holbourne and in discourse told this Deponent that she had

written her minds what she would have done after her Death and that

she desired to be buryed by her husband at Layer Marney and had

given some Rings away and a Legacy to the Lord Havershams Daughter

Martha her cloaths to her servant ffrances Woodraffe anf three pounds

in money and thirty shillings apiece to her other servants and that she

had appointed one half of her Estate to her sonn meaning Nicholas

Corsellis Esq and a Moyety of the other halfe of her Estate to

Elizabeth Corsellis Daughter of Nicholas Corsellis and the remainder

of the said other Moyety to Nicholas and Martha Corsellis Children

of her saidsonn Nicholas Corsellis further this Deponent saith that

this Deponent was with the deceased at the time of her Death which

happened at her house near Wivenhoe in the County of Essex about three

weeks since And in the afternoon of the same day or the day following

the Will hereunto annexed was found in her Cabin in her Closett in

her said house in the presence of this Deponent which will she verily

beleiveth to be totally written by the said Martha Corsellis deceased

Margarett Robertson

Eodem die

30 Octobris 1702

Which day appeared personally Thomas Peachell of the parish of

St Andrews Holborne in the County of Midd gent Aged sixty ffour

years or thereabouts who being sworne upon the Holy Evangelists to

Depose the truth did Depose as followeth that he knew and was well

acquainted with Martha Corsellis late of Elmstead in the County of Essex

Widow deceased above ffive and twenty yeares And saith that he often

saw her write and received many Letters from her by which he became

well acquainted with her manners and character of writing And he

having now at the time of his examination seen and perused the

Will hereunto annexed doth verily believe the same to be totally written by

the said Martha Corsellis deceased Tho Peachell