Elizabeth East, widow of Great Marlow.Will proved 1733. My comments to the will are in square brackets [].
Says she sick and weak of body but of sound and disposing mind.
Commends soul to God and asks body to be buried in lawful manner at the direction of her appointed executor.
Her feather bed with coverlet, curtain and valance and it's feather bolster, feather pillows, calico quilt, two blankets and ? which is in the best chamber of the house she lives in to her daughter Sarah East. Also to Sarah the ... plate and the ... box and the biggest casket or ... trunk in the chamber above the shop. Also the ... on the table in the hall, her best suit of clothes, her... gown and her..... Also the profits of the post office [letter receiving place, typically incorporated into the post master's home or business rather than a stand-alone premises. Customers had to pay to receive their letters as there were no postage stamps by which the sender could purchase delivery] and three gold rings.
To daughter Jane East the feather bed with curtains, valance, feather bolster and feather pillows and bedstead and the chest of drawers which are in the aforementioned best chamber [does Elizabeth mean the girls to share inheritance of the same bed or is there -improbably- two four poster beds in the same room?]. Also to Jane the oval table in the parlour, four gold rings.
The feather bed with the blue curtains ("and balls"?) in the back chamber with a bed rug, two blankets, a feather bolster, two feather pillows, a bedstead ... and a ... to daughter Dorothy East. Also to Dorothy the chest of drawers in the chamber over the shop and the oval table in the parlour below [again is this just a share in the oval parlour table already given to daughter Jane?] , and her second best suit of clothes, a ...coat and two gold rings.
Also a feather bed, a pair of blankets, a ...rug, feather bolster, striped curtains and bedstead.... in the chamber above the shop to her son John East. Also to John the smallest chest and the great black ... trunk in the same room.
A feather bed with ... curtains, and bedstead in the chamber above the shop to her son Robert East. Also to him the .... bed in the back chamber [how many beds does Elizabeth have ?!?] with a ... bolster, coverlet, a blanket, a bedstead ... and a straw bed [mattress] and the largest chest in the same room.
A feather bed with a feather bolster , a (brown?) rug and two blankets, a bedstead ... and a straw bed [mattress] to her son Thomas East. The chest in the room below also to him.
To each of her sons John and Robert East and daughters Dorothy, Sarah and Jane East four pairs of sheets. To her daughter Elizabeth Hall and to son Thomas East two pairs of sheets each.
Something else which I couldn't read to her daughter Elizabeth Hall.
Son John East and daughter Dorothy East £5 each.
Daughter Jane East £20.
All her brass and pewter except the coppers in the brew house or the washhouse to be equally divided between her children John, Thomas, Robert, Dorothy, Sarah and Jane.
Sons John and Thomas to get a Christening dish each which belonged to her late husband. Theses represent two of three such dishes she has.
All the tables lying in the room over the shop to her daughters Dorothy, Sarah and Jane.
Her biggest looking glass to daughter Sarah. Another looking glass to daughter Jane.
Her stock in trade as a butcher and all residual property she has to son Robert East who is appointed executor [but see note below]. Well beloved friends John Lattimore [Lattemore, Lattimer] of Great Marlow brewer and Robert ... yeoman of Bisham to be the will overseers. The overseers get a guinea each. If the children argue about the will the overseers will offer guidance.
Witnessed by Samuel Phillips, Thomas Lawson and Thomas Beesley.
NOTE= probate information attached to this will at the National Archives says that the will was proved by her son and sole executor John East despite the fact it was his brother Robert who was named sole executor in the will and not him. Such a circumstance would usually be explained in the record but in this case, nothing! Did the clerk accidentally write John instead of Robert?? Or was Robert dead and John taking on the role as administrator of his estate and thus any other estates Robert was supposed to have administered as well? A third option is that Robert renounced his role as executor, which did sometimes happen, and it was agreed between them that his brother could take on the role in his place. As I say these last two occurrences would normally be noted in the record.
John Lattimore the brewer may have been the "Lattemore" at the High Street pub The Black Boy which later moved to Church Passage. He also rented a cellar for storage in Quoiting Square. He was late deceased in 1744 and his wife Mary was continuing the brewing business.
Will transcribed to the best of my ability from an original at the National Archives, Kew by me Charlotte Day and then summarized here.
©Marlow Ancestors. You are very welcome to use this summary for family or local history purposes with credit to this blog.
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