Will written 1734, proved 1735.
Spinster.
Asks to be decently buried.
All her goods, chattels, plate, jewell's, rings, ready money, debts, credits and all the rest of her personal estate to her loving cousin Samuel Manning of Great Marlow who is also made sole executor of the will.
Witnessed by Jane Gibbons, Francis Hone and Mary Lethieullier. Drawn up by Thomas Stephens, notary public.
I transcribed and then summarized this p.c.c will from the original held at the National Archives, Kew.
Notes:
Samuel Manning, Bridget's cousin, was the Marlow gentleman and brewer of that name who died in 1745.
Mary Lethieullier was perhaps the daughter of William Lethieullier of Sutton at Hone in Kent. In which case her mother, his first wife was born Mary Manning. She died in 1717 and William remarried. The Lethieullier family came to England as Huguenot refugees and it is suggested that the Mannings were originally from Germany before they settled in Kent. Samuel Manning was the brother of the Mary Manning who married William Lethieullier and the son of Nicholas Manning of Westerham, Kent. Bridget was the daughter of Ranulph alias Randulf Manning of Westerham, Kent (seemingly by his first wife). Ranulf / Randulf and Nicholas were brothers. There were two further brothers- Thomas and John.
Bridget's uncle John, a draper, also lived in Marlow for a while. Though he was of Westerham Kent at the time of his death he asked to be buried at Marlow with his wife. John's 1728 will left Bridget Manning his niece an annuity of £10, a gold brooch and some of his best books. He also mentioned his nephew Samuel Manning and niece Mary Manning.
This isn't an easy family tree! Bridget's father was married to Catherine Missenden (seemingly his second wife) by whom he had sons called both Ranulf and Ralf as evidenced by the son Ranulf's will. His brother Nicholas was married to Catherine's sister Mary. The women's father was a merchant adventurer based in Hamburg, Germany so you can see how the idea that the Mannings were German of origin may be correct. Others believe them to be in fact an old Kent family. The first name Ranulf was once quite common in England but would have been very out of date here by the late 1600s /early 1700s. Randulf has never been anything other than rare.
Samuel Manning of Marlow's daughter Sarah features in this post.
See the Wills Transcriptions Index here for other similar posts. All mentions of any person on this blog can be found on the A-Z Person Index. Thousands of people are mentioned.
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