Ancestors of Mandy Willard

The Will of

William STICKLAND (1657-1694)

In the name of God Amen the nineth day of June Anno Dni One Thousand six hundred ninety four and in the sixth yeare of the reignes of our Soveraine Lord and Lady William and Mary by the grace of God of England Scotland France and Ireland King and Queen Defenders of the Faith I William Stickland of Frant als Frant in the County of Sussex Gent being sick and weake in body but of sound and perfect mind and memory praise be given to Almighty God In [---] of the uncertainty of this life doe make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following (That is to say) First and principally I commend my Soul into the hands of Almighty God my maker and creator and of his son Jesus Christ my onely Saviour and Redememer through the alone Merits of whose bitter Death and Passion I stedfastly hope to be saved And my body I committ to the earth from whence it came to be in decent and Christian like manner brought to the ground and buried at the discretions of my Executors hereafter named And for the disposition of my wordly estate which it hath pleased Almighty God to bestow upon me I give and devise the same as followth Imprimis I give and bequeath unto Estmond Stickland my eldest son all such moneys and goods [---] in a  Chest appropriate to his use of which Chest he hath the key in his own custody Item I give and bequeath unto my three younger sons William John and Robert All such moneys and goods which are lying and beinge in a Trunck and two boxes to be appropriated to their severall and respective uses of which Trunck and boxes I have given their Grandmother the keys belonging thereunto for the severall uses aforesaid Item I give and bequeath unto my two daughters Elizabeth and Anne and to each of them all such moneys and goods as are lying and being in Truncks and boxes appropriated to each of their severall and respective uses of which Truncks each of them have the several keys in their own custody Item I give and bequeath unto my youngest son Robert Stickland All that my copyhold Messuage Lands and Tenements with all and every [---] lying and being in Frant aforesaid to him and his heires for ever Item my will and mind is that the revenues of all that my Messuage or Tenement Lands and premisses with all and every [---] call Lightlands lying and being in Frant aforesaid belonging unto me after my Mother's decease and also all those my monies lying in the Chamber of the City of London be sold by my Exectors hereinafter named doe soon as they shall think expedient and out of the monies thereof arising my will is that my Exectors shall pay off the Mortgage on my Copyhold Lands given unto my said son Robert Stickland as aforesaid as also all other my debts whatsoever After all which severall payments I give and devise the overplus of such monies soe arising as aforesaid together with all such my personall estate as is herein not before bequeathed unto my fower children William John Elizabeth and Anne equally to be divided between them And if any or either of my said fower children shall happen to dye before they shall attain their severall and respective ages of one and Twenty yeares or days of marriage That then such share or estate of them soe dyeing shall goe to the surviror or survivors of them Item my will and mind further is that my Executors hereafter named shall [---] and take the rents and profitts of my Estate both personall and reall and therewith pay for the bringing up and educating of my said fower children according to my Exectors discretion during their severall minorities And the overplus of the rents and profitts (if any be) shall be equally divided amongst soe many of my said fower children viz William John Elizabeth and Anne as shall be then living And I doe hereby nominate and appoint my two loving Brothers John Barham of Wadhurst in the County of Sussex Gent and Alexander Elliott of Mayfield in the said County Yeoman joynt Executors of this my Will unto each of them I give Five pounds apiece and all their reasonable costs and charges which they shall be [---] [---] at in the execution of this my Will and I doe hereby revoke disanull and make void all former Wills and Testaments whatsoever heretofore by me made And doe hereby declare this to by my last Will and Testament In witness whereof I have to this my Will contained in three sheets of paper to the first and last sheet thereof sett my hand and seale the day and yeare first above written William Stickland his marke signed sealed published and declared by the said William Stickland to be his last Will and Testament in the presence of us Mary Pinyon ~ Stephen Hodgkins his marke T Shorte

Transcribed by Mandy Willard on 7 May 2007 from a digitised copy of the original document, ref. Prob/11/424, held at the Public Record Office.

STRICKLAND