BOODE,
HENRY. - 19 February, 1500.[1] Of Burnham, in
the co. of Essex. To be buried
in the aisle of St. Peter
in the church of Burnham, before the image
of St. Peter.
To the high altar, for tithes forgotten,
20s. To St. Peter's priest, 20 marks
for his salary for 2 years to sing for my soul in the church of Burnham at St. Peter's altar, and
all my friends' souls, "wt all the brethren and sustern of the Guylde of St.
Peter belongyng, and all Xp'en soules." To the church
of Burnham, two torches
of wax to the value of 20s. To the
buying of two legends[2] to Burnham
church, 4 marks . 20 marks to buy a cope and vestment, "wt dekyn and sub-dekyn," of black damask,
to the church
of Burnham. 30s.
to buy "a stone of
marbill to ley upon
my body, wt the ymage of a man graven upon the stone wt the iiij eu'ngelists on eu’y corner
of the stone, and the ymage of our lady
graven wt the
scripture, '0 Mater Dei memento mei.'"
To the makin g of
the highway from Burnham Waie
to Burnham church, to have it substantially
done, 6l. 13s. 4d. … 4d. in
money to be distributed to 4 of the "most pouerest creatures"
dwelling within the parish
of Burnham, by two of the "moost credable" persons of the said parish, every Sunday 6 years following, and at 4 principal feasts, 4s., that is to say for every principal
feast, 12d . to poor folk.
To
old Geffrey during his life, every
week,
4d., to be paid
every Monday.
To John Oldman, his wife and his sister, weekly during their lives,
8d. To Bradwell {Bradwell-on-Sea} church, 6s . 8d. To Tyllyngham
{Tillingham} church, 6s . 8d. To Dengey {Dengie}
church, 20s., to the most "nedefull reparacons" of the same . To Achildam {Asheldham} church, 6s. 8d. To Southmynster {Southminster} church, 40s. To Seint Laurence {St. Laurence} church, 20s., to "beye wt all prossessionaries."[3] To Stepull
{Steeple} church, 13s. 4d., to buy withal 2
torches. To Maylond {Mayland}
church, 20s., to a thin g most
necessary to be bought.
To Althorn {Althorne}
church, 6s. 8d. To Crixheth
{Cricksea} church, 6s . 8d. To the Freers of
Colchester, 20s. To the Freers of
Chelmesford {Chelmsford}, 20s. To the Freers of Maldon, 20s.
To Rayleigh church, 40l., "to bey wt
all a sewte of vestments of cloth of tyssue, that is for to say , a cope and a vestment for the preest, wt dekyn and subdekyn,
according to the best cope that longeth to
Burnham church. To Rayleigh church, 20l., to beye wt all a crosse of silver and gilt wt a
foote[4] therto longing, and
a chalice of
silver and gilt, wt a staff
and a crosse cloth.
iiij marcs of money to peynt wt
all the covering of the font in Rayleigh church."
"To seint Margaret Guylde of
Canyngdon {Canewden}, 6s. 8d. To seint Kateryn Guylde of Maldon,
6s . 8d. To seint Geo rge Guylde of Maldon, 6s. 8d.
"To every of my servants, as well my herds as
my household servants , 6s. 8d. To John Mellis,
40s. To Margaret Sangers, my servant, 20s.
To Thomas Wilson, 20s.; to John
Wilson, 20s;
to Margaret Wilson, 20s.
To my godsons and goddaughters, each 20d. To my
wife, Johane, my tenement
called Felse a
bowes, the which I dwell in, with all the houses thereto belonging except "the berne in the which
my salt lyeth,[5]
and a newe shape wt
an inner chambre, the which salt lyeth yn, she not to medle wt them
unto the tyme the salte be owte." To my wife, two crofts of land, the one called Poles and the other Clerks, and all household stuff, as well plate as other·pledges only excepted.
To my wife, all my estate
and term of years of and in Stepulhall, together with 42 score sheep of mine called "moder ewen"
and 40 rams, 94 kine and 80 "theve"[6] lambs; all which cattle I will be delivered to her at Michaelmas next after my
decease. To be delivered
at
the same time, 60 "theves" and 10 bullocks of two years of age.
To her, a colt of donne
colour. To my wife, Johane, "all my harowes and ploughes; also as much corn as she and her hirds shall reasonably occupy a hole yere next after my decesse yf she kepe hirself so long sole and unmaryed and ells not.”
After my wife's decease
my lands and goods to go to my son,
William, or, if he predecease his mother, to my son, John, with remainder to my daughters,
Agnes, Joan, and Fyne. To my son, John, when
he shall attain the age of
21 years, my "Bierhouse," with all the houses thereto belonging in
Burnham, together with 2 crofts called Beletts crofts, and land called Gannok land , and my lands called the harpe, with a house which was sometime Rober
Cater's.
To
my son, William, my estate
and term of years in Bacons and Sherle, together
with all sheep and cattle on the same; but if the said William die before he comes to the age of 21 years, th e lands and cattle to be sold and the proceeds
to be divided into two parts, one of which shall be spent on the "lengthening
of the Ile of the Trinitie sett on
the south side of Rayleigh church,
and the other part to the lengthening of the Ile. of
Seint Kateryn in Burnham
church, so alwey that the parishens of the said two parishes goo in hand wt the new
Iles. And if they do not wtin xii moneths,
then one part of the
money to be spent in amending the high
and noyous weyes between Burnham
and Southminster, and the other part in amending
the high weyes about
Raylegh." If my wife
claims
her dowry in the said Bierhouse, or in any
part of my lands otherwise
than I
have bequeathed to her, then my bequest to her of my cattle above rehearsed be utterly void. To Mr Aleyn, clerk, 10 marks. To my wife,
my six plough horses
going at Stepulhall.
To every
of
my
3 daughters, Agnes, Joan, and Fyne, "xxij wey of salt, orells xl
marcs in redy money, "
on their day of marriage, with remainder
to their brothers
if they die before
marriage; and if my sons die, the money to be equally divided
between the churches of Burnham and Raylege.
My tenements and meadow in the parish of Raylege to be sold after my decease, "and the money comin g from the said sale to be disposed towards the new making
of the Roode loft at Raylegh, so that the parishens there fynyssh
the same work at their own
cost after the facion and
making of the Roode
loft at Ligh
{Leigh}."
My tenement called Crosehous, in Burnham, to be sold, and the
money coming from the same to be disposed
in amending of
the lane called Bierhous lane leading from Bumham to the Key there. To Richard Mellous, all my estate and term of years in a marsh called
Polesmarsh. To each
of my executors,
5 marks. Residue, after payment of debts and legaci es, to be disposed in amending highways
and repairing poor churches, and in other deeds of charity. Executors: John
Garyngton; William Aleyn; Thomas Purfote. Witnesses:
Sir John Sweeting, priest;
Thomas Shethe; William Bek;
John Heweley.
Proved 23 April, 1501. (F. 83b; also P.C .C., Moone 11.)
{Taken from ‘Essex Wills at Canterbury’, by
Revd. G M Benton, Transactions of the Essex Archaeological Society, Volume 21,
Part 2.}
[1] This will, somewhat
abridged, with notes by Mr. H W King, appeared in Trans. EAS vol ii (n.s.), pp.
370-374.
[2] Legenda, a lectionary
or book of lessons, for Mattins. The earliest of the two printed editions of
Sarum Use extant, known only from fragments, was issued c.1491.
[3] Processionale, a music
book for use at litanies and other processions.
At least twenty-four printed editions of Sarum Use are extant, the earliest
dating from 1502.
[4] A processional cross
could often be detached from its staff, when it was furnished with a foot for
use as an altar cross.
[5] Domesday Book records
between 40 and 50 salt-pans on the Essex coast, and salt continued to be made
regularly in the county up to the end of the eighteenth century. Its
manufacture is now confined to Maldon.
[6] A female sheep of a
particular age: most generally applied to an ewe of the first or second year.
See N.E.D. under ‘theave’.
