Fifty earliest English wills in the Court of Probate, London : A. D. 1387-1439 : with a priest's of 1454 / copied and edited from the original registers in Somerset House by Frederick J. Furnivall

NICHOLAS STURGEON, PRIEST, 1454.

[To be buried in the Lady-Chapel at the N. door of St. Paul's. Goods to be uzed for Testator's Soul; but bequests given, of Money, a Chalice, Vestments, Bed of green silk, gilt Piece jeweld, silver Pots, 2 Vulture's-egg Cups, green worsted Bed, Costers, Hall-hangings, Silver Cups, 6s. a year for a Boy's Schooling, a blue Bed with Sheets, &c.;, Gowns, &c.; A Priest to sing for 7 years for Testator.]Rous (Prerog. Court), lf. 76, back.

[lf. 76, back]

Sturgeon̛. [In margin.]

In the blessyd name of the holy trinite, the Fader, the sone, the holy gost, three persons in oon substaunce, the last day of the Moneth of May, In the yere of Incarnacioun of our lorde Ihesu Crist a M¹cccc liiij, And in the yere of the Reigne of Kyng Harry the vj after the conquest xxxij, I, Nicholas Sturgeon, preest, most vnworthy to

haue that wurshipful name & office, beyng in good bodely helth, with hole & stedfast mynde ordeyne & make my testament in this wise. In the first, y bequeth my sowle to the grete mercy of al myghty god, my wrecchid body to the erthe sanctified and halowed̛, to be buryed̛ in the Chapeƚƚ of our blessyd lady & seynt Nicholas now of new edefied̛ atte Northdore of the Cathedral cherche of seynt pawle of london̛; [The prezent architect of St. Paul's, Mr. F. C. Penrose, says this is the first authority he has seen for the situation of the Chapel of St. Nicholas in old St. Paul's. ] And aƚƚ my wordly goodes to be demened for the merites of my sowle withouten̄ eny vayn̛ glorie, by the wise avise of myn̛ Executouris, my dettes and duetes to be payed̛ next after the costes don̛ in myne entierement; Reparacions and implementis dwe to the seyde Cathedral Chirche of seynt powle, truly to be content after the maner and forme as y receyved hem. Item, y bequeth to the makyng of the Steple of the paryssh cherche of seynt Awstyns in london̛, nexte powles chircheyerd, [ The Parish Church of St. Augustine, and one house next adjoyning, in Watheling streete, is of this Ward called Faringdon. This is a faire Church, and lately well repaired.—Stow's Survey, 1633, p. 351 a. Burnt in the Great Fire of 1666, and rebuilt by Wren. See p. 113 abuv, note 2.] xl s'. Item y bequeth to the parissℏ cherch of Henstrygge, [Henstridge, Somersetshire, E. of Milborn Port.—Walker. On the borders of Dorsetshire, 9 miles S.W. from Shaftesbury, and 6 miles N.E. from Sherbourn. Church dedicated to St. Nicholas.—Moule. (Eastward from Kelston or Kelweston (on the borders of Glo'stershire, 4 miles N.W. from Bath) is Henstridge or Kelston Round Hill, which commands an extensive prospect. —Moule, i. 415 a.)] a chalyce of the price of lxvj s' viij d̛. Item y bequeth to the parissh cherche of seynt Andrewe in Aysperton̛, [ Asperton, Herefordshire, near Stow-Chapel and Stretton.—Walker.] a vestement of blak̘ for prest, deacon̛, and subdeacon̛, of the prys of x. ƚi, or within; myne exequyes and obite day to be kept solempny ther duryng the terme of vij yere; for the expenses of the which y bequethe xlvj s', viij d̛, that ys to sey, for euery yere vj s' iiij d̛. Item y bequethe to the wursshipful Monasteryes of Cristchircℏ of Caunterbury, of seynt Awstyn in the same towne, and of seynt Albanes, [ In Hertfordshire.] xxli myle from london̛, lx s', by evyn porcyons, to euery hows xx s'. in remembraunce of my Fraternite, the more specially they to pray for me. Furthermore, y bequethe to my cosyn

Iohan Frowyk, my bed of grene sylke, wiþ the testour & Canape ther-to, palid tartyn̛ [? for 'tarteryn, tartaryn,' a kind of silk.] white and rede, And the gilde pece wiþ smale stones sett ther-on. Item y bequethe to my suster Bartrice my syluer pottes, And the beter cuppe of the grypes eye. [See Sir Ralph Rochefort's Latin Testament abuv, p. 120.] Item y bequethe to my cosyn Margrete Shipton̛ that other gripes eye, and bed of grene wurstede, with the costers longyng ther-to. Also y bequeth to my brother Iohn̛ Sturgeon̛ the hallyng witℏ the ix wurthy, [Compare in Shakspere's Love's Labour's Lost, V. i. 124-5,

"Sir, you shall present before her the Nine Worthies."

And Doll's opinion of Falstaffe:

"thou art as valorous as Hector of Troy, woorth fiue of Agamemnon, and ten times better than the nine Worthies."

—2 Hen. IV, II. iv. 236-9. Quarto 1.] And vj cuppes of Sylver stondyng on low fete, with the coueryng therto. And as tochyng my brother Richard, y can̛ not assigne no thyng of my good recompensible to his good brotherhede, wherfor notwithstondyng this, my wiƚƚ thus disposid: If ther be eny thyng that he wold̛ desire ther-of to his vse, terme of his lyff, y wuƚƚ that he haue it. Item y bequeth to my cosyn Thomas Ryke, a stondyng cuppe gilde, with chased werk. Item y bequethe to myn cosyn Richard Ryke, a cuppe of syluer couered; And for to fynde to gramer scole my cosyn̛, his sone William, xx iiij s for the tyme of iiij. yere. Item y bequethe to my cosyn Margrete Dowrigge a stondyng pece of syluer couered. Item y bequethe to Iohn̄ [leaf 79] nglesey my seruaunt x ƚi, And a blew bed with the lyoun Curteynes, Couerled, blankettis, a peyre of shetis and a gowne. Item y bequeth to Bartlet my seruaunt, xx s' and a gowne. Item I bequethe to Thomas Bisshoptre, xl s'. Item y bequethe to Thomas Gylbert, xl s'. Item I bequethe to Iohn̛ Gardyner, xxvj s', viij d̛, and a Riding gowne with the hode. Item y bequethe to sir William Iulyan̛, xij mark̘ for to syng for me with a special Colett. Item y bequethe to Iohn̛ of the kechyn, vj s' viij d̛, And to be new arayd. Item y bequethe to Iohn̛ Wylkynsone of the kechyn, vj s' viij d̛, and his wages beyng be-hynde. Item y bequeth to Richard̛ Bamvile, xiij s'. viij d̛. Item to Iohn̛ Wichard, vj s' viij d̛. Item to Iohn̛ Wemme, xiij s'. iiij d̛. Item to Thomas, Thomas my Cooke,

oweth me xx s', the whiche y pardon̛ and foryeve hym. Item y bequethe xl s' euenly to be departyd bytwene Iohn̛ Saymour, to Iohn̛ Meryco, and William Clere. And all myne other goodes what-so-euer they fortune to be, in valour, dettis, and aƚƚ after my dettis weƚƚ and truly payed̛, myn̛ expenses and costes funeraƚƚ done, and all my bequestes comprysed in this my testament fufilled & performed, And yf they may suffice ther-to, for to fynde a preest able and honest of conuersacyon, and of good rule, to syng for me in the forseide chapel of new edefied, atte awter ther, be vij yere. And ellys yf my seide goodes, Residues, and dettis may not suffice ther-to, than y wul that myn̄ Executours, be ther good discrecons, modere and modefye suche thynggis as ys set and lymet afore, For it is not myne entent to charche hem eny ferther than my goodes wil strecche to and suffice. The whiche myn̛ Executours y ordeyne and name, Richard Sturgeon̛, Ioℏn Sturgeon̛ thelder, Thomas Frowyk̘, son̛ of harry Frowyk̘, and Thomas Ryke. And to euerych of hem y bequethe C s'. Into the witnessyng of whiche thyng, to this present my testament y haue set my seale: y-youen̛ at london̄ the day and yere aboueseide. / Probatum fuit dictum testamentum coram Commissario predicto, octauo die Mensis Iunii, Anno Domini predicto. Et commissa est administracio omnium bonorum &c.; Iohanni Sturgeon̄, Thome Frowyk, & Thome Ryke, executoribus in dicto testamento nominatis &c.; Reseruata potestas Ricardo Sturgeon̛ &c Et dimissi sunt, &c.;