NLW Ref: LL/1784/35
In the name of God Amen I William Frederick of the parish of Goytre in the County of Monmouth yeoman considering the uncertainty of this mortal life & being of sound & perfect mind & memory (blessed be almighty God for the same) do make & publish this my last Will and Testament in manner & form following (that is to say).
First I will that all my just debts & funeral expences be fully paid and satisfied. Item I give devise and bequeath to my beloved daughter Anne by my first wife Mary Frederick that part or parcel of ground commonly called and known by the name of Pwrcas or wood (being part of my leasehold estate) in part of which there are young apple trees growing, with the appurtenances to hold to her my said daughter Anne Frederick from & immediately after my decease for & during the term that shall be then unexpired of the lease in which the said parcel of ground is included.
I also give and bequeath unto her a sufficient quantity of timber from off any part of my leasehold estate wherever she is minded to build a house upon the parcel of ground above mentioned. Item I give and bequeath unto her my said daughter Anne one little round table, one bed stead, one new mash tub and one new large kilderkin together with the least pewter dish & one pewter plate.
Item I give devise and bequeath unto my now wife Frances Frederick all my leasehold estate of & in that house that I now dwell in together with every other part of my leasehold estate with the appurtenances (excepting what I have above reserved to my daughter aforesaid) situate lying & being in the parish of Goytre aforesaid by ancient mears & boundaries there well known to hold to her my said wife for & during the term of her natural life & from & immediately after her decease I give devise & bequeath the same to be divided between my said daughter Anne and my daughter Elizabeth by my now wife in this manner vizt, the land to be divided from the lane that leads towards the town of Abergavenny to another lane westward leading from Pen-pellenny towards late Cecilia Bevan widow’s house, William James’s & in a direct line from each end of the south hedge of the garden belonging to my dwelling house before mentioned & my will is that the said dwelling house & gardens thereunto adjoining together with the land on the northern side of the division before mentioned be the property of my said daughter Elizabeth for & during the term of her natural life & if the said lease should happen to be unexpired at her decease then & in that case I give & devise the same to her issue lawfully begotten or to be begotten & for want of such issue then to my said daughter Anne together with all the land of my said leasehold estate on the southern side of the afore mentioned division which I give devise and bequeath unto her to hold to her my said daughter Anne for & during the term then unexpired of the said lease.
I also give & bequeath unto my sons Henry & William by my first wife the sum of five shillings sterling each to be paid them within twelve months respectively after my decease. My will is that when my leasehold estate aforesaid shall be enjoyed by my said daughters respectively or continue in two shares in the manner above limitted then I desire that a moiety or half part of the payments, taxes &c that are or may be imposed upon the said premisses be borne or paid by each of the said parties possessing or occupying the said shares respectively. And moreover my express will is that my said daughter Anne be permitted (if she chooses it) to live in my said dwelling house together with my said wife Frances as long as my said wife lives & after her decease for two years if she my said daughter Anne will not have erected a house of her own before any or either of those periods.
And lastly as to all the rest residue and remainder of my personal estate goods and chattels of what kind or nature soever I give and bequeath the same to my said beloved wife Frances.
And I do hereby appoint Joshua Davies, Clerk of the parish of Goytre aforesaid and my said daughter Anne Frederick to be joint executors of this my last Will and Testament appointing him the said Joshua Davies the sum of one pound and one shilling sterling for his trouble in acting as executor and revoking hereby all former Wills by me made.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal the twenty first day of June in the twenty second year of the reign of our sovereign Lord George the third of Great Britain France and Ireland, King, defender of the faith and so forth and in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty two.
The mark of William (X) Frederick
Signed sealed published and declared by the above named William Frederick to be his last Will and Testament in the presence of us who have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses in the presence of the testator & in the presence of each other.
Evan Pugh, schoolmaster in the parish of Lanvair Kilgiddin;
Thomas Prosser of Gelly;ary Hadfield?
(The following as been almost scrubbed out. )
NB It is my further determination that my last Will and Testament be and remain as above …… excepting the plot? of ground called the ……… into two parts situate on the south side of the close of ground in …. The above …… and house in which I now dwell and garden ………….. which said parcel of ground called the Purca… my will is that from and immediately after my said wife’s decease I give devise and bequeath … division of the …. afore…. to my above mentioned daughter Elizabeth together with the ……………. and limitation. Nevertheless as I have devised & bequeathed…….. My said daughter Elizabeth above ……… of my said leasehold estate
As the above mentioned testator died before this last clause was either signed or witnesses, it is therefore presumed that what is therein contained is void and of none effect
May 25th 1784. Joshua Davies, Clerk one of the executors in the within written will named was sworn to the truth thereof and to the faithful performance of the same and that the goods chattels and credits of the deceased did not amount in value to the sum of twenty pounds with power reserved to Ann Frederick the daughter the other executor &c before me Benj Hall, Surrogate
This Will was proved at Abergavenny on the twenty fifth day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty four before the Rev Benjamin Hall, Clerk, BD, the Chancellors Surrogate by Joshua Davies, Clerk one of the executors in this Will named who was first on the holy Evangelists personally sworn well and faithfully to execute the same to exhibit an inventory &c and to render a just account of his administration thereof when thereunto lawfully required (Power being first reserved of making the like grant to Ann Frederick the daughter of the said dec’d the other executor in this Will named when she shall apply for the same