Medieval and Tudor Kent wills of the Shoreham Deanery, part 5

The following list of mediaeval wills for the Shoreham Deanery, which was a peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury, was compiled by Leland L. Duncan and recorded in six quarto volumes around 1895.

The wills at the time of his writing were all that remained prior to 1600 in the Registers of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury and in the Lambeth Palace Registers.

The 34 parishes which made up the Shoreham Deanery were as follows:- Bexley, Brasted, Chevening, Chiddingstone, Crayford or Eard, St. Mary Cray, Darenth, Downe, Eynsford, East Farleigh, Farningham, Gillingham, The Isle of Grain, Halstead, Hayes, Hever, Hunton, Ifield, Ightham, Keston, Knockholt, Lydsing, East Malling, Meopham, Northfleet, Orpington, Otford, East Peckham, Penshurst, Sevenoaks, Shoreham, Stansted, Sundridge, and Wrotham.

Transcriptions in quarto exercise books held at the Kent Archaeological Society's Library in Maidstone. Examined by me, Zena Bamping, in March 2001, who made the following list of wills extracted by Mr Duncan. The originals are written in pencil and seem to be almost complete transcriptions with a few abbreviations, e.g. P for Parish.

Index of Notebooks

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

Book 4

Book 5

Book 6

Jump to Transcriptions

Index of Wills

Book 5

Register	Testator	Date of Will	Date of Probate	Lands in Kent or connexion with Kent	Page No.
23 Thower	James PEKHAM esquire	1532 Aug 2	1532 Feb 7	Ash, Chevening, Ightham, Kemsing, Kingsdown, Otford, Seal, Shipborne, Shoreham, Stansted, Warehorne, Wrotham	449
Pages mis-numbered by Leland L Duncan - he turned the page from 452 and numbered the next one 553
13 Thower	Joan HUNT of Northfleet widow	1531 Aug 25	1531 Jan 27	Northfleet church	555
24 Thower	John BRAMSTON of Northfleet	1532 Feb 12	1532 Feb 20	Meopham, Northfleet	557
21 Thower	Alice DAVY of Northfleet widow of William Davy	1531 May 6	1532 Nov 27	buried Northfleet church	559
19 Thower	Nicholas ASTYN of East Farleigh	1532 Jun 19	1532 Nov 20	Benenden, East Farleigh, Hunton, Leigh, Linton, Sandhurst, Yalding churches of East Farleigh, Hunton, Loose, Linton, Marden, Yalding	563
5 Hogen	John SHELLEY of Bexley gent.	1531 Feb 25	1533 Aug 20	Bexley, Knockholt	574
34 Hogen	Thomas SELYARDE of Brasted	1534 Oct 8	1535 Mar 17	Brasted, Edenbridge, Hever, Lingfield	576
22 Hogen	Edward LYNDALL citizen and goldsmith of London	1534 Oct 4	1534 Jan 21	Cliff, Frindsbury to Cliff church where I am now a parishioner	581
36 Hogen	Brian ANNESLEY	1536 Mar 8	1536 May 12	to be buried in Darenth church	584
26 Hogen	John COKSECHE of Gillingham	1533 Mar 9	1535 Aug 4	Gillingham church	585
29 Hogen	Sir Edward FERRES knight	1535 Jul 10	1535 Nov 18 & 1596 Apr 8	Aylesford, Brenchley, East Peckham, Hadlow, Nettlested, Tonbridge, Tudeley, West Peckham, Yalding	586
31 Dyngeley	John SWOONE son of Steven Swone of Brasted Tanner	1539 Jul 29	1539 Oct 5	Brasted church	600
13 Dyngeley	Sir Robert CLEMENS chauntrye preest of Sevenoaks	1537 Dec 19	1537 Jan 25	Sevenoaks Church	601
12 Dyngeley	George GUSTON of Otford	1536 Nov 2	1537 Dec 11	Otford	602
23 Dyngeley	Sir Richard CLEMENS knight	1538 Oct 28	1538 Dec 2	Ightham church	605
34 Dyngeley	William WHETENHALL esquire	1539 Nov 4	1539 Nov 27	to be buried in East Peckham church	607
21 Dyngeley	Edward HORDEN	1538 Aug 25	1538 Oct 18	Ifield Court churches of Northfleet & Southfleet	608
4 Dyngeley	William MARTYN gent dwelling wt in the close of the monastery of the glorious apostell Saynt Barthelmewe in West Smythfelde	1531 May 12	1537 Apr 17	Otford, Shoreham	610
32 Bucke	Henry COOKE citizen and Merchant Taylor of London	1551 Jul 6	1551 Nov 11	Bexley, Dartford, Greenwich, North Cray, Plumstead, Ruxley	624
7 Alenger	William POLE of Bexley Yeoman of the Guard	1540 Mar 29	1540 Jun 8	Bexley church	627
12 Alenger	Robert LEYS yoman of the kechyn with the ladies Annes Grace of Cleave	1540 Aug 16	1540 Sep 8	Dartford, Eynsford, Farningham, Kemsing, Shoreham	629
24 Alenger	William WOODGATE of Chiddingstone yeoman	1540 Feb 29	1540 Mar 15	Chiddingstone, Cowden, Penshurst	635
24 Alenger	Richard SCORYER of Chiddingstone	1540 Nov 25	1540 Mar 15	Chiddingstone church	637
28 Alenger	Edmund FLATCHERE vicar of East Malling	1540 Nov 6	1541 May 16	East Malling church, and mending the Cawsey	638
5 Alenger	John CUTTE of Middle Temple London gent	1539	1540 May 5	Crayford	641
7 Alenger	John OWTRED of Crayford	1539 Feb 9	1540 Jun 8	Bexley churches of Bexley, Crayford, Plumstead	643
17 Alenger	James DIGGES of Barham esquire	1535 Feb 20	1540 Nov 24 & 1544 Jun 25	Adisham, Ash next Sandwich, Bishopsbourne, Canterbury, Elham, Ewell, Frinsted, Hackington, Kingston, Lenham, Patrixbourne, Sandwich, Sturry, Sutton next Northbourne, Wingham	647
4 Spert	John HACCHE of Chevening yeoman	1541 Nov 24	1542 Apr 24	Chevening, Sevenoaks	656

Transcriptions

James PEKHAM will 1532

A translation into English from Latin / French transcriptions made by Leland L. Duncan
                                                                                  typed up by Zena Bamping in March 2001

JAMES PEKHAM PCC : 23 Thower    2 August 1532 (24 Hen VIII)

James Pekham Esquier sike in body &c. To be buried in the parishe church of Wroteham as nygh unto the buriells there where as my frends lyeth buried. To the high awter 6s.8d. to high altar of parish church of Ighteham 3s.4d. To reparacions of the body of the said parish church of Wrotham 20s. To reparacions of the bodies of the parish churches of Chevening and Ighteham to either of them 6s.8d. On the daies of my buriall and monethis mynd in werks of mercy and charitie my executrix shall geve where she shall thinke best soo that it be doon without pompe or vegn glorye of this worde the whiche by noo meanys I will to be doon.

All my moveable goods excepted all my juells the wering gere of my wife and my cheques of golde the which I geve hooly to my wife shall be equally and indifferently devided bitwene my said wife and Reynolde my sonne and he to have his parte when he comyth to the age of 24 yeres and if he deceas to Henry my sonne and if he fortune to deceas then Anne my wife shall have that said parte. To my nevewe Edward Asshe £6.13.4d. Unto Sir Henry Isley, Knyght, my wifs brother, my velwett gowne furred with martrons my russet velwet jaket and my doblet of Crymsyn saltyn. Unto Maister Thomas Wyatt my colt colour Iron graye going in Knoll parke. Unto Antony Isley, my wyfs brother, my gowne of black damaske furred with blak bogye. Residue unto Anne my wife the which I make myn executrice. Witnesse Sir Henry Isley, knyght, Thomas Bartlett, Thomas Row and Thomas Wyatt.

This is concernyng all my manors, londes and tenements with the avowsonage of the churche of Warhorne being sett and lying within the parisshes of Wroteham, Ightham, Sele, Kemsing, Shipborne, Kyngesdowne, Stansted, Asshe next Dartford, Chevenyng, Otteford, Shoreham and ells where within the Countie of Kent. First I wille my feoffees doo suffre Anne my wife untill Reynold my sonne doth come unto the age of 24 yeres to occupye take perceyve and levye all the forsaid Manors &c with the gyfte of the said avowsonage to paye my detts and pay unto my daughter Dorathe at the day of her first maruage or at her full age of 22 yeres the sum of oon hundred pounds and soo to every other of my daughters and also doo kepe them untill they be maried or doo otherwise provide for them as putting them to service that soo will be content to goo to service untill they come to the age of 22 yeres and to make leesses for terme of yeres until that my sonne Reynolde doth come to the age of 24. If any of my daughters happen to be professed in any Religion then my legacy to her be voide except £26.13.4d. therof wherof £6. 13. 4d. be delivered to the souveraigne of the house where she doth soo entre into the abbit of Religion and the other £20 the residue of the said £26.13.4d. to the soueraigne at the day of her profession.

When Reynold my sonne comyth unto the age of 24 all my manours, londes &c within the forsaid parishes forthewith the avowsonye aforsaid unto my said sonne and after his moders decease all the residue of my manors, londes &c in Kent.

If he dye without heires males then my manors of Estyaldham and Westyaldham otherise called Litillyaldham forthwith the advowson aforsaid unto Anne my wife during her lyfe and all the residue of my manors and tenements in the parishes of Wrotham, Ightham, Sele, Kemsing, Shipbourne, Kingesdowne, Stansted, and Asshe I will unto Henry my sonne and the heires males of his body and after his moders deceas all the residue of my manours &c and yf he dye without yssue male then to my said wife Anne during her lyfe naturall. If my wife be pryvement insential with a man childe the said childe after my wifs deceas shall have all my manors londes &c in the forsaid parishes and for lacke of issue shall remayne unto my cosyn Reynolde Pekham sonne and heire of Thomas Pekham, esquier, decessed so that her or his heires males doo paye oon thousand pounds to be evynly divided amongs all my daughters then lyving and if noo daughters then lyving then amongs my daughters children and if the Mli be not paid then my manors &c shall remayne unto the heirs of Reynolde my sonne and for lack to the heires of Henry my sonne and for lack to remayn to the heirs of the said man childe and for lack to the heires of my body and for lacke to the heires of James Pekham my fader and for lacke to the heires of my cosyn Reynolde aforsaid and for lacke to the heires of Reynolde Pekham my graundfather and for lack to remayn unto Richard Hille my wifes brother in lawe Sergeaunt of the Seller with our soueraigne Lorde King Henry the VIII and to Antony Isley my wifs brother by egall [equal] porcions. My yongest sonne Henry during the lyfe of my wife Anne when he comyth to the age of 21 to have to him and his heirs an annuytie of £6.13.4d. going owt of all my manors londes &c above rehersed except the manors &c in Chevenyng, Otford and Shorham and after the decease of my said wife a further annytie of £3.6.8d. owt of all my tenements aforesaid above the forsaid £6.13.4d. (same to the man child if born). My sonne Reynolde shall have for his fynding till he come to the age of 24 yeres £13.6.8d. by the yere soo that he be kept and founden to his lernyng and in speciall to the studye and knowlige of the comen lawe of this realme.

Witnesses: Henry Isley, Knyght, Thomas Bartlett, Edward Asshe, Edward Martyn, Thomas Rowe and Thomas Wyatt.

Probate (sede Vacante) 7 Februarii 1532 by Anne, relict and executor.