West Parley

Will and Inventory of George CHRISTOPHER

Dated 21st June 1694

© Originally transcribed by Michael Russell OPC for Dorchester & Fordington on 26th April 2005
from DRO Dorset Archdeaconry Court Ref W1694/48 Film MIC/R/195
Inventory added & notes updated June 2011 Ref DHC inventories 1694/101

Modern English translation

In the name of God Amen this 26th day of June in the year of Our Lord 1694, I George CHRISTOPHER of the parish of West Parley in the County of Dorset, a husbandman, do hereby constitute, make and ordain this to be my Last Will and Testament in the manner and form following;

First I give & bequeath my soul into the hands of god my maker through Jesus Christ my saviour by whose death & resurrection I hope to be saved at the Last Day, and my body to the earth from which it was first taken

And as for my worldly goods I dispose of them as follows:-

    I do make my daughters Elizabeth & Cristabel CHRISTOPHER my sole only executors but my daughter Cristobel is to have two parts & my daughter Elizabeth one part of all my goods and assets
    Item: I loan the tableboard, the Great Bible, the brass pot, the great bowl and the ambry which are to be left standing in the house in case my son George CHRISTOPHER comes home in which case he is by bargaine to give his sisters half the value of the goods that he has
    Item: My wife is to have free for her maintenance out of bargaine for as long as she shall live the milk of one cow and part of the corn grown in case she does not live with them
    Item: I give to my son John CHRISTOPHER a cow and forty shillings (but not the best cow) and all my wearing hose
    Item: I give to my daughter Agnes MORLEY twenty shillings
    Item: I give to my daughter Jane one shilling
    Item: I give to my son-in-law Nicholas BAYLEY one shilling

Signed and sealed X the mark of George CHRISTOPHER

In the presence of us The mark of John BRAG and Thomas KING

Sworn they were on 21st June 1694 by Richard RODERICK

Original transcription retaining spelling and abbreviation etc

In the name of God Amen the 26 day of June Ano Domi 1694 I Gorg  CRISTEVER of the parish of West Parley in the County of Dorset husbandman*  do heare constitute make and ordayne this my Last Will and Testament in manor & form following first I give & bequeath my soul into the hands of god my maker through Jesus Christ my saviour by whose death & resurrection I hope to be saved at the Last Day & my body to the earth from which it was first taken & for my wordly goods I thus dispose.

I doth make my dafters Elesabeth & Cristabel my holo & sole Exectutors but only my dafter Cristobel is to have to Partes & my dafter Elesabeth  on of all my goods and assets Item I loan the tabel board the great Bibel the bras pot the great Boul and the amory to be left stondens to the house and if in Caus when my son Gorg doth com hom and doth by the bagen he is to give his sisters half the value of this goods and he has. Item my wife is to have sofreesand? maintaniances out of bergen as long as she Leve the milk of on Cowe and part of the Corn that is grone upon the bargen? if in cause she doth not take her diet? with them Item I give my son John a cow or forty shillings which either he hease but not the best cow and all my waring hose to him Item I give my dafter Agnes MORLEY twenty shillonse Item I give my dafter Jane on shilline Item I give my son in law Neckles BAYLEY on shillen

Signed and Sealed                                                                  The mark of Gorg CRISTEVERS

In the presence of us - The mark

of John BRAG                                                                                  21 Jun 1694

Thomas KING

                                                                                      Juratie [sworn?] fuerunt [they were] extricol

                                                                                                  Pm

                                                                                                  Rich [Richard] RODERICK

A True and Perfect Inventory of all and singular the Goods Chattles and Credits of George CHRISTOPHER
late of West Parley in the County of Dorset Yeoman deceased taken and appriased by us whose names are hereunto subscribed.

    Impremis [In the First Place] For his wearing apparel - £02. 00s. 00d
    Itm: - for three horse brasses - £03. 10s. 00d
    Itm: - for five kine [cows] - £10. 00s. 00d
    Itm: - for two bullocks - £01. 15s. 00d
    Itm: - for three calves - £01. 04s. 00d
    Itm: - twenty nine sheep and lambs - £05. 01s. 06d
    Itm: - An acre of rye and and an acre of barley - £03. 00s. 00d
    Itm: - Two carts and one pair of wheels - £01. 00s. 00d
    Itm: - for a saddle & panell & bridle and harness £00. 10s. 00d
    Itm: - for seavon [seven] stockes and seavon [seven] swarms of bees £03. 10s. 00d
    Itm: - In money upon bond and Desgate Debts £10. 00s. 00d
    Itm: - for one old Life in the bargon and Dinig: £08. 00s. 00d
    Itm: - for a great kettle and great crock and tableboard & amory and Covell £01. 10s. 06d
    Itm: - One Brass Pot and two pails and a skillett two pewter dishes and a warming pan and other lumber goods in the hall £01. 00s. 00d
    Itm: - In the Buttery a great Chest Three barrels two small boxes a coffer with lumber goods £00. 15s. 03d
    Itm: - In his own chamber two beds and linen and other lumber goods in the same room £02. 10s. 04d
    Itm: - In the monor chamber one bed and wool and lumber goods in the same room £01. 02s. 06d
    Itm: - In the milkhouse a silt and a churn and other things belonging to it £00. 12s. 06d
    Itm: - Lumber goods £00. 04s. 04d
    Sum - £55. 05s. 11d

Signed Richard PEARCE ; Honesty KING; and Thomas KING

dated 28th July 1694 in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth

Genealogical Notes:-
(1). The Will refers to George as a 'Husbandmen' and the inventory as a 'Yeoman'. A 'Husbandman' was a tenant farmer or small-holder who might also have to work on the land of larger landowners to maintain himself, below the rank of Yeoman. The inventory certainly suggests that they lived in a house with several rooms including his own bedchamber and were largely self sufficent in crops and animals which equates more with that of a Yeoman.

(2). Unfortunately baptisms for West Parley have only suvived from 1715 and marriages and burials from 1720. His wife was alive in 1694 and the burial of a John Christopher the son of a George and Barbary [an old form of Barbara] Christopher took place in West Parley on 7th Nov 1743. This may be the son John referred to in the will as the 1st burial we have of a Christopher in the surviving parish registers is for a Barbary Christopher on the 9th Feb 1729 and she was then described as a widow.

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