George Kendall (b.c.1527-d.1566) – Last Will and Testament (Transcript)

George Kendall’s will was written in 1566 during the minority of his son and heir, Henry Kendall, by his first wife Joan Jennings the daughter and heiress of William Jennings of Westminster.  He was survived by his second wife Mary Repington the daughter of Francis Repington of Amington.  She was to remarry Clement Fisher of Great Packington.

George Kendall’s will is contained in the United Kingdom’s National Archives and is in folio 48 of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills in the series PROB 11 which relate to wills from 1384 to 12 January 1858.  Probate was granted on 1 November 1566.

Although the usual devotions of the age are made to god, George Kendall does not specify his wishes in relation to the manner or place of his burial .  George names his son and heir, Henry, and also makes reference to his children William and Margaret.  Importantly he refers to their grandfather William Jennings and an agreement made with a Bartholomew Jennings’s , although Bartholomew’s relationship to William is not known. Various Kendall pedigrees cite George’s second wife, Mary Repington, as the mother of Henry but his will seems to confirm that his first wife was the mother of his first three children.  The will also refers to a third son, Francis, and explicitly states that Mary is his mother.  Francis is not named in the heraldic visitations.  Given the detail included in the will it is probable that George did not have any more, than the four named, children living at the time of his death.

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1. In the name of god amen the twetie and seventh daie September –
2. in the yere our lord god a thousande fyve hundred three score and sixe I George Kendall of smithesbe
3. doo make my last will and testament in manner and forme followinge ffirst I bequeathe my soull
4. unto allmightie god my creatour trustinge to be saved by his soone christ my redemer and my[.]
5. boddie to the yerthe there to be buried allso I give and bequethe unto my sonne henrie and to his –
6. heires for a full therde parte and more of all my landes and tenemente and hereditamente viz
7. all these my landes and tenementes in littell harrynton and greate harrynton and Lutterworth and –
8. allso one tenement in Snibston in the occupation of Thomas Raddissh one tenement in Allton in the-
9. occupation of henrie the erle of huntingdon twoo tenemente in twycrosse whereof one in the occupay
10. of John ffarmer the other in the occupation of Richard Oberton and also all my landes in Shippe
11. magna and Sheppe parva allso I give and bequeathe to marie my weif for her yoyuture duringe
12. her leif naturall all my landes rented and tenementes in Twicrosse not given herestosow and I –
13. bequethe unto her all my landes rented and tenemente in Smithesbe during the minoritie of henrie
14. my sonne if she so long lyve and after that my sonne henrie shall coom to his full age of twentie and –
15. one yeres I will that he shall have all my saide landes rented and tenemete in Smithesbe paying
16. to my saide wief yearlie during her lief thertene poundes sixe shillings eight pence whiche if he shall
17. refuse to paye at the ffeastes of sainte Michaell the Archangell and the annunciation of o^ur ladie-
18. or within one monthe after everie of the said ffeastes yerelie by evin portions I will that it shalbe-
19. lawfull to my saide wief unto my wholl mannor of Smithesbe to reenter and it to have and hold
20. to her owne use during her lief and then the saide annuitie to ceasse the rest of my landes tenemeⁿte
21. and rented and hereditaments not heresofose disposed I give to myne executours forwarded the pfo^rmaⁿc
22. of this my last will and testament till my heyre shall coom to the age of one and twentie yeres –
23. I comitt william my sonne and Margaret my daughter to the custodie of myne executoures to be –
24. Brought upp in lerning and godlie manne^rs untill my sonne henrie coom to the full age of one & twentie
25. years and then I will that my sonne William shall have an annuytie of five poundes thertene-
26. Shillings and fowre pence during his lief goyng forth of all my landes then [..] my sonne henries-
27. possessions and I will that my daughter Margaret shall have forwarded her finding after that
28. My sonne henrie shall coom to the age of one and twentie years the some of five poundes thertene
29. shillinges and fower pence goyng forthe of all my landes then in my sonne henries possessions if she
30. be then unmaried unto the tyme of her marriage and to her marriage I give and bequeathe unto her
31. twoo hundred markes after the payment whereof I will that neyther my sonne henrie nor myne
32. executors shall furder charged with her finding allso I give unto my sonne ffrancis five poundes
33. theretene shillings and fower pence during his mothers lief and after her decease I will that he shall
34. have twentie markes yerelie during his lief goying foethe of all my landes then in my sonne henrie
35. possession and I comitt my sonne ffrancis to the kepinge of his mother untill he coom to the age
36. of twentie yeres and she to fynde him on his portion allso I will that my executors shall paye-
37. unto my children all suche portions of gooddes as was bequeathed them by their grandfather-
38. William jeninges as apperethin an indenture made betwixt Bartillmewe Jeninges me allso
39. I give unto my wief one hundred markes due unto me as appereth by an obligation sealed by
40. George Willoughbie and Thomas Reppington dated the twentie and nynthe day of October the
41. seventh year of the reigne of Quene Elizabeth, And I will that my wief shall have the –
42. occupation of all my gooddes within my house at smithesbee till suche tyme as my sonne-
43. henrie shall or might attyne the full age of one and twentie yeres and then I will that she
44. shall delyver the same gooddes with the house well rerpared to my sonne henrie or his assignes
45. and then I will that my executors uppon delyvrie of the same house and gooddes shall paye-
46. unto my wief the some of one hundred markes allso I give unto my sonne ffrancis ffowretine poundes
47. which I will shalbe delyvered unto the handes of his mother within this three yeres she putting

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1. in sufficient suerties to annswer the same to hym or his assigned at his age of twentie yeres or at his marriage
2. if it before Allso I give and bequeathe to Marie my weif all her apparrell and juells that she hathe
3. heresofore woren and one bedd throughlie furnished at her departing from Smithesbee Allso I give to
4. my men Peter Beadshawe and Richard Ogden either of them fortie shillinges besides their wages –
5. and lyveries now dewe unto them and I charge my sonne henrie to consider them better livinge
6. when he cometh to his full age allso I give to John Coppork one quarters wages Besides that w^th
7. nowe dew unto hym and likewise John Logan Weston my Shepeed and Robert my se^rvannte who
8. hathe his Lyverie allreddis Item I give to George hulley Twentie shillinges and to Elliza Gartside
9. thertie shillinges besides all that is dewe unto him and I give to Gibbill Oseley ffortie shillinge
10. in recompence of his service donne to my wife witheout wages allso I will that myne executo^rs
11. shall bestowe som of myne Apparrell uppon my se^rvanntes peter and ogden allso I give to myne-
12. meydens everie one of them one quarters wages allso I will that if anie of my children shall
13. die before their marriage or before that they schall coom to the age of one and twentie yeres their
14. perites and portions of my goodes here lymyted unto them shalbe devided equallie amoges thosest
15. of my children allso I will that if any thinge be reste in my execuotors handes my wives –
16. opeoninge to be with childe at the tyme of my departure out of this lif all suche sum or summes of
17. money remeyning in my saide executors handes after all my dettes legacies and funerals discharged
18. and paid shall be bestowed of that childe further I give and bequeath to my sister in lawe dorothe
19. lisley one hotser of three yeres old allso I doo give to Osswell hollinshed and to Thomas Reddesh
20. either of them one trotting geldinge allso I give to my welbeloved wife my white nagg allso I –
21. give to my brother Alexander Barlowe my Bey geldinge and to my brother John reppington –
22. my bowes arrowes and quiver and my best hose Item I give to my brother Richard Reppington in –
23. token of my good will whiche I wortholie bere unto hym fyve poundes allso whereas I have
24. hitherto slenderlie in my will considered my sonne William having none of my gooddes to hyme
25. bequeathed I will that where I have made a leasse to my executoures of all my landes-
26. tenement and hereditaimente in the citte of wested Tothill and in the parrishe of sainte martens
27. in the felde that if the same will extende unto tenne poundes yerelie crere above the old and –
28. anucient poutes then myne executours shall give unto my said sonne William whom he shall
29. accomplissh the age of one and twentie yeres ffowre score poundes and to my sonne ffranncis –
30. twentie poundes over and besides the fortie poundes before to hym bequeathed and furder in.
31. consideration that I have sowe charged my landes desiednig to my heyre with annuities to his
32. sister and younger brotheren I will that for his comoditie in that behalf so that he grudge-
33. not to pay all suche annuities according to this my last will that myne executors shall l[..]ly
34. surrender to his […] the residence of all theire saide terme in the saide leasse at michaellmas next after
35. that my saide sonne William shall accomplisshe the age of twentie and one years provided allwaies
36. that if fortune my sonne henrie or anie other having any legacies in this my last will doo not –
37. stand to and performe this my last will and testament but seeks to vilate or breke the same I will
38. that he or any other so doyng shall enjoye no parte of anie legacie by me to hym or them bequethed
39. allso I give to my good lord the erle of huntingdon a ringe of gold weying two old anngells –
40. beseching his lordshipp to be supervised of this my last will and to take an accoupst yerelie of –
41. myne executoures have muche of those my legacies they have discharged and paide and how muche
42. remeynith unpaid untill my sonne henrie coom to his full age and of this my last will
43. and testament I make and oediene my welleloind brother Alexander Barlowe Osswell Hollinshed
44. Thomas Paddissh Peter Eccansall my full and Lawfull Executoures to see this my last will pformied
45. In wittnes whereof I the abovenamed George Kendall have subscribed my name and scetto my soalo the
46. Dayes and yere sucst above […..] George Kendall Thomas widdoes Robert Nicholas Pigued and Solod
47. In the presence of John Repington William Parrie [Inserted] Robert Nicholas Peter Bradshawr./
48. ffurther the saide testatour the twentie and seaventh day of September and in the yere –
49. [..] for saide after the making of the saide testamente benige of perfect mynde and memorie adding –
50. by way of codicill unto the same did will and bequeath[.] effecte as followith viz item I will
51. my wife shall have the occupation of all my gooddes within my howse at Smithesbee untill suche
52. as my sonne henrie shall or might atteyne his full age of twentie and one yeres and them that
53. she shall delyver the same gooddes with the howse well espared fo[..] sonne henrie or his assignes
54. Mr Hollingshead being in doubt that dissention mighte yeowe of this wordes demanuded of the testator
55. George Kendall what his meaninge was that his wife marie Kendall shuld have by force of theise wordes

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1. afore retited whether his meaninge was that she should have the holl corne and haye in the barns and
2. the saide George Kendall annswered no ffor his meaning was but implemented within the howse yot the
3. same mr hollingehedd demannded further whether she shuld have the plate and he annswered noo…
4. ffor that was a thing moast reddie for his executoures to discharge his legacies witheall and allso the
5. side testator willed that marie his wief shoud have sixe leyne ovwer and besides the legacies to her –
6. before bequeathed by the saide testament in the presence and hoeringe of Peter Bradshawe and othoes –
7. [BLANK]
8. Pobatum fuit testamentum suprascriptum …..