Transcribed by Scott Chipman
Will of NICHOLAS BEREMAN, yeoman, of Briantspuddle in the parish of Affpuddle, Dorset.
PCC wills, PROB 11/176, image reference 142; will dated 19 Dec. 1637, probated 14 Feb. 1637/8
(A summary of names mentioned in Bereman's will is presented here, followed by a full transcript of the document):
AWSTIN, Henry, of Tolpuddle
BAYLIE, Thomas
BAYLIE, widow
BAYLIE, widow "the elder"
BEREMAN, Avice, (Testator's wife)
BOYTE, William
BUTT, Nicholas, of Winterbourne
CARPENTER, Hodges (?), of Wareham*
COKE, John
COWRING (?), John, servant
ENGLAND, widow
FORT, Henry
FROOME, Rebeca, servant
GARDINER, widow
GEORGE, William, of Affpuddle
GOLD, James
GOULD, widow
HALL, Christopher, of Wareham
HELLIAR, widow
HELLIER, Edward
HELLYAR, Henry
HODGES (?), ______, of Wareham, carpenter*
HUTCHINS, Thomas
HUTCHINS, Margerie, of Briantspuddle, widow
JACOB, Mr., vicar of Affpuddle
KEYNELL, William
LOOPE, George, of Westport nigh Wareham, yeoman
MEADE (or MEADES), Jeffery
MEREFEILD, William (Testator's cousin)
MYNION, Joane, of Briantspuddle, widow
MYNION, Nicholas
MYNION, John
MYNION, Richard
MYNION, Sara
MYNION, Anne
MYNION, Ellenor
PANTER (?), widow
REASON, Edward
REASON, John (Testator's cousin)
REASON, Thomas, of Pallington
REASON, Christian, wife of Edward
REASON, Henry
ROBERTS, Thomas
SANSOME, Robert, of Tonerspuddle
SARE, John
SARE, Katherine, daughter of John
SCUTT, Robert, of Affpuddle
SMALL, Roger
STROOD, John
TREWE, John
WARREN, John, servant
WARREN, widow, of Affpuddle
WATTS, Thomas, of Pallington
WHINDLE, Thomas, of Askerswell, clerk
WHINDLE, unnamed sons of Thomas
WHITE, widow
WHORE, Nicholas
WYE, Andrew
*In this will (which is a copy made from the original at the time of probate) there is an empty space preceeding "Hodges Carpenter," as if the clerk transcribing for the PCC could not read the forename, and left it blank. Therefore, it is probable that "Hodges" is the surname, and "Carpenter" is indicated as the occupation. However it is possible (though unlikely) that "Hodges" is the forename and "Carpenter" the surname. A comma inserted between these two words would indicate the former possibility, however as punctuation is almost nonexistant in this document, it is impossible to determine with certainty. In this case the word "Carpenter" was capitalized.
Full transcript of will:
In the name of God Amen, The nyneteenth daie
of December in Anno Dni 1637 And in the thirteenth yeare of the reigne of our
sovereigne Lord Charles by the Grace of God of England Scotland and ffrance Ireland king
Defender of the faith &c I Nicholas Bereman of Briantspuddle within the parrish
of Afpuddle in the Countie of Dorset yeoman being sicke in bodie but of good and sound
minde and memorie thankes and praise be given to Almightie God, doe make and ordaine
this my last will and testament in manner and forme following that is to saie ffirst and
principally I yeeld upp and recomend my soule into the hands of Almightie God my
Creator hopeing assuredly thorough his great mercies in Christ Jesus my Saviour to
have and obteyne remission and forgiveness of all my sinnes and finally everlasting life
[ ? ] touching the disposeing and distribucon of all my goods and chattles and p[er]sonal estate
my minde and will is as followeth vizt ffirst I give and bequeath unto Mr Jacob
Vicar of Afpuddle abovesaid tenn shillings Item I give and bequeath unto the poore
people of Afpuddle twentie shillings to be distributed among them at my buriall in the
discretion of myne executor hereunder named Item I give and bequeath more unto the
poor people of the parish of Afpuddle aforesiad the some of fyftie pounds of lawfull
money of England to remaine in the stocke for them forever to be used allwayes for their best
yearly benefit or otherwise in the best sort that the Churchwardens and overseers of
the poore there for the tyme being doe or shall in their discretions with the help & consent
allwaies of the most part of the substantiall people of the said parrish for Counsell
of the Minister being therein desired alsoe thinke most fit and convenient and most
profitable in that behalf Item I give and bequeath unto the church of the said Afpuddle
tenn pounds lawfull money Item I give and bequeath unto the poore people of Bere Regis
In the Countie of Dorset five pounds of lawfull money of England to remaine in stocke for
them forever to be allwaies used and imployed for their best yearly benefit or otherwise in the best
sort the churchwardens and overseers of the poore there for the tyme being doe or shall in
their discretion with the Counsell and good advise of the minister there and w[i]th the
helpe and consent allwayes of the most part of the discreete and substantiall people of
the said parrish alsoe shall thinke most fitt and convenient and most profitable in that
behalf Item I give and bequeath unto Avice my now wife all the goods shee brought
with her at the tyme of my marriage unto her all my horses and horsebeasts, all my
[rother?] beasts, all my sheepe and other cattle all my corne on the grounds of the ten[amen]t all
the corne in the Barnes and in the house of her ten[amen]t; All my provision of victualls there
all my utensills of husbandry and all my utensills and houshould stuffe in and about the
house and houses of her said Tenement in Bryantspuddle aforesiad Item I give and
bequeath unto my servant John Warren ffortie pounds of lawfull money of England Item
I give and bequeath unto my other servant John [Cowring?] fortie shillings and to my
servant Rebeca ffroome other fortie shillings of lawfull money of England Item I give and
bequeath unto my loveing friend George Loope of Westport nigh Wareham yeoman
twentie pounds of lawfull money of England Item I give and bequeath unto Thomas Watts
of Pallington my meadow grounde lying in Bookmeade in Pallington aforesaid and lease
and writeings concerning the same and all my terme to come therein and all my right estate
and interest thereunto p[re]sently after my decease. Item I give and bequeath unto my
Godsonne Thomas Reason all that eight pounds which my cosen John Reason his ffather oweth
mee and upon payment of that money to the said Thomas or securitie given to him by his
ffather for the same my executor haveing notice thereof I acquite the said John Reason and he
shalbe acquitted of and released afterwards of and from all demands whatsoever to me due
or to be due by the said John Reason his executors and assignes or any of them for ever more
Item I give and bequeath unto my Godsonne Nicholas Mynion one of the sonnes of
Joane Mynion of Bryantspuddle abovesayd widdowe the some of twentie pounds of
lawfull money of England And I give and bequeath unto John Mynion one other of her
sonnes tenn poundes of lawfull money of England. Item I give and bequeath unto Sara
Mynion Anne Mynion and Ellenore Mynion daughters of the said Joane each and every
of them severally fyve pounds of lawfull money of England And to the said Joane Mynion
I give and bequeath fower pounds of like lawfull money of England Item I give and
bequeath unto my Goddaughter Christian Reason wife of Edward Reason tenn pounds of lawfull
money of England Item I give and bequeath unto my Goddaughter Katherine Sare
daughter of John Sare deceased fortie shillings of lawfull money of England And I give
and bequeath to each and every of my other Godchildren Godsons and Goddaughters twentie
shillings of lawfull money of England Item I give and bequeath unto James Gold of
Combe twentie pounds of lawfull money of England Item I give and bequeath unto Robert
Sansome of Ton[er]spuddle twentie shillings of lawfull money of England Item I give and
bequeath unto Henry Reason twentie shillings and unto Edward Hellier other twentie
shillings, and to Jeffery Meades widdowe two pounds of lawfull money Item I give and
bequeath unto the two eldest sonnes of Thomas Whindle Clarke in Askerswell in the sayd
Countie of Dorset to each and either of them sev[er]ally twentie pounds of lawfull money of
England Item I give and bequeath unto Margerie Hutchins widow of Briantspuddle
aforesaid fower pounds of lawfull money of England Item I give and bequeath unto
Nicholas Butt of Winterbourne fyve pounds of lawfull money of England Item I give
and bequeath to each and every of the children of my loveing neighbour William
George of Affpudle abovesaid severally twentie shillings of lawfull money of England
Item I give and bequeath unto Christopher Hall of Wareham abovesaid thirtie pounds of
lawfull money of England And I give and bequeath to [ ] Hodges Carpenter of
Wareham aforesaid tenn pounds of lawfull money of England Item I doe acquite & release
Henry Awstin of Tolpuddle of all debts and other demaundes due or to be due unto me in any
sort by him howsoever Item I give and bequeath unto my poore neighbors Andrew Wye
Henry Hellyar Henry ffort Nicholas Whore Roger Small John Trewe Thomas Baylie
Thomas Hutchins John Strood and William Boyte to each and every of them severally
fortie shillings of lawfull money of England Item I give and bequeath unto theis my
poore neighbors also [ ? ] the widdowe Baylie widdowe White widdowe Helliar widdowe
Gould widdowe England widdowe Warren and widdowe Gardiner to each and every of
them severally fortie shillings of lawfull money of England And my minde and will is that all
the above mencond legacies w[hi]ch have allready [ ? ] certaine tyme allready [ ? ] or appointed
for the payment thereof shalbe payed and discharged at the end of one yeare next comeing
after my decease Item I give and bequeath unto the widdow Warren of Afpuddle
abovesaid three pounds of lawfull money of England to be payed at the end of one
yeare next after my decease Item all the rest and residue of all my goods and
chattles not before given or bequeathed after my debts and legacies payed & discharged
and my funeralls p[er]formed I wholly give and bequeath unto my cosen William
Merefeild whome I make and ordaine my sole executor of this my last will and
Testament And I doe nominate and appoint my loveing neighbour Robert Scutt of Afpuddle
yeoman and Thomas Reason of Pallington abovesaid yeoman overseers of this my
last will and Testament to see and procure my true intent and meaneing to be well
done and p[er]fourmed to each and either of whome I give and bequeath fortie shillings
of lawfull money of England for their paines and travell to be taken on that behalf
In witnes whereof I have herein to sett my hand and seale dated the day and yeare
first above written the marke of the said Nicholas Bereman the Testator It[em]
widdowe Baylie th[e ]elder two pound Item the widdowe P[anter?] two pound Item Thomas
Roberts tenn shillings Memorandu[m] that this will being plainly and openly read unto the
Testator the daie and yeare of the date w[i]thin written he confessed acknowledged the
same to be his very true last will and testament and then did wthall sett his hand
and seale hereunto in the presence of us wittnesses whose names are hereunder written vizt
Thomas Reason Robert Scutt John Coke.
Memorandum that in the moneth of December in the yeare of our Lord God one thousand
six hundred thirtie and seaven and upon or about the two and twentith daye of the
same moneth Nicholas Bereman of the parish of Afpuddle in the Countie of Dorset
yeoman, and after the makeing and publishing of his last will and Testam[en]t in writeing did
by waye of addicon unto his said will utter and declare theis or the like words followeing vizt
he the said Nicholas Bereman did then give and bequeath unto one Richard Mynion for a legacie
the some of twentie pounds which his will and desire was should be added as a codicill
unto his said written will and to be held and adindged as part and parcell of the same w[i]th words
or the like in effect and substance were spoken and uttered by him the said Nicholas
Bereman when he was of p[er]fect minde and memory in the presence and hearing of William
Keynell and Christian Reason William Keynell his marke.