WILL OF SIR EDMUND ANDROS
[Extracted from the Principal Registry of Her Majesty's Court of Probate,
in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.]
In the Name of God, Amen
I Sr. EDMUND ANDROS of Guernsey and now residing in the parish of St Anne in the Liberty of Westminster in the County of Middlesex Knight being in health of body and of good and perfect memory praised be God do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following that is to say First and principally I commend my soul into the hands of Almighty God my Creator trusting and assuredly hoping through the merits and mediation of my blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to inherit eternal life my body to be decently buried but without ostentation and as to the worldly estate it hath pleased God to bless me with I dispose thereof as followeth viz Imprs: I order and direct that all the just debts which I may happen to owe at my decease be forthwith paid Item I give the sum of one hundred pounds for the placing of ten poor children to be apprentices to some trades or otherwise preferred according to the discretion of my Executor that is to say ten pounds for each child Item Whereas I am entitled to two several annuities of fifty pounds p. annum each payable out of the Exchequer by virtue of an Act of Parliament whereof the order for payment for one is number one thousand and ninety four and therefore payment of the other is number four thousand three hundred seventy seven now for a further and better provision for Dame Elizabeth my wife I do give unto her the said two several annuities of fifty pounds p: ann: a piece together with the several Tallys and Orders relating thereunto for and during the term of her natural life only and I also give unto my said wife the sum of one hundred pounds to be paid to her immediately after my death which said several annuities for life and one hundred pounds I do hereby direct appoint and declare are for and in lieu of a jointure and in full recompence of her dower and are hereby given to my said wife upon condition that she shall not claim any interest right or title in or to any lands tenements or hereditaments of which I am or shall be seized at the time of my decease and if my said wife shall after my death claim any estate right title or interest in or to any of my lands tenements or hereditaments Then the bequest herein made unto her of the said several annuities and of the said one hundred pounds as aforesaid shall be void and of none effect and then and in such case I give the said several annuities and the said one hundred pounds unto my Executor hereinafter named And from and after the decease of my said wife I also give the said two several annuities of fifty pounds each unto my Executor hereinafter named together with the Tallys & orders relating thereunto Item I give the sum of two hundred pounds which is due to me by bond from Thomas Cooper near Maidstone in Kent taken in the name of my late sister in law Mrs Hannah Crispe and all the interest that shall be due thereupon unto Christopher Clapham Esq (son of my late dear deceased wife) if I do not in some other give or secure to the said Christopher Clapham the sd. debt of two hundred pounds and interest Item I give to Edwin Wiat Esq Serjeant at Law (if he shall survive me) and in case of his death before me to his Executors Administrators or assigns the sum of three hundred pounds which is due and owing to me by mortgage made from Mrs Mary Hurt unto my said late wife by the name of Elizabeth Clapham Widow and all interest that shall be due thereupon and all my right and interest in and to the same upon this condition that the said Serjt. Wiat his executors administrators or assigns shall within six months next after my decease pay unto the said Christopher Clapham Esq the sum of two hundred pounds which sum I do give to the said Mr. Clapham out of the said debt Item I give to my niece Elizabeth daughter of my late brother John Andros deceased the sum of two hundred pounds Item I give to my niece Ann daughter of my said late brother John Andros the sum of one hundred pounds Item I give to my nephew Cæsar son of my sd. late brother John Andros the sum of one hundred pounds Item I give to my nephew Edmund son of my said late brother John Andros the yearly sum of twenty pounds for his maintenance which sd. yearly sum of twenty pounds my will is shall be paid by my Executor hereinafter named free from all taxes charges and payments whatsoever unto my said nephew Edmund or to such person or persons as shall from time to time have the care and keeping of him by equal half yearly payments for and during the term of his natural life that is to say at the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel the first payment to begin and to be made at such of the said feasts as shall first happen after my death Item I give unto my nephew William son of my said late brother John Andros the sum of one hundred pounds Item I give to my nephew George Son of my late brother George Andros deceased all my estate and interest in the Island of Alderney which I shall be seized or possessed of at the time of my death either in fee simple or for any term of years or otherwise howsoever in the said Island of Alderney together with all powers privileges and francises to me belonging and all my right title and interest thereto and I also give unto my said nephew George Andros the sum of five hundred pounds Item whereas there is payable to me or my assigns out of the Exchequer and chargeable on the Revenue of Excise by Act of Parliament two several annuities of fifty pounds each whereof the order for one is number four hundred sixty three & the order for the other is number four hundred sixty four I do hereby give unto my said nephew George Andros the said two several annuitys or yearly sums of fifty pounds & all my term benefit & advantages in & to the same together with the Tallys and orders relating thereunto to be delivered to him immediately after my decease Item I give to my niece Anne Lemesurier daughter of my said late Brother George Andros the sum of one hundred pounds Item Whereas Cæsar Knapton Gent is indebted to me in several sums of money by bond mortgage or otherwise the mortgage being made to Ralph Marshall Esq & by him assigned to me in lieu of moneys had of mine I do hereby give unto the sd. Cæsar Knapton all such moneys as remains due to me from him & do also release unto him and his heirs all securities which I have for the same Item I give to William Le Merchant Son of my late niece Elizabeth Le Merchant dec'ed the sum of one hundred pounds and to his sister Elizabeth the now wife of Mr. Elizea Le Merchant the like sum of one hundred pounds Item I release and discharge my cousin Magdalen Andros Widow the Relict of my Cousin Amos Andros deceased and his heirs off and from all and every the sum and sums of money which is due and owing to me from the said Amos Andros by Bond or otherwise Item I release & discharge my cousin Mary Andros (daughter of the said Amos Andros deceased) off and from all sum and sums of money charges and other expences whatsoever which I have disbursed or have been at for her late maintenance or might have or clayme any wise for the same and also I give unto her the said Mary Andros the sume of one hundred pounds and my mind and will is and I doe hereby direct that the several and respective legacies hereinbefore given shall be by my Executor hereinafter named paid or assigned to the said several legatees entitled thereto within one year next after my decease nevertheless my will is and I do hereby declare that the said several legacies hereinbefore given are given to the said several legatees respectively upon condition that they do not claim any other part of my estate than what is hereby given to them respectively and that if any or either of them or any other person or persons on their or any of their behalfs or claiming by or under them either or any of them shall or do clayme any part of my estate either real or personal other than what is by this my Will given to them respectively or shall in any wise molest hinder or disturb my nephews John Andros or his heirs or any claiming under him or them in the quiet possession or enjoyment thereof or shall upon his or their request refuse to release all his her or their claim interest or pretensions in or to all or any part or parcel of my estate other than what is hereinbefore respectively given to them That then and from thenceforth the legacy or legacys so given to him her or them respectively as aforesaid so claiming or refusing as aforesaid shall respectively cease determine and be utterly void and in such case I give the said legacy or legacys so as to be made void as aforesaid unto my said nephew John (eldest son of my said brother John Andros dec'ed) and his heirs Item I give to Mrs. Margaret Baxter Widow the yearly sum of ten pounds to be paid to her tax free out of the interest rents issues and profits of the mortgage money hereinafter mentioned to be due to me from the estate of my late cousin Margaret Lowdon deceased by equal quarterly payments for and during the natural life of the said Mrs. Baxter the first payment whereof to begin and to be made at the end of three calendar months next after my decease Item I discharge the heirs executors and administrators of the said Mrs. Margaret Lowdon of and from all interest money that shall remain due to me at the time of my decease over and above what sums of money she did in her lifetime pay and which they or any of them shall have paid to me or by my order for the sum of four hundred pounds which is due to me on the mortgage of her estate in Harron Alley without Aldgate London Item all other my estate whatsoever both real and personal in Great Britain Guernsey or elsewhere not herein disposed of after all my debts legacies and funeral expences shall be paid and satisfied I give devise and bequeath unto my said nephew John (eldest son of my said late brother John Andros deceased) and to his heirs But my will is that my said nephew John or his heirs shall within two years after my decease (if not built before) build a good suitable house on or at the Manor of Saçmares in Guernsey aforesaid and if the said John or his heires shall not in that time build such house (if not built before) Then my Will is and I do hereby direct and appoint my said nephew John or his heires to pay the sum of five hundred pounds unto my said nephew George Andros within one year after his or their neglect to build such house as aforesaid and I do hereby make ordain constitute and appoint my said nephew John Andros (in case he survives me) Sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament But if my said nephew John Andros shall be then dead then and in such case I make his heirs male Sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament And I do hereby revoke annul and make void all former wills by me made declaring this to be my last Will and Testament In witness whereof to this my last Will and Testament contained in five sheets of paper I have to each of the said sheets sett my hand and seal the nineteenth day of July Anno Dom: 1712 and in the eleventh year of the reign of our Sovereign Lady Anne by the Grace of God of Great Britain France and Ireland Queen Defender of the Faith
E. ANDROS.
Signed sealed declared and published by the said Sir Edmund Andros to be his last Will and Testament in the presence of the Witnesses hereunder written which said Witnesses subscribed their names in the presence of the said Sir Edmund Andros—James Spenceley—Rob: Hodson Jno. Hodson—
Probatum fuit hujus modi Testamentum apud London coram Venerabili Viro Johanne Andrew Legum Doctore Surrogato Præhonorandi viri Domini Caroli Hodges Militis Legum Etiam Doctoris Curiæ Prerogativæ Cantuariensis Magistri Custodis Sive Commissarii legitime constituti Octavo die mensis Martii Anno D'ni Millesimo Septingentesimo decimo tertio juramento Johannis Andros Armigeri Executoris in dicto Testamento nominati Cui Commissa fuit administratio omnium et singulorum bonorum jurium et creditorum dicti defuncti de bene et fideliter administrando eadem ad Sancta Dei Evangelii Jurat.