Description:Wills and their accompanying inventories of goods and chattels, are an excellent source of information for family, social and economic history. A will can provide all kinds of useful information about family relationships and the social and economic status of the testator, that is the person making the will. In addition before 1750, an itemised inventory of the goods of the deceased was drawn up by between two and five unbiased persons called appraisors, overseers or supervisors. The inventory includes all the moveable goods, including there appropriate household goods, clothing, stock-in-trade, farm stock, growing and cut corn, loose money and any rent and debts due but it does not include land.
“In the name of God Amen I Thomas Macrory of Tutbury in the County of Stafford
Yeoman doe make and ordeyne this my present Last Will & Testament in manner & forme following. First I give to my Son Francis my house & lands in Hatton in the County of Derby with th[e]appurtenances and alsoe my house & lands in Tutbury aforesaid which were anticiently the possessions & inheritance of my father William Macrory except hereafter excepted at such time as he shall bee at the Age of one & Twenty yeares old and in the mean time the rents & proffitts of the said Lands to bee imployed for the educacon of all and every of my children respectively. Item I give to my Daughter Jane Macrory (with the consent of my Father in law Francis Chamberlin) the Barne yard & the house & barne thereto belonging with the orchard & backside apperteyninge to the same. Item I give to my said daughter Jane the Summe of Tenn pounds moreover & besides Item I give & bequeath to my Daughter Mary the Summe of Forty pounds. Item I give & bequeath to my Daughter Elizabeth the Summe of Forty pounds. Item I give & bequeath to my Daughter Ellen the Summe of Forty pounds. Item My will & minde is That in case it happen that my wife bee with child & thereof safely delivered That the same child shall have the Summe of Thirty pounds. Item my will & minde is that the said Leggacyes to my said children shall be paide them when they shall severally come to the age of one & Twenty yeares by my Executors hereafter named. Item the residue & remainder of my Goods Chattells & Stock I Give to my said Daughters to be equally divided amongst them..........”
Copyright : Lichfield Record Office , B/C/11 1680/1 Macrory Thomas
Reproduced by courtesy of the Lichfield Diocesan Registrar.