In the Name of God Amen I Thomas Dorrington of Luton in the County of Bedford Yeoman being in good health of Body and of a sound and disposing Mind Memory and Understanding (thanks be given to Almighty God for the same)Do make and ordain this my last Will and Testamt in manner & form following (that is to say) First and principally above all things I recommend my Soul into the Hands of Almighty God my making hoping and assuredly believing through the Merits death and passion of my blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to be made partaker of everlasting Life & my Body I committ to the Earth to be decently buried at the Discretion of my Exce In Trust hereinafter named and Touching and Concerning that temporal estate which God in infinite mercy hath bestowed upon me I give and dispose thereof as followeth First I give and bequeath all and singular my Stock in

farming and all other my Stock wsoever and wheresoever And also all and singular my household Stuff (Except my best bed bedding Curtains and vallence two pair of my best Sheets six of my best cain Chairs my biggest Trunk my largest Chest and my biggest looking Glass I give and bequeath unto Ann my loving Wife for her disposal as she shall think proper) And all other my personal Estate of wt Nature or kind soever (Except as is before Excepted) Unto Edwd Green of Stopsley in the Parish of Luton aforsd Yeoman & George Pates of Luton aforsd Husbandman to be by them of the Survivor of them or the Exrs or Admrs of such Survivor (as soon as conveniently may be after my decease) sold for the best price or prices they can get for the same & the Money thereby arising my Will & mind is shall in the first place be pd & applyd towards paying my debts & funeral Charges & other Charges incident to my Executors & the residue of the Mony so to be raised as aforsd Shall be by my Exrs or the Survivor of them or the Exors or Admrs of such Survivor pd applyd divided & disposed of as is hereinafter mentioned (that is to say) Sixty Pounds part of the said money to be raised as aforsd my Will is shall be by my sd Exrs or the Survivor of them Sixty Pounds part of the said Money to be raised as aforesd my Will is shall be by my sd Exrs or the Survivor of them or the Exrs or Adrs of such Survivor (during the natural Life of my sd Wife in case she shall keep herself my Widow & unmarryd otherwise during her Widowhood only) put and placed forth at Interest upon such security or securities as they shall think fit & approve & the Interest thereof shall be half yearly pd by my sd Exrs or the Survivor of them or the Exrs or Adrs of such Survivor to my sd Wife during her Widowhood or natural Life in case she keeps herself my Widow as afrsd And from & immediately after my Wife's decease or marrying again Then I give & bequeath the sd sixty Pounds to & amongst such of my Grandchildren as shall be then living to be equally divided amongst then share & share alike And the residue & remainder of the Money for my Stock Goods & personal Estate (except as afrsd) shall be sold as afrsd my Will & mind is shall be by my Exrs or the Survivor of them or the Exrs or Admrs of such Survivor equally divided to & amongst my Eleven Children Thos, Wm, John, Dennis, Luke, Katherine, Anne, Alice, Hester, Rebecca and Mary share & share alike only my mind & Will is that my sd son Thos shall have ten Pounds more for his Share than any of my other Children he being my eldest son to be severally & respectively pd to them attain their severall & respective Ages of one & twenty Years or dayes of their several & respective Marriages with the consent of my Exrs or the survivor of them or the Exrs or Admrs of such Survivor which shall first happen And my Mind & Will further is And I do hereby direct that the Share or Shares of such of my Children as shall not be twenty one Years of Age at the time of my decease shall from time to time untill the same shall severally & respectively become payable as aforsd be placed forth at Interest by my Exrs or the Survivor of them or the Exrs or Adrs of such Survivor upon such security or as they shall think fit & approve & the Interest thereof severally & respectively pd to & for the respective Maintenance & Educations of such of my Children as shall not be twenty one Years of Age at the time of my decease (that is) each of them to be maintained or educated out of his or her own Legacy & that such Interest of their sd several Legacies respectively as shall not be pd or applyd in & for their respective Maintenances & Educations shall be added to their several respective principal Sums & pd to them together with the same respectively And in case any or either of my sd Children shall happen to die before his her & their sd Legacy or Legacies shall respectively become payable that then & in such case my Will is that the Legacy or Legacies of him her or them so dying shall go & be pd to the Survivor or Survivors equally between them share & share alike & if but one Survivor the whole to him or her at such time or times as their his or her own proper or original Legacy or Legacies shall become payable Also I give & bequeath unto the sd Edwd Green & George Pates twenty Shillings apeice for the Trouble they will have herein in the Execution of this my Will And I do hereby nominate Constitute and appoint them the sd Edwd Green & George Pates Joint Exrs of this my last Will & Testamt And also Guardians of such of my Children as shall be under Age at the Time of my decease And my Will & meaning further is And I do hereby direct that it shall be & may be lawfull to & for my sd Exrs & Trustees their Exrs & Admrs severally & respectively in the first place from time to time deduct detain & reimburse him & themselves by & out of the premises or any part thereof all such reasonable & necessary Costs Charges damages & Expences as they any or either of them shall sustain Expend or be put unto for or by reason of the Execution of the Trusts hereby in them reposed And that they or either of them shall not be answerable for the Acts deeds & receipts or disbursements of the other of them but each of them only for his own proper Acts deeds receipts and disbursmts & neither of them for any more money or other the premises than he or they shall actually receive or come to his their any or either their hands respectively and neither of them for any Involuntary loss thereof or any part thereof either by insufficient securities or otherwise howsoever And I do hereby revoke all former Wills by me at any time heretofore made & do declare this to be my last Will & Testamt In Witness whereof I have sett my hand contained in four sheets of Paper and my Seale to the last of them this sixteenth day of March in the ninth year of the Reigne of our Sovereign Lord George the second by the Grace of God of Great Britain France & Ireland King Defender of the Faith & so forth & in the Year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred Thirty & five Tho: Dorrington

 

Edwd Ewer

Phillis Ewer

 

Proved: 1st October 1750

Archdeaconry of Bedford

MM23421/1750/34