LAST WILL & TESTAMENT John Kingsley 1837
The last Will and Testament of me John Kingsley of Pirton in the County of Hertford
Yeoman
I appoint my son Charles and my Friends William Cox and William Hanscombe
Executors of my Will and I devise to them and their heirs all my freehold messuages
cottages lands tenements and real Estate situate at Pirton or elsewhere Upon trust that
they or the survivors or survivor of them or his heirs do and shall as Soon as
conveniently may be after my decease sell and dispose thereof either together or in
parcels and by Public Sale or private contract as they in their discretion shall think fit
for the most money and best price that can be reasonably obtained for the same
And I authorise and direct my said Trustees and Executor’s and the survivors and
survivor of them and his heirs in like manner to sell and dispose of all my Copyhold
Estates and to facilitate such sales I declare that the Conveyances and Receipt of my
said Trustees or of the survivors or survivor of them or his heirs shall be a good and
effectual assurances to the purchases or purchasers thereof and a sufficient discharge
for the purchase money
And that no purchaser taking such Conveyance and Receipts shall be bound to see to
the application of the purchase money or be in any wise answerable for the
misapplication or non application thereof
I declare that notwithstanding the appointment of my said son Charles as one of the
Trustees and Executors of this my Will it shall be lawful for him to bid for and
become the purchaser of my real estate or any part or parts thereof at any Public Sale
or to take the same or any part thereof at a Valuation to be made by the indifferent
persons one to be chosen by my said Son Charles and the other by the said William
Cox and William Hanscombe or their umpire
And I direct that the produce of such sales be added to my personal estate – I give to
my Executors all my personal estate whatsoever and whosoever Upon trust to convert
into money such parts thereof as shall not consist of money
And I direct my said Executor out of the produce of my real and personal estate in the
first place to pay and discharge all my debts whether on Mortgate Band or otherwise
which may be due and owing at the time of my decease and my Funeral and
Testamentary expences –
Having already advanced to my elder Son John Kingsley considerable sums of
money I give to him the sum of Twenty Guineas Upon condition that he do if required
join as my Heir at law in the Conveyance of my freehold and copyhold Estates to the
respective Puchases thereof –
my Son Joseph having received from his mother about one hundred pounds I give to
him the further sum of two hundred pounds And each of my other childred Except my
Sons Charles and Jesse and my daughter Charlotte the Wife of John Griffin having also received considerable sums of money I give to each of them my said Son Charles and my said daughter Charlotte the sum of three hundred pounds and I direct my Executor to lay out and invest the sum of three hundred pounds in the purchase of an Annuity during the lives of my said Sons Jesse and Sarah his wife and the life of the longer liver of them and I direct that such Annuity shall be paid to my said son Jesse and to his assigns during his life and after his decease to the said Sarah if she should be then living and her assigns for the remainder of her life but so as not to give either of them a Power of anticipation over or of assigning or charging the payments
thereafter to become due
I also give to my Grandson John Thrussell Nineteen Guineas
To my Granddaugher Peggy Kingsley now living with me Nineteen Guineas –To my Housekeeper Sarah Reynolds Nineteen Guineas –
and to James Hanscombe a labourer in my employ Five pounds
And I direct that the residue of the produce of my real and personal estate be divided
into eleven equal parts
And I give one of such parts unto and equally between all the childred of my late Son
George who may live to be applied towards their maintenance and education
I give one other of such parts unto and equally between all the Children of my late
Son William who may live to attain the age of twenty one years with interest in the
meantime to be applied towards their maintenance and education
I give one other of such parts unto and equally between all the Children of my late
daughter Frances who may live to attain the age of twenty one years with interest in
the meantime to be applied towards their maintenance and education –
I give one other of such parts unto each of my Children James – Mary – Thomas –
Sarah – Charles – Charlotte – Jesse and Joseph And in case of the death of any or
either of them in my liefetime leaving issue I give the share of him her or their so
dying and equally between all his or her children who may live to attain the age of
twenty one years with interst to be applied in the meantime towards their maintenance
and education
I declare that it shall be lawful for my said Executors and Trustees to deduct and
retain and each to pay to the other all such costs charges and expences as they or they
or he shall sustain or be put to in the execution or defence of this my Will or the trusts
thereof And that one of them shall not be answerable or accountable for the other of
them or for the acts receipts neglects or defaults of the other of them And that neither
of them shall be responsible for any more money than shall actually come to his hands
nor for any loss which may happen by placing the said trust money or any part
therefore in any Bank or Bankers hands for safe custody or otherwise without his
neglect or wilful default In Witness where I the said John Kingsley the Testator have
to each sheet of this my last Will and Testament contained in three sheets of paper set
my hand this sixteenth day of November one thousand eight hundred and thirty seven
John Kingsley
Signed published and declared by the said John Kingsley the Testator as and for his
last Will and Testament in the presence of us who in his presence at his request and in
the presence of each other attest the same as Witnesses
John Hawkins
Williams Hawkins
Thos Widdons
A Codicil to the Will of me John Kinglsey
Having by my Will given to my Son Jesse one eleventh part of the residue of my
personal Estate Now I hereby revoke such bequest and in lieu thereof I direct my
Executors to lay out and invest such part or so much thereof as may be necessary in
the purchase of an Annuity of so much as with the Annuity to be purchased with the
three hundred pounds in the manner directed by my Will shall make up a yearly
income of twenty six pounds during the lives of my said son Jesse and his wife Sarah
to be aid to him and to his assigns for his life and after his decease for her and her
assigns for her life but so as not to give either of them a power of anticipating or of
assigning or charging the payments thereafter to become due in like manner as I have
directed with regard to the Annuity to be purchased with the three hundred pounds by
my Will bequeathed for that purpose – I give to my Grand daugther Clarissa Thrussell
Nineteen Guineas – and I give the residue unto and equally between my children
James – Mary Thomas – Sarah – Charles – Charlotte & Joseph and the children of my deceased children George William and Frances such grand children to take between them the share to which their parent would have been entitled
In Witness whereof I have hereto set my hand this second day of December 1837
John Kingsley
Signed published and declared by the
said Testator as a Codicil to his Will
in the presence of us
John Hawkins
William Hawkins
Thos. Widdons
A Codicil to the Will of me John Kingsley
I devise my two cottages with the Gardens Orchards and appurtenances which I
purchased of George Arnold Hailey in Pirton aforesaid now in the occupation of
David Button and Joseph Reynolds to my Son John Kingsley and to his assigns for his
life and at his decease to Peggy Kingsley his wife and to her assigns for her life And
after the decease of the survivor of them I devise the same to my said Executors their
heirs and assigns Upon trust to sell the same in the manner directed by my said Will
with regard to my other estates
In Witness whereof I have hereto set my hand this fifteenth day of January 1839
John Kingsley
Signed published and declared –
By the said John Kinglsey as a Codicil
To his Will in the presence of us who
In his presence attest the same
John Hawkins
James Dawson
The 20th day of May 1775
On which day personally appeared Elizabeth Kingsley of Pirton in the County of
Hertford and alledged she was the widow and Relict of John Kingsley late of Pirton
aforesaid in the county of Hertford and Archdeaconary of Huntingdon Yeoman
deceased and that the said John Kinsley lately died intestate Wherefore the said
Elizabeth Kingsley prayed that administration of all and singular the goods chattels
and credits of the said deceased might be committed to her the said Elizabeth
Kingsley as Widow and Relict of the said deceased
The mark of Elizabeth Kingsley
Sworn before me
J P Morgan Surrogate
source: http://www.pirtonhistory.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Kingsleyjohn-web.pdf