Author Topic: Will of Richard Aylmer 1514  (Read 5284 times)

Offline WillowG

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Will of Richard Aylmer 1514
« on: Wednesday 10 October 18 18:12 BST (UK) »
This will cost me (almost) quite literally blood, sweat and tears to find :)

I knew it existed, because it is indexed in this book here:

Index of wills proved in the Prerogative court of Canterbury 1383-1558. And now preserved in the principal Probate registry, Somerset house, London
https://archive.org/details/indexofwillsprov10chur/page/26

(Said indexed entry has also been digitalised by Ancestry here:

Text: 1514 Aylemer, Aymere, Richiard, St. Peter Mancrofte, Norwich 31 Fetiplace
In their: Collection: England: Canterbury - Wills Proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 1383-1558 (A-J))

Using the information in the indexed entry and a painstaking (and painful) look-at-one-image-at-time approach and eventually cheating by finding another will with the same coding that had been transcribed properly and then working forwards and backwards from there again employing the same painstaking (and painful) look-at-one-image-at-time approach, I found it! :)

Ancestry has the name transcribed as Richard Dymore, Probate: 22 Feb 1514

I am fairly certain that this would the same will that the National Archives have here:

Will of Richard Rymere
Reference: PROB 11/17/615
Description: Will of Richard Rymere
Date: 26 February 1515
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Closure status: Open Document, Open Description
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D974713

I do believe, however, and I hope that the group will agree with me, that this is our very own Richard Aylmer (d.1512) of Norwich :)

The son of Robert Aylmer (d.1493) of Norwich
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=799398.0

And the brother of Thomas Aylmer (d.1500) of Norwich
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=800847.0

Going through the two above wills has allowed us to piece together the following family tree:

Robert Aylmer (d.1493), Grocer, Sheriff of Norwich in 1471, Alderman of Norwich in 1480, Mayor of Norwich in 1481 and 1492. He was married to Elizabeth (d.1518). He had two sons, Richard (d.1512) and Thomas (d.1500), and two daughters, Cecile and Elizabeth (d. 15th of September 1493). After his death his widow Elizabeth is involved in a suit with Sir William Knyvett - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_William_Knyvett. At some point after this suit, Elizabeth remarries, to Thomas Thursby.

His son, Richard Aylmer (d.1512), Grocer, Sheriff of Norwich in 1501, Mayor in 1511. Married firstly to Joan, and had by her two sons and two daughters. After Joan's death he remarries again to an unknown second wife and has by her four daughters.

In his will in 1500, Robert's second son and Richard's younger brother Thomas Aylmer mentions a nephew named John Aylmer.

He is of particular interest, since we know that the father of Bishop John Aylmer is said to have been a John.

This John could be one of the two sons that we know Richard Aylmer had, or he could be an illegitimate child of one of his sisters.

Perhaps of Elizabeth, the sister of Richard and Thomas Aylmer, who died on the 15th day of September 1493? A month or two after her father, Robert Aylmer, who died in July or August 1493, but who makes no mention of a daughter Elizabeth in his will?

Or of a sister who married someone with the same last name?

My hope is that this last will & testament will tell us more about Richard Aylmer's family, and hopefully give us more information regarding this John Aylmer, who is of great interest to us.

I apologise for the wretched quality of this, which is undoubtedly why it took me so long to find it, and why the name is mistranscribed so abominably ill both at Ancestry and the National Archives.

The full will here:
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/5111/40611_311116-00503/852299?backurl=https%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2fsearch%2fdb.aspx%3fdbid%3d5111%26path%3d&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnBrowsing#?imageId=40611_311116-00500

My only comfort is that the will numbers only one page, and it does get better. A lengthy middle part is of much better quality.

Thank you so much in advance if you feel called to take this on :) :) :)

Offline goldie61

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Re: Will of Richard Aylmer 1514
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 10 October 18 21:55 BST (UK) »
As you say Willow. a terrible quality! :(

I have lightened it up a bit via my photograph software, but it can't do anything about the tiny sploged writing!
At least this one is in English and not Latin.

Have made a start - and then I gave up!

In dei nom Amen I Richard Aymere make my testamente and will in my ryghte mynde the yere of our lord
god ?  v xjv the xjth daye of Auguste/ Fyrst I bequeth my soule to god Almyghty/ And to oure lady synt mary and to
synt petyr myn A? And to all the holy company of hevyn And my body to be buried in synt Peters churche
by my wyffes sepulcor/And I will have a ?  that shall Cover her grave and myn/ And
eve? ??


As you say, hopefully the bit you may be more interested giving family relationships, will be easier to see.

'What a mission', as my daughter would say, to find it.
If family history research has taught us anything, it's perseverance and resilience, and sheer refusal to accept something doesn't exist against all odds.  ;)
Lane, Burgess: Cheshire. Finney, Rogers, Gilman:Derbys
Cochran, Nicol, Paton, Bruce:Scotland. Bertolle:London
Bainbridge, Christman, Jeffs: Staffs

Offline WillowG

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Re: Will of Richard Aylmer 1514
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 10 October 18 23:01 BST (UK) »
As you say Willow. a terrible quality! :(

It's honestly the worst I have ever seen! Why in the world would you hire someone whose only job (I assume) was to copy things ... by hand ... in handwriting ... who has this handwriting? :)

I am so glad that hiring clearly incompetent people was equally in vogue 500 years ago ::)

Our teacher who taught us penmanship would have put him on her Must complete extra exercises-list in a flat second, lololol :)

I have lightened it up a bit via my photograph software, but it can't do anything about the tiny sploged writing!
At least this one is in English and not Latin.

Have made a start - and then I gave up!

In dei nom Amen I Richard Aymere make my testamente and will in my ryghte mynde the yere of our lord
god ?  v xjv the xjth daye of Auguste/ Fyrst I bequeth my soule to god Almyghty/ And to oure lady synt mary and to
synt petyr myn A? And to all the holy company of hevyn And my body to be buried in synt Peters churche
by my wyffes sepulcor/And I will ha? a ?  that shall Cover her grave and myn/ And
everie?


Oh, but this is wonderful! :) :D :) Thank you so much! Honestly, I don't get how you managed to get that much of the content out of that horrid handwriting!!! I am convinced it must be a gift! :) :) :) (And the result of expertise and skill, obviously! :) )

As you say, hopefully the bit you may be more interested giving family relationships, will be easier to see.

'What a mission', as my daughter would say, to find it.
If family history research has taught us anything, it's perseverance and resilience, and sheer refusal to accept something doesn't exist against all odds.  ;)

Never give up, never give in! ;) No, indeed, where would we be if let a little thing like brick walls slow us down? ;D

I am just going to go ahead and post the next two snippets. I do think that the handwriting improves a bit from the fourth snippet on. Perhaps the clerk finally realised that he was in fact living in the 16th century and it was a bit early to start trying to save the rainforest by saving paper by cramming in as many words as possible on a page ::)

I hope this will not deter any brave souls who wish to tackle the missing parts from snippet 2 if they feel so called upon ;)

Thank you again, Goldie, this was utterly wonderful!!! :) :D :) So impressive

Offline goldie61

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Re: Will of Richard Aylmer 1514
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 10 October 18 23:18 BST (UK) »

It's honestly the worst I have ever seen!

Perhaps the clerk finally realised that he was in fact living in the 16th century and it was a bit early to start trying to save the rainforest by saving paper by cramming in as many words as possible on a page ::)


Not quite the worst I've seen willow.
I had some Scottish sasines (land deeds) a few years ago.
Now there's something to make you go cross eyed!
I think I read that the scribes did actually have to buy the paper they were writing on, so made a huge effort to write as small as possible with the most spidery writing imaginable to cram in as much as possible on each page. Talk about a nightmare!
All that together with the Scottish dialect, the old Scots language and specific Scottish law terms made for some interesting times!  :D
Lane, Burgess: Cheshire. Finney, Rogers, Gilman:Derbys
Cochran, Nicol, Paton, Bruce:Scotland. Bertolle:London
Bainbridge, Christman, Jeffs: Staffs


Offline goldie61

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Re: Will of Richard Aylmer 1514
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 11 October 18 00:00 BST (UK) »
for theruppon and my  children synny...es therupon/ Also I will have one my burying daye a solempue durge
and a masse of requyem And xij poor folk to have gowns of black fryse and they to holde candles or taperes aboute(?)
my heres And they to have eche of them in money iiij d/And ev(er)y prest and ? at my durge iiijd p?es and ij ?
and children jd /Also I will have on my xxxti dayes a solempue durge and masse of requyem praying for my soule
my wyffes soule and all my frendes soules and all cristen soules and xij poor ? to have gownes and money as it is

Infor Wryten/ Also I will have a Comon dole (or ?) to ev(e)ry p(ar)isshe within Norwich And ev(er)y p(ar)ishe (?) that will take
take it jd a pece/ Also I bequeth to the blessed Tr??ter w(i)t(h)in Norwich xxs there to syng a solempur durge and masse
of requyem praying for my soule and also my frendes soules and also Cristen soules /Item I bequeth to the iij orders
of friers within Norwich to ev(er)y order xx s /And they to ? a solempur durge and masse of requyem praying for
Lane, Burgess: Cheshire. Finney, Rogers, Gilman:Derbys
Cochran, Nicol, Paton, Bruce:Scotland. Bertolle:London
Bainbridge, Christman, Jeffs: Staffs

Offline Bookbox

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Re: Will of Richard Aylmer 1514
« Reply #5 on: Thursday 11 October 18 00:07 BST (UK) »
Snippet 1: Test(amentu)m Ric(ardi) Aymere (possibly?)

Snippet 2 line 2: for the year, how about ... mlo vC ix = 1509 ?

Snippet 2 line 4: ... And I will have a stone that shall Cover her grave and myn ...

Offline Bookbox

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Re: Will of Richard Aylmer 1514
« Reply #6 on: Thursday 11 October 18 00:42 BST (UK) »
Snippet 2 end of line 4 - Snippet 3 line 1

... And oure symylitudes to be
set theruppon  And my children(s) symylitud(es) thereupon ...


(= family portraits/effigies to be put on the tombstone?)

Offline horselydown86

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Re: Will of Richard Aylmer 1514
« Reply #7 on: Thursday 11 October 18 06:06 BST (UK) »
A couple of additions to goldie's work on Snippet #3:

                                                                                                                  ...tapers aboute

my hers And they to have eche of them in money iiijd And ev(er)y prest and Clerkes at my dirige iiijd prestes and ijd Clerkes

And children jd Also I will have on my xxxti daye a solempne dirige...



hers = hearse


...And xij pou(er) men to have gownes...

Offline horselydown86

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Re: Will of Richard Aylmer 1514
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 11 October 18 06:17 BST (UK) »
A couple of additions to goldie's work on Snippet #4:

...aforr wyten..........and ev(er)y p(er)sone that will take...

...the blessed Trinitie...

...the iiij orders...

...And they to kepe a solempne dirige...