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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: emjsw on Monday 04 February 19 00:02 GMT (UK)
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Hello,
I was wondering if someone may be able to help me read the Will on the left of William Dunsdon please? I am trying to work out what the relationships are between the people and where everyone is located.
I have shrunk it as much as possible but it is still 1.16MB and I can't make it any smaller. The link for it is from ancestry. I have a PDF and JPG copy but it they are too big to post.
If you can help then I thank you so much. If not thanks for taking the time to read my post.
Best wishes,
Emma
Name: William Dunsdon
[Willm Dunsdon]
Probate Date: 29 Apr 1657
Residence: West Hanney, Berkshire, England
England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858
search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=5111&h=707545&tid=119018557&pid=372075691291&hid=1008423027667&usePUB=true&_phsrc=EpS4051&_phstart=default&usePUBJs=true
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It would be better to post the will in small sections.
You'll need to use 'grab' (on A Mac) or 'snipping tool' (on a PC).
Take a screen shot of say the first third of the page, and then see how big the file is.
If you try and post the whole thing as a file that small, it would be unreadable anyway.
As you have found out, you can only post an image up to 500KBs here on Rootschat.
I usually put it through my photo software to get a file size just under 500 KBs.
Not everybody who may be able to help you on here has a subscription to Ancestry
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I took a look at this will on Ancestry. It's not very long but is quite difficult to read (for its time), because the scan is faint and patchy. So I have transcribed the guts of the will, starting at the word Inprimis on the ninth line.
The first eight lines are standard stuff and don't add anything Emma doesn't know already, except for the date as below.
Date of will: 28 June 1656.
...Inprimis I doe give unto my Mother Elizabeth Dunsdon Twentie
shillings. Next I doe give unto Paule Cox of [?ston] my [Susters?] sonne
ffortie shillinges It(e)m I doe give unto my Brother Thomas two Eldest sonnes
John Dunsdon and William Dunsdon the Bond of [?eadie?] Steevens & John
Steevens and all my Brasse and Pewter and my Maltmill to be equallie devided
betwixt them. And unto John I doe give him a peece of Cloth to make him
a Coat. Item I doe give unto my Brother Thomas his Youngest Chil=
=dren* the Bond of John Coxes to be equallie devided betwixt them. Next
I doe give unto my Brother James Dunsdon of [Buckes Berre?] his five Chil=
=dren fortie shillings a peece: It(e)m I doe give unto my [Brothre?] in Law
William Claptcoat of [Hampreston?] in [Dorset?] shere his Children the Bond
of master William yeats to be equallie divided betwixt them. All this to
be paid within One [Halfe?] yeare after my decease. And all the rest of
my goodes moveable and unmoveable I doe give unto my Brothre Thomas
whom I doe make my whole and Sole Executor of this my Last will & Testam(en)t
And I doe nominat & appoint my trustie and wellbeloved [ffrends?] John Cox
and Richard [Daustin/Danstin/Dunstin?] to be Overseers of this my Last will & Testament
to see it performed and done accord** to my intent and meaning In witnes
whereof I have sett to my Hand and Seale the daie and yeare first above
written. William Dunsdon. Signed sealed and deliv(er)ed in the [pr(ese)nce?]
of us: ffrancis Shingleton. John Cox Richard [Dastin?]
* Possibly spelt Childern
** sic
Proved 29 April 1657, by the oath of Thomas Dunsdon the Brother and Sole Executor named therein.
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It would be better to post the will in small sections.
You'll need to use 'grab' (on A Mac) or 'snipping tool' (on a PC).
Take a screen shot of say the first third of the page, and then see how big the file is.
If you try and post the whole thing as a file that small, it would be unreadable anyway.
As you have found out, you can only post an image up to 500KBs here on Rootschat.
I usually put it through my photo software to get a file size just under 500 KBs.
Not everybody who may be able to help you on here has a subscription to Ancestry
Thank you very much for the advice, I will try this in future :)
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I took a look at this will on Ancestry. It's not very long but is quite difficult to read (for its time), because the scan is faint and patchy. So I have transcribed the guts of the will, starting at the word Inprimis on the ninth line.
The first eight lines are standard stuff and don't add anything Emma doesn't know already, except for the date as below.
Date of will: 28 June 1656.
...Inprimis I doe give unto my Mother Elizabeth Dunsdon Twentie
shillings. Next I doe give unto Paule Cox of [?ston] my [Susters?] sonne
ffortie shillinges It(e)m I doe give unto my Brother Thomas two Eldest sonnes
John Dunsdon and William Dunsdon the Bond of [?eadie?] Steevens & John
Steevens and all my Brasse and Pewter and my Maltmill to be equallie devided
betwixt them. And unto John I doe give him a peece of Cloth to make him
a Coat. Item I doe give unto my Brother Thomas his Youngest Chil=
=dren* the Bond of John Coxes to be equallie devided betwixt them. Next
I doe give unto my Brother James Dunsdon of [Buckes Berre?] his five Chil=
=dren fortie shillings a peece: It(e)m I doe give unto my [Brothre?] in Law
William Claptcoat of [Hampreston?] in [Dorset?] shere his Children the Bond
of master William yeats to be equallie divided betwixt them. All this to
be paid within One [Halfe?] yeare after my decease. And all the rest of
my goodes moveable and unmoveable I doe give unto my Brothre Thomas
whom I doe make my whole and Sole Executor of this my Last will & Testam(en)t
And I doe nominat & appoint my trustie and wellbeloved [ffrends?] John Cox
and Richard [Daustin/Danstin/Dunstin?] to be Overseers of this my Last will & Testament
to see it performed and done accord** to my intent and meaning In witnes
whereof I have sett to my Hand and Seale the daie and yeare first above
written. William Dunsdon. Signed sealed and deliv(er)ed in the [pr(ese)nce?]
of us: ffrancis Shingleton. John Cox Richard [Dastin?]
* Possibly spelt Childern
** sic
Proved 29 April 1657, by the oath of Thomas Dunsdon the Brother and Sole Executor named therein.
That is amazing, thank you so much. I think I might have found the Thomas (b 1598) and his children (Thomas 1643, John 1640, William 1637, Jane 1652, Sarra 1638 and Katherin 1652). Thomas 1598's father was a Thomas.
I have yet to find the birth of William who wrote the will. I am guessing he was Childless so was either married without children or died too young to have them. He had a lot to pass on and I wonder if he was an eldest, if that was the case maybe his father was William. There is a William in Berkshire who left a will in 1623 but this may just be co-incidence. I can't find any Dunsdon/Cox or Dunsdon/Claptcoat marriages to verify his female siblings.
I have so much more to go on now though and I am very grateful to you.
Best wishes,
Emma
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part 1
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Part 2
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Part 3
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Part 4
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I've done the first section up until horselydown started at 'Inprimis...' just to complete the whole thing.
You did well getting the images resized and uploaded.
Unfortunately the first one hasn't loaded quite properly - there is a little 'fuzzy' section at the far right.
The other images seem fine, so don't know what happened there.
I have put in brackets what I think would be there.
It's not going to make a lot of difference to the information in it!
In the name of God Amen
And on the Eight and Twentieth day of June in the (year)
of our Lord god One Thousand Six hundred and fiftie Six (I)
William dunsdon of West Hanney in the county of Berks be(ing of)
perfect memorie Thanks be given unto god, I the said William
dunsdon doe make this my last will and Testament in manner & for(me)
following = First I give and bequeath my soule into the hands of A(lmighty)
God my maker and Redeemer by whose death and Passion I tru(ly)
be saved. Inprimis..........
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I've done the first section up until horselydown started at 'Inprimis...' just to complete the whole thing.
You did well getting the images resized and uploaded.
Unfortunately the first one hasn't loaded quite properly - there is a little 'fuzzy' section at the far right.
The other images seem fine, so don't know what happened there.
I have put in brackets what I think would be there.
It's not going to make a lot of difference to the information in it!
In the name of God Amen
And on the Eight and Twentieth day of June in the (year)
of our Lord god One Thousand Six hundred and fiftie Six (I)
William dunsdon of West Hanney in the county of Berks be(ing of)
perfect memorie Thanks be given unto god, I the said William
dunsdon doe make this my last will and Testament in manner & for(me)
following = First I give and bequeath my soule into the hands of A(lmighty)
God my maker and Redeemer by whose death and Passion I tru(ly)
be saved. Inprimis..........
That is great, thank you very much indeed, I can add this to his record :) I followed your advice with uploading the images, I am so pleased that I now know how to get things on here! Thanks for all of your help.
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I am so pleased that I now know how to get things on here!
Invaluable - especially if you're going to be looking at lots of wills. :)