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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: emjsw on Monday 08 April 19 20:30 BST (UK)
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Hello,
Please could someone help me to understand what a section of this will means?
I can read most of it but I am having trouble understanding what this means (and maybe it is the language of the day:
....said son John Cockins shall pay ?? Harricott ? my living at Upper Heyford* in the county above said and for ? ? ? shall quitt him of ? ? year.....
* He died at Whitehill Tackley but his children were all baptised in Upper Heyford.
Is Harricott a person or a place do you think? He wasn't living there a the time.
If you can explain what this means I would be really grateful.
Many thanks Emma
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..........my said son John Cockins shall pay the Harricott belonging
my living at Upper Heyford in the county abovesaid and for yt
my Exe(cut)ors shall quitt him of the Deads year,
Harricott will be the 'herriot' - a fee payable to the lord of the manor or whoever he leased his land from. Often 'the best beast'.
Ah. Found the section to quote.
HERRIOT, HERRIOTT, HERIOT, HERYOT: a payment that a tenant was required to make on the death of one of the people on whose lives the length of the tenancy depended. The herriot was usually the “best beast” of the occupier of the premises or a monetary sum in lieu (usually around 10s-40s), at the election of the landlord. Although the system of heriots survived well into the 18th century, the “best beast” had by then been commuted into a cash sum.
Here is a definition of the 'Dead's year'.
Joseph Wright in 'The English Dialect Dictionary' gives the following definition of deads year and quotes examples of its use in South Worcestershire and Wiltshire. DEADS YEAR. The year immediately following any one's death.
From https://lists.rootsweb.com/hyperkitty/list/old-english@rootsweb.com/thread/11993670/
'The dead's year' - given here as also known as 'the Executor's year'
http://wills.oxfordshirefhs.org.uk/az/wtext/gateman_003.
The Executor's Year is an accepted time frame (12 months from the date of death) to allow executors and administrators time to gather information together and check for potential claims and debts before the estate is shared amongst beneficiaries
From https://www.executorsinsurance.co.uk/what-is-the-executors-year/
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Thank you so much for the translation and for the explanation of the terms. I had not heard of either before.
I really appreciate your help.
Best wishes,
Emma