Help needed to decipher a will - 415 yrs old ?

[notaninch]

I need help in deciphering what is in the will. I don't necessarily need it verbatim as long as I have all the important detail, names dates relationships. Not sure if it is English or Latin or just handwriting that is very difficult to decipher.  It is also held on findmypast 1602 William Penifather at Barton-Under-Needwood.

[ciderdrinker]

Hi
Excuse me if I don't get quite big bits of it but here's a start.
William Pennyfeather of Barton Needwood in the County of Stafford being of sound mind and perfect memory do make this my last Will and testement 6th day of  1601.He appoints as executor Thomas Holland and others.
It is in English but the script is awful to decipher.
I do give and bequeth to the poor of the town of Barton --- --- --- ---.I do also give unto Alice Merricocke? --- ---- --- --- ---.And the residue of all my goods I do give unto Margaret Pennyfeather my sister.

The bit at the bottom may be in latin granting the probate to Margaret Pennyfeather and Thomas Holland of Barton Stafford.

Can anyone do better?

ps have you tried the 1576 Will yet?

Ciderdrinekr

[notaninch]

Ciderdrinker

Certainly helps. I know his sister was Margaret. I also know his mother was Joan Holland. All in all it confirms his relationships as I understood them before knowing the contents of the will. Job well done. Now you've thrown me on the will of 1576, explain please. Not sure if that William is his direct line. This William had a father named John. Unless of course it is John's father

[goldie61]

' William Pennyfather of Barton under Needwood in
the Countie of Staffs, being of sounde & perfect memorie
did make his last will by wordes  upon the
sixt daie of Marche, Anno Dim 1602, And died
the seaventhe daie of Marche next following
in the presence of Thomas Holland & others
The tenor of which wordes followeth               viz

I doe geve & bequeathe to the poore of the said
Towne of Barton fortye shillings
I doe also geve unto Alice Meurrocke other
fortie shillings And the residue of all my
goods I doe geve unto Margaret Pennyfather
my sister'

It doesn't say he actually appoints Thomas Holland as executor, and as you say ciderdrinker, the Latin bit at the bottom mentions Margaret Pennyfather and Thomas Holland.
You need Bookbox to translate that! 

[notaninch]

' William Pennyfather of Barton under Needwood in
the Countie of Staffs, being of sounde & perfect memorie
did make his last will by wordes  upon the
sixt daie of Marche, Anno Dim 1602, And died
the seaventhe daie of Marche next following
in the presence of Thomas Holland & others
The tenor of which wordes followeth               viz

I doe geve & bequeathe to the poore of the said
Towne of Barton fortye shillings
I doe also geve unto Alice Meurrocke other
fortie shillings And the residue of all my
goods I doe geve unto Margaret Pennyfather
my sister'

It doesn't say he actually appoints Thomas Holland as executor, and as you say ciderdrinker, the Latin bit at the bottom mentions Margaret Pennyfather and Thomas Holland.
You need Bookbox to translate that! 

Goldie this is great many thanks for help. I also have an inventory from the will of his father John who died in 1598. Is it possible to ask another favour? I would like to know who are the names included at the top of the inventory list after John Penifather Yeoman. Too big to send full version but cut the intro into a smaller JPEG file attachment

[goldie61]

It's a very small file notaninch - only 37 KB. You are allowed a size file of 500 KB.
It helps to have a larger file size so that the image is still clear when you zoom in on it - this one goes quite fuzzy.

I think the names are:
Thomas Holland, John Lang(? - could do with seeing this one more clearly),
Rich(ard) Holland, Roger Whitehead, Will(iam) Holland, John Royle.

If you want to post some of the Inventory, you can crop it into small sections - the bigger the file size for each one the better, and crop just the image - this one of the top of the Inventory seems to have a large portion of blank page around it?

[Bookbox]

The bit at the bottom may be in latin granting the probate to Margaret Pennyfather and Thomas Holland of Barton Stafford.

There was no probate as such. It's a nuncupative will (delivered orally), no executor was named, nor (apparently) were there any signatories. Administration of the estate was granted to Margaret Pennyfather, with Thomas Holland as bondsman, to ensure the law was complied with.

Fiat administrac(i)o bonorum suprano(m)i(n)ati defuncti Margrete
Pennyfather sorori eiusdem defuncti secund(um) tenorem ultime
eius voluntat(is) ut supra declarat(um)
Ob(ligatus) Thom(a)s Holland de Barton subtus Needwood in Com(itatu)
Stafford gen(er)osus

Let there be administration of the goods of the above-named deceased (granted) to Margaret Pennyfather, sister of the same deceased, according to the tenor of his last will as declared above. Thomas Holland, gentleman, of Barton under Needwood in the county of Stafford, (was) bound.

ADDED - I think Alice may be Meurcocke.

ADDED - I think the year is actually written 1601, though equivalent to 1602 in the modern calendar, as the dates are before 25 March.

[Bookbox]

John Lang(? - could do with seeing this one more clearly

Subject to seeing a larger image, I think this one might be John Cowp(er).

[goldie61]

I'd considered it might be  a 'C' bookbox - but seeing the scribe's propensity for Secretary Hand curly capital letters, I thought a 'C' would have been of that ilk. 

Just shows how things can come out differently notaninch!

I had a name transcribed by two of the big sites as 'Dooley' once - turned out to be 'Peach'!

Here I would always bow to Bookbox's greater knowledge.