Need Help please with 1 Word in mid-1740's County Durham Will

[stanmapstone]

From the OED
Box;  b. transf. The money contained in such a box; a fund for a particular purpose. Cf. box-club n. at Compounds 3. "box-club  n. a society for mutual aid in distress, a friendly or provident society."

Stan

[JenB]

Often referred to as ‘Box Clubs’.  Friendly Societies did not have banking facilities, so funds were kept in a Box.  When a member needed assistance, it was referred to as being ‘on the box’ or ‘on the sick club’,  In Burnham when a member died, the widow would receive £2.10 shillings.  If a wife died, the widower would receive £5, £2.10 shillings for the funeral, the rest to find a new wife!   No time for grief and mourning !

Each society would have its committee, but there were literacy problems as many members had little schooling.  Some clubs hired the services of the local doctor to fulfil the function of treasurer, There would be other committee members such as stewards, who provided the connection between the money, the Box and the people.
http://www.streetsociety.org/projects/friendly-societies-and-their-brass-emblems/

Also see http://www.rootschat.com/links/01l97/ second paragraph.

[Westoe]

Thank you Wiggy, a-l, JenB and stanmapstone for these replies.

I always try to not ask for help until I've had a good go at it on my own. I deliberately didn't use the word "Box" in my initial post because I did not want to colour anyone's interpretations, though I had already investigated "Box Clubs" which is how I came to the conclusion that it was a "Friendly Society". Your link to the "brass emblems" is new to me JenB, for which my further thanks.

But what I see in the will looks to be too long a word to be "Boxer" which is why I posted the snippett here, hoping that someone who does handwriting deciphering might make some other word out of it that would yield a clue I can follow up.

Cheers,
Westoe

[horselydown86]

I took a long look at this problem this afternoon without coming to a conclusion definitive enough to post.

I see the word as B-o-?-o-a-r.

(There's a small chance the second letter could be an e.)

The third letter is possibly an x, mainly on the basis that it doesn't appear to be anything else.

The question is, when did the modern form of x come into use?

The earlier form of the letter x has a tail which extends below the line.

I have Chancery pleadings from the years around 1730 in which that tailed form of x is still in use.

It would be great if you could find another x in your document.  Are there any dates or numbers in which x is used?

[JenB]

Could it not simply be a rather idiosyncratic spelling of Boxer?

[Westoe]

Thank you, horselydown86,

I will go back to the original and look for another "x" though not too hopeful as it is a short document.

Cheers,
Westoe

[horselydown86]

Looking again, it's quite likely that the second last letter is an o.

Westoe, what is your reading of the word between Utensills and tools?

It looks like:  ...Utensills ^& toork tools...

It might help explain what the writer is up to with his -oor combination.

ADDED:

Dumb question - work tools.

[Westoe]

OK, here are 5 other "x-es"; three examples of executrix, one of execution and one of expenses in two different hands.

[Westoe]

Apologies. RootsChat wouldn't let me add "expenses" screen shot to the previous message. Here it is:

And yes, that word was work tools.

Cheers,
Westoe