Will of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset

[Maiden Stone]

I will to my suster Cicelye now wife to sir  John Dudley my manour of Mocheglen in the countie of Leicestr and all my landis and ten(emen)tis in Moche(g)len within the said countie for terme of hur lyfe to Avanncement of hur better lyvinge And allso meate and drinke yerely for her her manne s(er)v(a)nt and woman serv(a)nt duringe her lyfe to be taken with my lady my wiff or elles yer(e)ly xxli duringe hur lyfe to be paid by myne executours of the rentes Issues and proffittes of my manours londis and ten(emen)tes towardes the charges of hur meate and drinke whersoever she shalbe

I am not entirely sure I understand this part. What does he mean?

Did he mean that Cicely, his sister, sometimes stayed with his lady wife and when she did, she was to have free board for herself and 2 servants, one of each sex? She was also to receive an annual food & drink  allowance of £22 towards expense of feeding herself, a manservant and a female servant.
A gentlewoman would have needed a minimum of 1 servant of each gender; a female servant to act as personal maid and a manservant to do heavy tasks, look after horses and act as protection when travelling.

I've just read your post about John Dudley. I'd already conjectured that Cicely's husband was not keeping her in the manner to which she was accustomed, hence the bequest "to Avanncement of hur better lyvinge".

[horselydown86]

I was writing this when Maiden Stone posted.  My thoughts are similar to MS's.

However, I read it that the 20 li per annum is instead of the meat & drink bequest.

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I read the passage as meaning that Cicelye, plus one man servant & one woman servant, will be given food and drink at the house of the Marquess's wife while Cicelye is alive.

It's not quite clear what the word yerely signifies.  Perhaps there was a custom established for Cicelye to stay at the Marquess's house for a certain period every year.

It seems to me that the gift is qualified by the use of the word yerely - that it isn't his intention that Cicelye & her servants should stay at Anne's table constantly.

[horselydown86]

Snippet #42:

...myne executours or by any of them make a lease by their dede indentid to myne executours or

to as many of them as will accept the same of the said manour of Bosworth and of all my

landis and tenementes in Bosworthe to have to my said executours that will accept the same

for terme of lx yeres res(er)vinge upon the said lease so to be made to the said Richarde and lady

Anne a C markes yerely to be paid at the feastes of saint Michaell tharchangell and the...

[WillowG]

Thank you so much, HD!!! I honestly don't know what I would have done without you guys. With all of the research I (and others through the years, not to mention!) have done on this family, I don't think anybody has ever translated this will properly before. There are too many interesting tidbits here that has never been mentioned anywhere else.

Poor guy. The situation with Lady Anne Grey is really stressing him out

I will to my suster Cicelye now wife to sir  John Dudley my manour of Mocheglen in the countie of Leicestr and all my landis and ten(emen)tis in Moche(g)len within the said countie for terme of hur lyfe to Avanncement of hur better lyvinge And allso meate and drinke yerely for her her manne s(er)v(a)nt and woman serv(a)nt duringe her lyfe to be taken with my lady my wiff or elles yer(e)ly xxli duringe hur lyfe to be paid by myne executours of the rentes Issues and proffittes of my manours londis and ten(emen)tes towardes the charges of hur meate and drinke whersoever she shalbe

I am not entirely sure I understand this part. What does he mean?

Did he mean that Cicely, his sister, sometimes stayed with his lady wife and when she did, she was to have free board for herself and 2 servants, one of each sex? She was also to receive an annual food & drink  allowance of £22 towards expense of feeding herself, a manservant and a female servant.
A gentlewoman would have needed a minimum of 1 servant of each gender; a female servant to act as personal maid and a manservant to do heavy tasks, look after horses and act as protection when travelling.

I've just read your post about John Dudley. I'd already conjectured that Cicely's husband was not keeping her in the manner to which she was accustomed, hence the bequest "to Avanncement of hur better lyvinge".

Yes, lololol  Clearly that other John Dudley/Sutton was falling down badly on the job, lololol

I was writing this when Maiden Stone posted.  My thoughts are similar to MS's.

However, I read it that the 20 li per annum is instead of the meat & drink bequest.

***********************************************************************************

I read the passage as meaning that Cicelye, plus one man servant & one woman servant, will be given food and drink at the house of the Marquess's wife while Cicelye is alive.

It's not quite clear what the word yerely signifies.  Perhaps there was a custom established for Cicelye to stay at the Marquess's house for a certain period every year.

It seems to me that the gift is qualified by the use of the word yerely - that it isn't his intention that Cicelye & her servants should stay at Anne's table constantly.

These are both great theories, thanks! Very helpful. I could not figure out at all what he meant!

Thank you so much again!

[Bookbox]

Snippet 43

... Annunciacion of our lady by even porcions and for default of none payment within three

Monythis next after every of the said feastes with a clause of reenter to be conteynid in the same

Indenture  and allso with a p(ro)oviyso[?] to be conteynid in the same that if the said lady Anne dye

within the said terme the said lease to cease and and* determyne  and I will further that if

any Ambiguite or doute apere in this my will I will that all suche Ambiguytes and doutes ...

     * repeated in error

Snippet 44

... shalbe declarid and made open by myne executours or by the more parte of them that will

take uppon them the Execution of the same  And as they shall declare and open it I will yt

shall stande for my last will concerninge all suche thinges doughtfull  and I will that

myne executours agre with my said suster Anne reasonably for suche Arrerag(es) as be to her

due for the said Manours of hartwell and leistropp and for all other causis betwene her & me

In witnes whe^r^of this to be my last will and Thestament over and beyonde my will in ...

[Maiden Stone]

Re reply 103 by Bookbox. Feast of the Annunciation is 25th March, also known as Lady Day and one of the quarter days,  a traditional day for leases to begin & end and rents to be paid.

Feast of Michaelmas (horselydown reply #101) was gradually downgraded after Reformation and replaced by Harvest Festival.

[WillowG]

Thank you so much, Bookbox! How incredibly distressed he is about this 'my sister Anne' situation!

Annunciacion of our lady

feastes of saint Michaell tharchangell

I love this way of telling time!

Thank you so much again! I am so grateful for this. I would never have been able to this on my own. I thought 'today' was rather well spotted 

[WillowG]

Re reply 103 by Bookbox. Feast of the Annunciation is 25th March, also known as Lady Day and one of the quarter days,  a traditional day for leases to begin & end and rents to be paid.

Feast of Michaelmas (horselydown reply #101) was gradually downgraded after Reformation and replaced by Harvest Festival.

That is so cool, Maiden Stone! And a little sad I love these old festivals and their names and how they used to celebrate them! I wish more of them had survived into modern time. Like Lord Misrule at Christmas. That must have been so fun! Apparently Henry VIII and then Mary I and then Elizabeth I outlawed a lot of them.

Killjoys

[Maiden Stone]

Re reply 103 by Bookbox. Feast of the Annunciation is 25th March, also known as Lady Day and one of the quarter days,  a traditional day for leases to begin & end and rents to be paid.

Feast of Michaelmas (horselydown reply #101) was gradually downgraded after Reformation and replaced by Harvest Festival.

That is so cool, Maiden Stone! And a little sad I love these old festivals and their names and how they used to celebrate them! I wish more of them had survived into modern time. Like Lord Misrule at Christmas. That must have been so fun! Apparently Henry VIII and then Mary I and then Elizabeth I outlawed a lot of them.

Killjoys

I should have said that the celebration of Michaelmas Feast was downgraded and replaced by Harvest Festival. Michaelmas festivities considered too "Romish" for the new order.