Will of William Dunsdon 1657

[emjsw]

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

[goldie61]

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

[horselydown86]

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.

[emjsw]

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

[emjsw]

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

[emjsw]

part 1

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Part 2

[emjsw]

Part 3

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Part 4