Extract from the Will of Bridget Morcocke of Liddington

[MattD30]

I'm hoping someone on here might be able to let me know what two words in the attached extract from Bridget Morcocke's 1673 Will are.

I can read literally all the Will which is quite short and I have managed to transcribe most of it. The following is my transcription ("yarde" looks like "yearde" on second glace).

"First I command my soule in to the hands of Almighty god maker and redeemer hoping and believing to be saved by the [moeites?] [bitter?] death and passion of my savious Jesus Christ and my body to be buried in the Church yarde of Liddington."

I've put the words that I'm having difficulty with in []. On the Will this bit looks like "the moeites bitter death and passion" however I don't think "moeites bitter" is a correct reading. However I could be wrong.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Matt

[goldie61]

It's merites.

As you say, the word further down is yearde.
Compare the 'r' in that with the 'r' in merites.

I'd agree with bitter.

It would scan better if there was a comma after merites, making it 'merites, bitter death and passion........'


It's a fairly standard phrase in wills - to be saved by the merits and passion of the death of Jesus Christ.
Often along with 'blood shedding'.

You have missed out 'my' between 'Almighty god' and 'maker'.

[MattD30]

It's merites.

As you say, the word further down is yearde.
Compare the 'r' in that with the 'r' in merites.

I'd agree with bitter.

It would scan better if there was a comma after merites, making it 'merites, bitter death and passion........'


It's a fairly standard phrase in wills - to be saved by the merits and passion of the death of Jesus Christ.
Often along with 'blood shedding'.

You have missed out 'my' between 'Almighty god' and 'maker'.

Hi thanks for that. I did wonder if it was "merits" or as you say "merites" but I wasn't sure of a couple of the letters. As you say this is a fairly standard phrase in wills which was why I was able to estimate what the wording was.

I didn't spot the "my" in between the words "Almighty god" and "maker" so thanks for pointing it out.

I'm attaching two more extracts from the end of the will and hope you (or anyone else) will be able to confirm or clarify one or two words.

The first extract is from the end of Bridget's bequest to her daughter Mary. I can read this ok except for the word which is between "broade" and "boulster". It looks like "Tuke" and I wondered if that was a style or colour, or have I misread it?

In the second extract Bridget makes bequests to her son William Morcocke and her godson William Morcock. In both lines it is the word coming before "by my executor" which has got be puzzled. It looks like it says "to box by my executor" but I'm pretty sure that isn't right. On a closer look it looks like "to be" something "by my executor". Could the squiggle in between "be" and "by my" be a shorthand for "paid" perhaps?

Thanks again for the help.
Matt

[horselydown86]

Tuke is correct.  It's a type of cloth; a form of canvas.

Note also that it is spelt bouster, although boulster is probably the meaning.

See here (the shrinker isn't working):

https://books.google.com.au/books?id=uW9QDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA31&lpg=PA31&dq=tuke+cloth&source=bl&ots=3qjaCi7Bus&sig=ACfU3U3p-8sye0t7obUNqvRpTTzeytTlzw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwic2IOSqMfhAhWMMd4KHYKzD0QQ6AEwEXoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=tuke%20cloth&f=false

The second one is slightly trickier.

You are right that the phrase runs:  ...to be p? by my...

I agree that p(ai)d (or p(ai)^d) is the probable intention.  I think the line above says:  ...to be paide her by my...

[goldie61]

I'd second pd = p(ai)d