Interpreting 1719 sasine

[GR2]

Confirmed the Twelfth of December 1722
John Gaff Flesher in Redding       Caution

The Testament Dative and Inventar [= inventory] of
the goods gear houshold plenishing and oyrs [= others] qlk [quhilk = which]
pertained and belonged to the deceast James Gaff
flesher in Redding and Elspeth Davie his spouse
w^tin [=within] the paroch [=parish] of ffalkirk and Commissariot
of Sterling the time of yr [= their] deceasses which was in the
moneth [= month] of ----------- Jajvijc [1700] and ---------- years
ffaithfully made and given up By John Gaff
flesher in Redding the defuncts son Exer [= executor] Dative
qua [Latin for "as"] nearest of Kin decerned & confirmed to his
sd [= said] fayr [= father] and mother And that by Dec^t [= decreet] of Alex^r
Steuart
There was pertaining and belonging to the
sd [= said] defuncts time of yr [= their] deceasses foresd [= foresaid] the goods
Gear houshold plenishing and oyrs [= others] underwritten
of the avails [= values] & prices afterment[ioned] viz: Imp[rimis] [Latin for firstly] a Copper
Cauldron is fourty pound It[em] Three Beds Twelve
pound It[em] Three Pots four pound ten shilling It[em]
Three Chests four pound ten shilling, more
Pleugh [= plough] and Irons Two pound Eight shilling
It[em] ane old ambra [= cupboard] one pound six shilling Eight
pennies all Scots money
                 Summa [Latin for total] Inventar [= inventory] Sixty four
                  pound fourteen shilling eight pennies

NB Although Scotland used the pound Sterling from 1707, the pound Scots continued to be used for accounting purposes. In 1722, £64 14/8d Scots was worth five pounds seven shillings and ten and a third pence Sterling.

[Forfarian]

According to the Bank of England's inflation calculator, his effects were worth about £1000 at today's prices. Not a lot.

[Richard Knott]

Thanks very much: plenty of words/abbreviations I hadn't picked up.

I do have an earlier 1578 will (testament dative?) for a James Goff of Redding, full brother to John Goff, that may throw some light on the land, but I am only slowly wading my way through it with the help of an online alphabet! I may post later.

Richard

[Richard Knott]

Here they are although, to be honest, I have not yet established that they are direct ancestors.
R

[Richard Knott]

...and the final section

[GR2]

That one is a testament testamentar and contains a will. The only family members mentioned in the will are his brother John and John's son, Thomas. The will was written at Redding on 22nd November 1578.

You may wonder why a will written in November 1578 can be registered in March 1578. The answer is that at that period new year fell on 25th March. In terms of the modern calendar it was registered in 1579.

[GR2]

The testament testamentar and Inve[n]tar (= inventory) of ye (= the) guds (= goods) geir
soumes of money and dettis p[er]teni[n]g to vmq[uhi]le (= the late) James golf
in redding bruy[er] (= brother) germane to Johne golf yair (= there) in ye
p[a]rochin (= parish) of falkirk ye tyme of his deceis Quha (= who) deceist (= deceased)
in ye moneth (= month) of nov[e]mb[e]r The zeir (= year) of god Jai v^clxxviij (= 1578)
zeirs ffaithfullie maid and gevin vp be (= by) him self at ye
said Johnis dwelling hous in redding ye xxij (= 22) day of nov[e]mb[e]r
The zeir of god foirsaid Befoir yir (= thir = these) witnesses James
brysoun (= Bryson) thomas blackburne robert m[er]schell and alex^r
cuthbert ridar (= reader - in the kirk) w^t uth[eris] div[er]ss (= with divers others = with several others)

In the first ye said umq[uhi]le James gof had ye guds geir soumes
of money and dettis of ye avale (= value) and prices efter folowing p[er]teni[n]g
to him as his awne (= own) p[ro]pir (= proper) guds and geir ye tyme of his deceis
foirsaid viz In abulzeme[n]tis (= clothing) of his body estimat (= estimated) to fourty shillings
Su[mm]a (Latin for total) of ye Inventar                     xl s (= 40/-)

ffollowis ye dettis awand (= owing) to ye deid (= to the deceased)
Item yr (= there) was awand to ye s[ai]d umq[uhi]le Johne James golf be
Johne gilmor in west [kirst?] of lent money ane hundr[et]h sevin (= 107)
m[er]ks (a merk = 13/4d) Ite[m] restand (= owing) be Andro M^curall in [       ] of
lent money v / (= 5/-)and for ye p[ri]ce of thrie zowis (= ewes) and thrie lambes
iij l. xl d. (= £3 40d) Ite[m] be alex^r menteith in mylhall of fies (= fees) five l. viij / (=
                                                                                                                                      £5 8/-)
Ite[m] be Johne brysoun in [      ] for ane stane of woll (= a stone of wool) viij [an obscured bit]
Ite[m] be James robert in bankheid for ane boll of beir (bere = a kind of barley) xlix / v d (49/5d)
Ite[m] be w^m hart in west[er?] quarter of ye rest of [         ] kyis (= cows)
p[ri]ce viij l. (= £8) Ite[m] be thomas blackburne of lent money iij l. (= £3) Ite[m]
be williame duncan in [          ] [          ] for [               ] ane boll
of beir twa m[er]ks
Su[mm]a of ye dettis awand to ye deid       lxxxxvij l. xij s v d (= £97 12/5d)
Su[mm]a of ye Inventar w^t (= with) ye dettis     lxxxxix l.xij s v d (= £99 12/5d)
na divisioun
The quot (= proportion paid to the commissary) is componit for      l s (= 50/-)

ffollowis ye deids legacie and lattarwill
At  Redding the xxij (= 22) day of nov[e]mb[e]r The zeir of god jmvc
lxxviij (= 1578) zeirs The q[uhi]lk (= which) day ye said James gof maid his latt[ar]will
and legacie as followis viz. Ite[m] ye said James hes no[m]i[n]at (= has nominated)
constitut and ordanit his onelie (= only/sole) executors and intromittors w^t his
haill (= whole) guds geir dettis abonewrittin (= abovewritten) Johne gof his bruy[er] (= brother]
germane and thomas gof his bruy[er] sone and henry brysoun
in lang toun superv[iso]r testame[n]tar and hes left and disponit ye
haill guds geir and dettis to ye foirsaid Johne and thomas intro-
mitting and disponing to ye narrest (= nearest) freinds (= relatives) and kin folks quha (= who)
[      ] maist (= most) to ye sicht (= oversight) of ye said henry henry brysoun
This wes done at ye said Johnis dwelling hous in redding
day zeir and moneth abonewrittin Befoir yir (= thir = these) witnesses James
brysoun thomas blackburne ro[ber]t m[er]schell and alex^r cuthbert ridar
w^t vyeris div[er]s (= divers others) Sic subscribitur (Latin = thus subscibed) alexander
                                                                                                                     cuthbert admittit
ridar at falkirk w^t my hand (the original, of which this is a registered copy, would have been written and signed by Alexander Cuthbert. Readers, like notaries, could write wills and sign them on behalf of others)

The last lines are just the bit saying that the commissary approves.

[Richard Knott]

Wow. I'm afraid I have only just noticed that you have transcribed this will (for some reason I didn't bet a notification), but thank you very much indeed. I hadn't realised the language would be quite to archaic/interesting: I've come across variations of umquhile and brother german before, but zeir/kyis/zowis are from a new language!

Richard

[Skoosh]

The Scots letter yoch! 

Skoosh.