Help needed with latin will

[bearkin]

Not sure if this is the correct board but here goes. I have a will of John Loveles dated 1474. I am struggling to understand the attached paragraph starting "lego Altari". As far as I can see it relates to a bequest for a chalice, missal and altar clothes for the church in Sittingbourne, a bequeth to an Alice Stowe of property in Fleet Street, and a request for obits to be said in Queenhithe church. In the text he refers to Richard Lovelas father of said John Lovelas and Alice Stowe wife of said John Lovelas, and the obits are for said John Lovelas. It is not clear to me if the testator is referring to himself in the third person, or the said John Lovelas is a different John Lovelas. The background I have suggests he is referring to himself.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. A transcription of the latin would be of great help also as I am struggling to decipher all the brevigraphs.

Thanks Peter

[Bookbox]

It(e)m lego Altari Jh(es)u in eccl(es)ia

p(re)dict(a) unu(m) missale unu(m) calicem & unu(m) Corp(or)as ac ij Corp(or)as case im(per)p(e)tu(um) q(uo)d iam remanent in p(ar)roch(iali) eccl(es)ia de

Setyngborn’ q(uo)d nup(er) Ric(ar)dus Loveles pater dicti Joh(ann)is Loveles deliberavit Tanner sexten(o) de ead(e)m eccl(es)ia de

Setyngborn’ nup(er) defunct(o) sub condicione q(uo)d ipse Tanner deliberaret seu deliberari fac(er)et dict(um) missale calice(m) Corp(or)as

& ij Corp(or)as case dict(o) Ricardo loveles aut Johanni filio & hered(i) dicti Ric(ard)i  Et sic gardiani dict(e) eccl(es)ie de Setyngborn’

pro temp(or)e existent(es) cum fforce a Tanner usq(ue) in hunc diem abstulerunt  Item lego Alicie Stowe que est uxor

dict(i) Johannis Loveles iiij^or mesuag(ia) que iacent adiunicem[?] in ffletestrete in p(ar)ochia sancte Brigide Virginis

london quod modo Will(el)mus Vale occupat & tenet & alia duo mesuag(ia) ex parte orient(i) & occident(i) iacen(tia) It(e)m volo q(uo)d

dict(a) Alicia habebit unu(m) mesuag(ium) in mylkestrete in p(ar)rochia sancte Marie Magdalene nup(er) occupat(um) p(er) loksmyth groc(er)*

Ita q(uo)d dict(a) Alicia custodierit om(n)i Anno tota vita sua obitum dicti Johannis in dict(a) eccl(es)ia sancti Michaelis Archangeli

iuxta Quenehith & expendet ad exequias tam in luminaribus presbiteris & Cl(er)icis qu(am) in alijs n[…]ijs xxvi^s viij^d

Item, I bequeath to the Altar of Jesus in the aforesaid church a missal, a chalice and a corporas, and 2 corporas cases,** which now remain in the parish church of Sittingbourne which recently Richard Loveles, father of the said John Loveles, delivered to Tanner, the sacristan of the same church of Sittingbourne, on condition that the same Tanner should deliver the said missal, chalice, corporas and 2 corporas cases, or should have them delivered, to the said Richard Loveles or to John, the son and heir of the said Richard; and so the churchwardens of the said church of Sittingbourne at that time forcibly took them away from Tanner to this day. Item, I bequeath to Alice Stowe, who is the wife of the said John Loveles, 4 adjoining messuages in Fleete Street in the parish of St Bride the Virgin, London, which William Vale now occupies and holds, and two other messuages lying on the east and the west side. Item, I will that the said Alice shall have one messuage in Milk Street in the parish of St Mary Magdalene lately occupied by loksmyth grocer,* on condition that the said Alice should keep each year for her whole life the obit of the said John in the said church of St Michael the Archangel near Queenhithe, and that she should spend 26 shillings 8 pence on the exequies, both for the lighting, priests and clerks, and for other […].

     * It's not clear to me if the occupant is a locksmith and grocer, or if loksmyth is his surname.

     ** A part of the set of vestments for the Mass and Benediction, being placed upon the chalice at the beginning and end of the Holy Sacrifice, and on the altar at Benediction. It contains the corporal, which is spread on the altar beneath the chalice or the ostensorium. In medieval England it was called the "corporas case." (New Catholic Dictionary, 1910)

[bearkin]

Thank you Book Box! That helps enormously.

Based on the transcription, is the testator John Lovelas referring to himself when he refers to "said John Lovelas heir and son of Richard" or another John Lovelas? Would appreciate people's thoughts.

Thanks Peter

[Bookbox]

As he is cited as the said John Loveles, he must have been mentioned in an earlier part of the will. Is there anyone of that name mentioned there, other than the testator?

[bearkin]

Thanks for the reply, Bookbox

No, the only John Lovelas previously mentioned in the whole will is the testator himself, which leads me to think the "said John Lovelas" is the testator himself.

I am wondering if anyone else has come across something similar before?

[Bookbox]

the only John Lovelas previously mentioned in the whole will is the testator himself, which leads me to think the "said John Lovelas" is the testator himself.

In that case I would agree with you, though I can’t say I’ve seen it before, other than in a nuncupative will (which this doesn't appear to be).

The wording may have arisen here because the testator may effectively have been quoting from an earlier document by Richard Loveles regarding the conditions attached to the church artefacts.

I see there is a PCC will for Richard Lovelas, mercer of London, proved in 1466, which may be worth a look if you haven’t seen it already (it’s on Ancestry as Ria Londas).

[Vance Mead]

That could be a different Richard Lovelas.

In 1475, as a defendant in Common Pleas, there was a

Lovelas, Richard, of Sydyngbourn (Kent), gent

https://waalt.uh.edu/index.php/CP40/853

[Bookbox]

That could be a different Richard Lovelas.

True, but the will of the Richard Lovelas of London proved in 1466 also mentions Sydyngbourn and Kingsdowne, so I would suspect a relationship.

[Vance Mead]

They could be father and son.

In 1465 there were
Lovelas, Richard, junior, of Sityngbourne, gent; Lovelas, Richard, senior, of London, gent;

http://aalt.law.uh.edu/Indices/CP40Indices/CP40no814/CP40no814Def.htm

Also, in 1475:
Lovelas, Richard, of Sydyngbourn, gent; Lovelas, William, of Kyngesdowene, gent

https://waalt.uh.edu/index.php/CP40/853