Nat Gould

Will Of Thomas Hollis 1602-1664

Will of Thomas Hollis 1602-1664

In the name of God Amen the Fifth Day of Jannarary one thousand Six hundred and Sixty and two I Thomas Hollis of Rotherham in the County of Yorke blacksmith beinge weake in body but of good and perfect Memory I prayse God for the same doe make and ordaine this my last will and testament in Manner and Forme Followinge First I bequeath my soule into the hands of Almighty God my maker hopeinge that through the Meritorious death and passion of Jesus Christ my onely Saviour and Redeemer to receive free Pardon and Forgiveness of all my Sinnes And as For my body to be buryed att the discretion of my Executrixe here after Nominated : And as for my worldly goods &c I give and devyse them as Followeth Imprimis I give and bequeath unto my Sonne Thomas Hollis and his heires for Ever all that my Messuage and tenement with thappurtenances and fowre Closes with their other groundes by Estimation Eyghteen Acres in measure beinge in Brampton in the county of Derby in the occupation of ? or of his assignes he the sayd Thomas Hollis my sonne payinge Forth of the sayd Lands the Severall summes here after mentioned That is to say unto John Hollis my seconde sonne the sum of Twenty pounds att the Death of Mary Hollis my dear wife And Forty pounds when he shall accomplish the age of two and twenty yeares And unto Hanna Hollis my Daughter the sum of Twenty pounds att the Death of Mary my wife aforesaid and Forty pounds when she shall Accomplish the age of one and twenty yeares But in Case it shall happen that if any of sayd three Children John Hanna and Mary shall dye or depart this life before they accomplish there Respective ages as Afforsayd That then the part or portion of the gifts? by mee maid? shall be Equally Divided Amongst such of my sayde Foure Children as shall survive And in Case any of the sayd Sumes of Money shall be unpayd att law upon? the? dayes and times as is before Mentioned and appointed Then my mynde and will is and it shall be Lawfull to and for all or any of my sayd three Children into the sayd Messuage tenement or Landes to Enter and to Receive all the issues and profitts thereof Untill such Tyme as the same ought to have been payd as Aforesayd be payd unto them Respectively Provided alsoe and my will and mynde is that Mary my wife shall receive all the profitts of the same Messuage tenement and Lands For and dureinge the terme of Seaven Yeares Next Ensueinge in Case shee shall so long live And after the sayd Seaven Yeares be Expired then the Summe of foure pounds Yearly dureinge her naturall life as A Joynture for the sayd Mary And as For my personal Estate I give and bequeath as Followeth Imprimis my Debts payd and Funeral Charges defrayed I give and bequeath unto my sayd sonne John Hollis the Summe of ten pounds to be payd by my Executrixe here after Nominated towards putting him For an Apprentice Item I give and bequeath unto my sayd Daughter Hanna the summe of ten pounds to be payd unto her when shee shall Accomplish the age of one and twenty yeares Item I give unto my sayd Daughter Mary Hollis payd the summe of tenn pounds And in Case it shall happen that any of the sayd three Children shall dye before such tyme as the severall Legacies ought to be payd as aforesayd That then the part and portion of the partye so dyeinge shall be Equally Divided Amongst such of my sayd Fowre Children as shall survive Item I give unto Thomas Hollis my Sonne the sum of tenn shillings to be payd him by my Executrixe out of my personal Estate within twelve months after my Decease Alsoe my mynde and will is that if my Executrixe shall happen to Marryie or dye before John Hanna and Mary or any of them shall accomplish the age of one and twenty yeares as aforesayd That then the Thirty pounds afore Mentioned to be payd shall be payd unto them att the day of her Marriage or other wayes att the day of her death All the Rest of my goods Chattells and personal Estate I give and bequeath unto Mary Hollis my wife whome I make the Executrixe of this my last will And I doe humbly intreat and desire William Langley and Richard Stephenson my very good Freinds and Neighbours take Supervysing of this my last will And I give them five shillings A piece In Testimony whereof I have here unto sett my hand and seale the Day and Yeare First above written & I declare this to be my last will: Thomas Hollis 1602-1664 his TH marke: In the presence of Jonathan Stanniforth Robert Gee Geo: Carre

This Will is dated 5 January 1662 (1663 by modern reckoning) and is indexed in Wills in the York Registry A.D. 1660 to 1665 (Yorkshire Record Society) page 45. The probate copy, from which the above transcript was made, is filed in the Wills of the Prerogative Court of York volume 46 folio 259 at the Borthwick Institute in the University of York.

Mary Hollis, daughter of the testator, married William Gould 1655-1725 of Pilsbury Grange in Derbyshire.

The testator's grandson Thomas Hollis 1659-1731 (son of his son Thomas Hollis 1634-1718) became a major benefactor of Harvard College, later Harvard University, in the United States of America.