The Last Will and Testament of John White Senior
Preacher of Gods Word in Dorchester in ye Countie of Dorsett
Imprs: [Impremise:] [ In the first place] I doe with all humble reverence and thankefulnes, acknowledg and adore ye Infinite goodnesse & mercy of God whoe hath bine pleased to sett me a part unto this greate worke of the Ministery of his Gospell in such a place where I have found his gracious hand with mee that my
Labours have bine well accepted and produced such effects as I have cause to looke upon with much
comfort and thankefull acknowledgment and hath borne me up with his owne hand in despite of ye power and Malice of those that have endeavoured, as much as lay in them, to hinder mee in my course
2ly: Ffor the people wherein he hath intrusted mee I bequeath unto them those truthes That I have from time to time delivered unto them as the Councils of God in ye bowells of Jesus Christ, beseeching them that they soe adhere and cleave unto them as the grounds of their faith and rules of their practice and suffer not themselves to be carried upp and doune with every winde of Doctrine wich howsoever seemingly plausable at ye first view by the Novelty thereof will certeinly prove a meanes in time of unsetling of them from the maine foundation, and this I lay upon them as my stricter charge of the observation thereof they shall give an account to Christ Jesus at the last day. As for my outward estate which the Lord hath intrusted mee with all as it is but small and therein most agreeable to mine owne desire soe I am in that respect troubled at nothinge more, then that I want meanes to testifie my thankefull acknowledgement of the favours and honors which I have receaved from this people in the space of fforty three yeares, wherein God hath bine pleased to continue me Minister amongst them
3ly: I give and bequeath unto Mr. Frederick LOSSE of Dorchester Phisitian [physician] one peece of my plate Such as my foure sonnes by ioint [joynt] consent shall thinke fitt as an acknowledgement of his faithfull love and greate paines and care that he hath taken about mee.
4ly: I do hereby appointe & ordaine that the remainder of that little plate which I have left may bee soe disposed amongst my foure sonnes in such proportion as they shall agree of amongst themselves that every one may receave some share thereof to bee kept by them as a remembraunce of mee.
5ly: I give and bequeath to my foure sisters Anne DRAKE, Martha MOORE, Elizabeth ALLEN, and Mary WHITE to each of them the sum of Twentie Shillings.
6ly: I give unto Arthur HACKMAN my servant the some of Ten shillings as an acknowledgement of his faithful service.
7ly: I give unto Hannah MOUNSELL my maidservant the sum of Thirtie shillings as an acknowledgement of her great paines shee hath taken about mee in my weaknes.
8ly: And lastly all the rest of my goods and Chattels I give and bequeath unto my youngest son Nathaniel whome I appointe sole Executor of the my last Will and Testament and I require him within one month after my decease to distribute amongst the Godly poore of the parish of Trinitie and St Peeters in Dorchester the some of fortie shillings accordinge to his discretion, As for ffunerall expenses as I never liked the affected solemnityes thereof, soe I require that there be order undertaken by my Executor, that as much as may bee my ffunerall may bee solemnized with all privacy without any sermon or ringinge of Bells.
And now Lord Jesus come quickly / John White Senior /
Signed sealed acknowledged by the above named Mr John WHITE as his Last Will and Testament the Twenty Nineth day of March Anno Domini 1648 in the presence of /
Memorandum
that the word (my) in the three and twentieth line [Note in the original text] and the words (foure) and (Ann Drake) in the nine and twentieth line were interlined before the signinge and sealinge hereof in the presence of
Jno: [John] WHITEWAY
Gabriel REVE
Probate:
The Will was proved at London before Robert Wiseman Doctor at Law and Surrogate to the right worshipful Sir Nathaniel Brent Knight Doctor of Law and Master or Keeper of the Prerogative Court the 14th day of June in the year of our Lord One thousand six hundred and forty nine by Oath of Nathaniel WHITE the deceased son and executor therein named. To whom Administration of all and singular the goods chattels and debts of the said deceased which any manner or way concern the same will was granted and committed he being first legally sworn well and truly to administer the same.
Genealogical Notes:-
1. See the Biography of the The Rev John WHITE patriarch of Dorchester
2. There is a great deal of confusion surrounding John White's ancestry and descendants partly because a lot of documents were destroyed during this turbulent period of our history and also because of the terminology used at that time. Reference in the 17th Century to brothers and sisters included the wives and husbands of ones siblings. John White wrote his own pedigree which was preserved in the Hampshire Visitation dated 1634 See Harlein MS 1544 ff 223d, 224. This lists five siblings two brothers and three sisters. The three sisters were Elizabeth, Mary and Martha. An example of this confusion can be seen above where he refers in his will to four sisters. Ann Drake is in fact the widow of his elder brother Josiah who married Anne Barlow of Petersfield Hampshire about 1570. Josiah died in 1622 but she remarried to Francis Drake of Walton Surrey. When he died in 1633/4 she came to settle in Dorchester, or near the parish, as did his widowed sisters. His sister Mary married John Stephen Terry in about 1591. He died in 1625 leaving her a widow and she moved to Dorchester where she died in 1637, some eleven years before this will. The Mary White referred to above is mary nee Waterhouse the widow of his younger brother Steven White who had died in 1629. Their daughter Mary White married John Whiteway (1614-1679) of Dorchester the younger brother of the diarist William Whiteway.
3.
Dr Frederick Losse:
Between 1646 and 1650 he received a stipend from the Corporation which governed Dorchester of eight pounds a year for treating poor patients. In 1657 Cromwell abandoned the unpopular new officials appointed and normal local government resumed. A protracted dispute over the election of new members was finally resolved by the appointment of Dr Frederick Losse physician. |