Transcriber's Note: The will witnesses were a solicitor Francis Child and two of his clerks whose address of King Street was the same as given for the testator - the street name spelling as "King" (from 1879 renamed to Newcomen) being confirmed by an advert. Francis Child placed in The Times of 13 Sep 1815 concerning the estate of a deceased Southwark lighterman.
      The will as transcribed in the court probate register was 269 lines in length and covered almost five pages. It has not been fully transcribed because it would be exceedingly difficult to decipher most of the handwriting, and because there would be no benefit as most of the text was directed at providing for all possible future scenarios that might arise during the continuation of the trusts it created in favour of wife Ann, two daughters, and issue surviving them who survived to twenty one years of age. Daughter Ann was first mentioned at line 63 and Elizabeth at line 96!
      Wife Ann and daughters Ann and Elizabeth were the only beneficiaries identified by name, with the daughters identified as being the wives respectively of Mead and John Raymond who with Ann and a John Proctor were the four executors. No property was specifically identified other than that mentioned in the above partial transcription. The archiac term messuage is defined as - a dwelling house with outbuildings and land attached. Indicated is that the testator owned tenanted leaseholds or freehold premises or land in both St. Saviour and St. George the Martyr parishes at Southwark. In respect of St. Saviour parish Poor Rate and Land Rate records post 1748 have survived and are held by the Southwark Local History Library and may contain details of his property holdings in that parish.