In the name of God Amen, I Christopher Blower of the pish of Cumcarvan in the County of Monmouth yeom, being deprived of my accustomed health by a languishing distemper of long continuance wch hath reduced me to a great bodily weakness which setts me in an expectacon of my death and approaching dissolucon, but being of good and pfect memory and having the use of my reason and understanding doe make this my last will and testament upon the twentieth day of September in the yeare of our Lord God one thousand six hundred ninety and five, revoking all former will or wills, appointing and constituteing my wife Elizabeth Blower to be and remaine my onely and sole executrix of this my will and I doe dispose of all things in my possion in manner and forme following. Imprs I doe recommend my soule at the time of my dissolucon into the hands of God my Creator hopeing for redempcon, forgiveness of sin and eternall salvation through the meritts and medeation of my saviour and redeemer the Lord Jesus Christ and my body I doe bequeath to a desent Christian buriall, and I doe refere the charge and expence which shall be laid out for my buriall for to be dispossed and order’d at the pleasure and discression of my executrix and the overseers which I shall appoint for to assist in the executing of this my last will. Item I doe give and bequeath all that mansion or dwelling house wherein I the sd Christopher Blower doe dwell & inhabite together wth all outhouses, barns, stables and all other edifices and buildings thereunto belonging or appertenieing and all yards, backsides, gardens, orchards and lands to the same belonging or otherwise, now or at any other time heretofore held, used, occupyed or enjoyed wth theire or any of theire appurtenances, and all other my customary lands in the sd pish of Cumcarvan or else where wthin the Lordship of Trelegg in the County aforesaid unto William Blower my second and younger sonne for the use and uses hereafter menconed, namely for to enable him the sd William the more effectually to raise and secure for himselfe the sume of one hundred pounds for to be and remaine for himselfe as his proper maintenance and subsistance for the future, and I doe order and appoint my elder sonne James Blower for to pay this sd sume of one hundred pounds unto his younger brother the aforesd William in two distinct payments the first payment being pte of the aforesd sume shall be paid for the use of my sonne William at the time of his being bound an apprentice and the remainder of the said sume of one hundred pounds shall be paid by my said sonne James unto his brother at the expiracon of his apprentihip for to remaine wth him for a stock that soe the sd James may recover and redeeme this my dwelling house, and all my customary hold lands before menconed out of the hand and possion of the said William that the estate aforesaid may devolve upon and fall to the proper use and behoofe of my sonne James and his heyrs forever upon a full discharge or payment of the sume aforesd and moreover it is my will and order that this sume of one hundred pounds shall be paid to my sonne William by his elder brother by or at the time that he doth attaine to the age of one and twenty years in case he be bound to noe trade and serves noe apprentiship untill payment be fully made the said William shall stand seized of house and lands or prmisses for his security. Item I doe give and bequeath alsoe all my psonall estate in my possion (as goods, chattells, moneys, house hold stuffe of all kinds, implements of husbandry and alsoe the severall stockes of cattle, of graine and of hey wth a lease for lands which I doe hold from my cozen John Blower dureing the tearme of his naturall life unto my wife Elizabeth being my executrix for to have and enjoy the whole and that the sd psonall estate shall be & remain in her custody & possion dureing the nonage or minority of my two sonns afore menconed and to be employed for her own maintenance and support and the better for to enable her for to effect and compose the education of the said children in learning good manners and breeding untill they arrive respectively to the age of one and twenty years and more over my will is further that the profitts of all my lands dureing that time shall be received by my sd wife for the uses before menconed. Item I do request & desire my two friends William Morrice, Clerke and Rowland Prosser, gent, (both whom I doe conceive honest and just psons) for to be my trustees and overseers of this my last will & testament in the just execucon of it for the uses intended in it and that they should be assistants to my executrix in the discharge of her trust and to be directors of her and her children and this trust I doe repose in these my trustees and in case my said wife shall chance to dye & departe out of this world dureing the nonage of my children James & William it is my will that these overseers if they are both living or the survivor shall be concerned for the settlement and education of my children and shall have full power and authority for to manage all my estate reall and psonall for the profitt and advantage of my said children in theire sevrill wayes of living untill they come to age. Christopher Blower
Sealed and delivered in the sight and prsence of William Morrice junr; George Williams; Reighnald Williams. This is a true coppy.28 April 1696. Elizabeth Blower, relict & executrix in the testament, before me Hen Salmon, Surrogate.
(Latin) Proved at Abergavenny 28 April 1696 before Henry Salmon by Elizabeth Blower relict & executrix &c. Phil: Maddocks, NP
30 April 1696. Rec’d then the original last will and testamt of Christopher Blower late of the parish of Cumcarvan in the County of Monmouth dece’d to be redelivered as by bond appears. Elize Blower.
Wittnesses, -? Williams?, William Morgan, Thos Maddocks NP (public notary. DW)
(Latin) Appeared Elizabeth Blower of Cumcarvan in the County of Monmouth, widow, Reynold Williams of Kemeys Comander in the said County, yeoman & Reynold Williams of Langeveiw in the said County, yeoman. 30 April 1696.
The condcon of this obligacon is such that whereas the originall last will and testamt of Christopher Blower late of the pish of Cumcarvan aforesd, deceased bearing date ye 20th day of September in the year of our Lord according to the computacon of the Church of England 1695 is decreed to be delivered out of the Reg’sy of the Consistory Court of Landaffe unto the above named Elizabeth Blower if theresfore the sd Elizabeth Blower, her heyres, ex’s, adm’s or assignes shall and will redeliver the sd originall will fair and uncancelled in manner as shee rec’d the same into the Reg’sy aforesd when and att such time as she shall be thereto duely required then this obligacon to be void or else to remaine in full force and virtue. Elize Blower, Reynald Willims, Reynald Willims
Signed & delivered Thos Maddocks NP; Gervas Willms; Wm Morgan
An ivitory of the goods and chattell off Cristopher Blowr off the parish off Cumcarvan in the Countie off Monmoth late deceased upon the 14 day off October in the yeare off our Lord 1695 as foloweth
Imprimis his weringe aparall to the value off 3 0 0
Item 3 fether beds and three doust bedes with thaire sevarall apurtences to ye value off 5 0 0
Item one chest and one trunk with eleaven coffers to the value off 3 0 0
Item in the hall, one cooburt and 3 table boords with 6 chaires 2 10 0
Item in the cithin one table boord one coburt and benches about the roome 0 10 0
Item all the bras and peuter in and about the hous to the value off 6 0 0
Item all ye corne in the barne of all graine whatsoever to the value off 6 0 0
Item two rickes upon the stalles to the value of 10 0 0
Item 2 rickes off hay with ye hay in the hoases to the value off 3 0 0
Item 2 yoock off oxon to the value off 12 0 0
Item 5 cous to the value off 12 0 0
Item 3 young beasts and 2 breeding calves to the value off 3 10 0
Item seventeen sheepe to the value off 2 0 0
Item 3 mares and two breeding coults to the value off 10 0 0
Item all the pigs in and about the hous to the value off 8 0 0
Item all the poultry about the hous to the value off 0 10 0
Item one waine with all the implements off husbandry about ye hous to the value off 2 10 0
Item all the wooden vessells and all the lumber in and about the hous to the value off 5 0 0
Item one try? with a quanty --? off wheate, mault and wooll to the value off 1 0 0
Item four aundiers and 3 broches or spits with the hanings in ye kichin 0 10 0
Item all the linin in and about the hous to the value off 10 0 0
Item one cooburt, one bench and one small table to ye value off 0 10 0
Item one lease hould for ye life off John Blower off Langovan to the value off 5 0 0
111 10 0
Praysers John Edmonds, Charles Paske.
(Latin) Exhibited at Abergavenny 28 April 1696 by Elizabeth Blower
Transcribed from a photocopy by Dave Woolven, 2 Aspen Way, Malpas Park, Newport, South Wales.
NP20 6LB Tel 01633 858 359 19 August 2000