In the name of God Amen I Henry Edmonds of Gwaylodylade in the parish of Cumcarvan in the County of Monmouth, Gentleman, do by this my last will order and direct my just debts and funerall expences to be first paid and satisfied by my executor. Item I give to my brother Francis if living one shilling and to his children if any one shilling and no more. Item I give to Francis Mills, son of my late sister three hundred pounds. Item I give to the other children of my late sister Sarah whose names or number I know not one hundred pounds apiece (tho’ in my conscience I don’t think all of them deserving one shilling). Item I give unto my nephew John Stock, son of my late sister Mary three hundred pounds. Item I give unto Jane daughter of my late sister Elizabeth and now the wife of Mr Walter Pritchard of Monmouth, currier, two hundred pounds to be at her own free will and disposal and without her husbands having any control thereon. All which legacies to be paid within one year after my decease. Item I give to eight labouring men for carrying me to the grave half a crown apiece and I earnestly desire that no other person may be at the funerall and to be buried as plain and private as possible and that both coffin and shroud may not exceed two guineas in value and I give to every covenant servant that shall be living with me at my decease and who hath lived with me constantly three years and three months without intermission (and not otherwise) a years wages in order to incourage them and others to be honest and industrious in their respective services and to be paid them within three months after my decease. Item I give and devise all my real estate whatsoever and wheresoever whether freehold or customary that I shall die possessed off or be intitled unto both in possession and reversion to my friend and neighbour Mr William Blower of Cumcarvan aforesaid and his heirs for ever in trust nevertheless to stand and be seized thereof to the following uses and not otherwise, that is to say, to the use of my nephew John Mills, son of my said sister Sarah and his assigns for ninety and nine years to commence from the day next after my decease if he the said John Mills shall so long live but nevertheless to permit and suffer the said John Mills and his assigns to receive and take the rents, issues and profits thereof for his and their own use and benefit for somuch of the said term as he shall happen to live and from and after the end, expiration or other sooner determination of the said term then the said Mr Blower and his heirs to stand seized of my said real estate to the use of the first and every other son and sons of the body of the said John Mills lawfully issuing severally successively and one after another according to their seniority of age and priority of birth and of the heirs male of their body and bodies lawfully issuing, the elder of such sons and the heirs male of his body being always to be prefered to and take before the younger of them and the heirs male of his and their body and bodies lawfully issuing and for want of such issue male then the said Mr Blower and his heirs to stand seized of the said premises. To the use of the said Francis Mills, brother of the said John Mills and his assigns for ninety and nine years if he shall so long live, but in trust nevertheless also to permit the said Francis Mills and his assigns to receive and take the rents, issues and profits of the said premises to and for his and their own use and benefit for somuch of the said last mentioned term as he shall happen to live and from and after the end, expiration or other sooner determination of the last mentioned term of ninety nine years determinable as aforesaid then to stand seized of my said real estate to the use of the first and every other son and sons of the body of the said Francis Mills lawfully issuing severally successively and one after the other according to their seniority of age and priority of birth and the heirs male of their body and bodys lawfully issuing the elder of such sons and the heirs male of his body being also to be preferred and take before the younger of them and the heirs male of his and their body and bodys lawfully issuing. And for want of such issue male, then to the said Mr Blower and his heirs to stand seized of the said premises to the use of my aforesaid nephew John Stock and his assigns for ninety and nine years if he the said John Stock shall so long live. But nevertheless also to permit the said John Stock and his assigns to receive and take the rents, issues and profits thereof for somuch of the said last mentioned term as the said John Stock shall live to and for his and their own use and benefit and from and after the end, expiration or other sooner determination of that tern, then to the said Mr Blower and his heirs to stand seized of my said real estate to the use of the first and every other son and sons of the said John Stock lawfully issuing severally successively and one after the other according to their seniority of age and priority of birth and of the heirs of their body and bodies lawfully issuing, the elder of such sons and the heirs male of his body being also to be preferred and take before the younger of them and the heirs male of his and heir body and bodies lawfully issuing (And I desire and direct that all the legatees of my real estate shall respectively go and be called by the surname of Edmonds) and for want of such issue male then the said Mr Blower and his heirs to stand seized of all and singular my said real estate to the use of my right and next heirs for ever. And it is my strict will and directions that no tenant for life before mentioned shall cut or destroy any timber on the said premises more than for necessary use or repairs on the said premises or cause or suffer to be committed any voluntary or wilful waste whatsoever on pain of immediately forfeiting their estate, profit and interest in the aforesaid premises. And I do hereby order and direct that my said friend and trustee Mr Blower may be allowed and paid all costs and charges whatsoever which he shall be at or out unto un the proper and due execution of the trust hereby reposed in him. And for his extraordinary trouble therein I give unto his daughter Nancy Blower at her age of twenty one years fifty pounds to be paid her out of my real estate by the person who shall then enjoy the same. And I further give and bequeath unto my now servant Elizabeth Lewis is she shall be living with me at my decease and not otherwise for her conduct and care of me in my old age and long sickness, the best cow and the best bedstead and all it’s furniture that I shall die possessed off and such as she shall chuse at my decease. And I also further give her one hundred pounds to be paid her within six months after my decease. And I likewise give and bequeath unto the said Elizabeth Lewis and Nancy Blower at my decease ten pounds apiece for mourning. And it is my further will and orders that all the aforesaid legacies shall be paid by my executor at the times and in the manner aforesaid and out of my personal estate having left much more than enough for that purpose. All the rest and residue of my personal estate I give unto my said nephew John Mills whom I also make and appoint sole executor of this my last will hopeing that he and the rest will be sober and as careful in managing and disposing of it as I was honest and industrious in getting of it for in case I know or thought otherwise I would not leave him or them a shilling. And I do hereby revoke all former wills by me made. In witness whereof I have to this (one part of) my last will and testament set my hand and seal this twenty third day of October one thousand seven hundred and sixty seven . Henry Edmonds. Signed, sealed, published and declared by the said Henry Edmonds the testator to be his last will and testament in the presence of us who have signed our names as witnesses at his request and in his presence and in the presence of each other Wm Green; Thos Webb; C Halfpenny.
I Henry Edmonds of Gwaylodylade in the parish of Cumcarvan in the County of Monmouth do make and publish this my codicil to my last will and testament in manner following, that is to say, whereas I gave in and by my said last will and testament the sum of one hundred pounds to my maid servant Elizabeth Lewis payable to her as therein mentioned, now I do hereby revoke and make void my said legacy of one hundred pounds to her and instead thereof I hereby give and devise the weekly sum of three shillings to the said Elizabeth Lewis for her natural life to be issuing and payable out of my real estate to Philip Meakings Hardwick of Monmouth, Gentleman in trust for her and to be by him accounted for and paid her once in three weeks or as he shall judge proper. And I do hereby charge my said real estate in the hands of my heir or heirs, devisee or devisees with the payment of the said three shillings a week to or for the said Elizabeth Lewis accordingly with power also to the said Elizabeth Lewis or Philip Meakings Hardwick to raise the same and all arrears by distress or otherwise out of my said real estate as in the case of rent in arrear. And I will and desire that this present codicil may be annexed to and made and taken as a part of my said last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto put my hand and seal this twenty ninth day of August 1772. Hen Edmonds.
Signed, sealed, published and declared by the said Henry Edmonds as his codicil to his last will and testament in the presence of us who subscribed our names as witnesses thereto at the request and in the sight and presence of the said Henry Edmonds and of each other the words [out of my real estate] being first interlined. C Halfpenny; Rt Blandford; Sarah Williams, servant to Mr Halfpenny
This will was proved at London with a codicil the seventh of November in the year of our Lord one
(The final part of this will is on another page which I do not have. DW)
Transcribed from a photocopy by Dave Woolven, 2 Aspen Way, Malpas Park, Newport, South Wales
NP20 6LB Tel 01633 858 359 27 August 2000