The Will of John Ollier of Over Marton, Yeoman (Died 1681-2)
And Inventory
All names are in bold for ease of reference.
Below is the will of John Ollier of Over Marton Nr. Whitegate, Cheshire. This will was written in 1681 and has survived remarkably well, due to the size of the will, I had to scan it in two sections, hence the two seperate Images, also note that they are of a slightly different scale.
A transcription of the original will & inventory can be found below, there is no image yet of the inventory. All names are in large script or bold for ease of reference.
Note: These documents were written during the Old Julian Calender!
Images courtesy of The Cheshire Record Office.
In the name of God Amen The twenty ffirft day of Novembr Ann Dom 1681 I John Ollier of Over Marton [1] within whitegate in the County of Chefster Yeoman being weake in body but of good and perfect memory thankes bee given to Almighty god And calling to minde the uncertaine of late of this tranfitory life and that all flesh muft yield unto death when it shall pleafe god to call doe make conftitute and ordaine and Appoint this my laft will and teftamente Revoking and Annulling all will and wills heretofore made by mee either in word or writinge Ffirft I bequeath my soule unto Almighty god my Creatour and Redeemer in whom and by whofe precious death and pafsion I doe truft Afsuredly to bee saved in an Afsurance and certaine hopes of A Refurrection unto life at the laft day do make Constitute Ordaine and Appoint this my laft will and testamente in Manner and fforme as ffolloweth
Item I doe give and leave to my Daughter Margaret Wright and her children the sume of one Hundred pounds (viz) sixty to her own proper ufe and tenn pounds A piece to her ffoure children
It. I doe give and leave to My Daughter Mary Sprofeon [2] and her children the sume of one hundred and ten pounds (viz) seventy pounds for her own proper ufe and tenn pounds A piece to her foure children to bee lett out According to my Executors difcretion
It. I doe leave to William Ollier of Wimbersley [3] And Edward Kinfey of Loftocke Gralam the sume of Ninety pounds (viz) the intereft of the same to and for the ufe of my Daughter Elizabeth Barnett duringe her natural life and if she the said Elizabeth have any child or children, then the whole sume Aforesaid with the intereft for the same to and for the ufe of such childe or children and in defaulte of such childe or children then the same to the ufe of my Sons and Daughters children to bee divided equally accordinge as they shall then bee in number according as my said feoffees [4] shall Appoint and order
It. I doe give to my sonne Thomas and his wife Mary Ollier the sume of tenn pounds to and for her own proper ufe and alfoe the goods hearafter mentioned for and in lieu of my keeping and twenty pounds to and for the ufe of his now sonne John and tenn pounds for the ufe of Mary his now Daughter And to my sonne Thomas herefore mentioned, thefe goods hereafter Nominated (viz) One cupboard and one table, one falling table, stooles, difhboard and all those bedfteads that are mine in the houfe and all my husbandery goods wholey to him likewife.
It. I give and leave to my daughters Margaret Wright and Mary Sprofeon all my Brafse and Pewter, bedding and linnens, all that are mine whatsoever to bee equally divided Amongft them And my cheft to my daughter Margaret and two coffers to my daughter Mary aforesaid.
It. I give and leave to William Ollier Aforesaid and his children the sume of Eight pounds and to his Sifter Martha and her children the sume of one pound And Edward Kinfey of Loftock Gralam the sume of one pound.
It. I give and leave to Margaret Woodfin and her children the sume of one pound And to Charles Ollier's children the sume of tenn shillings to bee equally divided Amongft them
It. I give and leave to John Taylor Jane Wrigby Elliner Robinfon And Ellinor Gardner three shillings and foure pence A piece.
It. I give to Elizabeth Oldham the sume of one pound And to Efther Oldham my god daughter the sume of tenn shillings.
It. I give and leave to John Sprofeon and Dorothy Wright the sume of one pound A piece and to the Reft of my god children two shillings and sixpence A piece and to my sonne Thomas Ollier the sum of foure pounds more
It. I give and leave to William Woodfin the sume of three shillings and foure pence And William Ratcliffe three shillings and foure pence.
It. I give and leave the sume of three pounds and six shillings eight pence to the ufe of the poor of the parifh of Whitegate Darnhall excepted the intereft to remain forever.
It. I will that my debts legacies and ffunerall expenses be discharged, the Remainder of the overplus to beb divided equally Amongft my sons and daughters children
It. I doe Ordaine Nominate and Appoint Peter Wright of Lower Peover And Richard Sprofeon of Acton my Executors, to see this my laft will and teftament truly performed And Edward Kinfey of Loftock Gralam And William Ollier of Wimbersley my Truftees to see my executors before mentioned to performe this my will juftly and truly as above mentioned.
In Wittneffe whereof I have hereunto set and put my hand and seale the daye and year firft Above written
John X Ollier [His mark]
his marke
[Seal]
Richard Bowyer [Signed]
[?] Boyer [?] [Signed]
Ralph Darlington [Signed]
Notes: By L.Ollier
[1] Marton in Over.
[2] Sproseon (Early spelling of Sproston?)
[3] Wimboldsley.
[4] Feeofees.....those that have been granted.....trustees.
Inventory
A true and perfect Inventory of all the Goods Cattle and Chattlles of John Ollier late of Over Marton in the County of Chester, Yeoman deceased Apprized and Vallued the Six and Twentieth day of January Anno Dm 1681 by us Edward Kinsey William Ollier John Lowe and John Holland
Imprimis
Hay £3 10s
Corne £5 10s
Two Coverlets Seaven Blanketts, Three Ffeather boulfters One pillow and One chaffe boulster £2
Eleaven paire of Sheets and one odd one £1 10s
Braffe and pewter £3 5s
One Little Coffer 2s
One ffeather bedd Two Ffeather boulsters One Pillow coverlett Blankett and chaffe bedd £2
Two Treftles and some little Treyne ware 6s
Ffoure Bedsteads 10s
One Wainescoate Chest 10s
Two Coffers 5s
Three Chaires and One falling table 5s
Ffive Shelves in the Buttery 5s
One Cupboard One Dishboard and one Table £1 10s
Husbandry ware £2
The deceaseds weareing Aparell 6s 8d
Money due unto the deceased from Thomas Ollier the decd. Son £34
Debts by specialty £360 13s
Debts without specialty £3 13s
Ready monie found by the decd. 16s
[..?..] Febr 1681
E[?]tm Ereteum [..?..]
An interesting note (Courtesy of Sandy) can be found in the Church Wardens Accounts for St Mary's, Whitegate as follows:
1697-1698 "Spent when the Church Wardens went to Acton to soo for the money that was left to the poor by Old John Ollier in the hands of Richard Sproson 1/-" !!
Also from an earlier date: 1659-60 John Ollier Church Warden.
From this will it can be seen that John Ollier was a yeoman farmer and judging by the goods noted in the inventory and the will it is most probable that he was a dairy farmer. It is difficult to say with certainty how large the holding was but it was almost certainly known locally as "Ollier's Tenement" as his decendants are mentioned in various Indentures of Lease which can be seen on this website under that tenement name, It would be reasonable to assume that the holding was a small but reasonable one judging by the contents of the will and inventory.
His son Thomas Ollier and Thomas’s wife Mary together with their children John and Mary appear to have been living at the house at the time of John Ollier’s death, as he leaves to them both money and goods to them "in lieu of my keeping" this suggests that they were living "in house" and looking after him during his later years, this also would tie up with the number of beds and blankets etc that are mentioned in the will and inventory, remember that the rest of his children, his daughter’s, had flown the nest by then and his wife Susannah had long since died (to many beds and bedding for one man!)
Another important family connection is also revealed in John’s will, it is that of William Ollier of Wimboldsley, he is a named as a trustee in John’s will and as executor and one of the authors of the inventory in the will of John's son Thomas, we know from parish records that William Ollier was the son of Michael Ollier (Oleheyre) of Wharton and is clearly related to both John and his son Thomas, this would therefore suggest that John Ollier and Michael Ollier were most probably brothers, and as we know that Michael was married (m. 1627) several years before John (1633) then John must have been the younger of the two. Contained within a bequest in John’s will is money left to the children of Charles Ollier, Martha the sister of Charles Ollier and also to Margaret Woodfin and her children, Charles, Martha and Margaret were the children of Michael Ollier thus reinforcing the connection between John and Michael, as does the fact that William Ollier's Daughter in Law (the wife of his son Joseph) who was Alice (Nee Deane) went on after Joseph's death to marry Thomas Blackey of Davenham, it was Thomas Blackey who by way of a mortgage was assigned "Ollier's Tenement" by John Ollier's Gt. Grandson John Ollier the Younger (John Ollier the Elder was John's Grandson mentioned in the will above, ie: we have Old John Ollier who's will is above, John Ollier the Elder, who was the son of Thomas & Mary Ollier and Grandson of Old John Ollier, all three of which are mentioned in the above will, and John Ollier the Younger, son of John Ollier the Elder, who was a party to three Indentures of Lease drawn up beween 1730 & 1745. (See above link)
Our current theory is that if Michael Ollier was the eldest son then he would certainly inherit the larger part of any estate left to both him and John, this would seem to tie up with the fact that of their two respective son’s it was Michael’s son, William Ollier of Wimboldsley that appears to have gained more wealth during his life than that of John’s son, Thomas Ollier of Over Marton.