Whitehaven Record Office Frame 71 of film MM2152 / MF.COP.67
In the Name of God, Amen, this Fourth Day August in the Year of our Lord
God one thousand seven hundred & fifty five, I John Gunson of Gards
in Netherwasdale in the parish of St Bees in ye County of Cumberland
yeoman, being sick & weak in Body but of perfect mind & memory
praised be God for ye same, And calling to Remembrance the uncer=
tain estate of this transitory Life and yt all Flesh must yield unto Death
whensoever it shall please God to call, Do make and declare this my
last Will and Testament in Manner & form Following, first, being peni=
tent for my sins, I Com~end my soul unto Almighty God, hoping ye
Forgiveness of my sins & to Inherit ye Kingdom of Heaven thro’ ye Merits
of Jesus Christ my Redeemer, and my Body I Comitt to the Earth to be
decently buried at the Discretion of my Executrix hereafter named, And
for ye Settling of ny Temporal Estate Such Goods Chattells & Debts as it
hath pleased God to bestow upon me I do order give & dispose thereof in
manner & form following, that is to Say, First, I give & bequeath, Devise &
dispose unto my son John All my Tenement commonly called Scale be=
ing in the Parish of Gosforth in the County of Cumberland wth all my Right &
Interest therein & thereto & the appurtenances wtsoever, and also ye sum
of two hundred & sixty pounds Sterling, and also my sheep being one
hundred & fifty three heave going at Crook in Netherwasdale aforesaid
Also I give and bequeath unto my son Anthony ye sum of five hundred
pounds sterling, Also I give & bequeath unto my Daughter Mary ye
sum of three hundred pounds sterling, And if any of my said Children
shall die before he or she shall be one & twenty Years of Age then I here=
by order the Legacie herein bequeathed to the Deceased to be paid to my
surviving Children equally among them & the aforesaid Legacies herein
[when] they shall be
bequeathed I order to be paid ^ twenty one years of age I appoint Richard
Thomson of Thonflat in Careleton in the Parish of Drigg, & Isaac Nicholson of
Whitehaven in the parish of St Bees to see to the due Execution of this my Will
and I hereby entrust the said Richard & Isaac wth power, in case my wife Sarah
shall resolve upon a Second Marriage before Such Marriage, to settle Accounts
wth my said wife and to Receive & improve the Legacies herein bequeathed
to my Children for ye use & benefit of my said Children and to pay ye [Sume] to
my Children, allowing reasonable Charges for their bringing up and Allowing
the said Richd Thomson & Isaac Nicholson reasonable Costs for their Care &
Trouble, Lastly, All the rest and Residue of my Money, Goods & personall
Estate whatsoever I give bequeath & devise unto my Wife Sarah Whom I
hereby make sole and full Executrix of this my last Will & Testamt, she paying
all my Just Debts Legacies herein bequeathed and funeral Expences, hereby
revoking and making void all former Wills & Bequests by me made & De=
claring this only to be my last Will & Testament, In Witness whereof I the sd
John Gunson ye Testator have hereunto Set my hand & seal the Day &
Year first above writen
Signed Sealed published & declared
by the Said John Gunson to be his
last Will in the Sight & presence
of us
John Gunson
William Dixon
The mark of
December 22nd 1755
Ruth t Tyson
Sarah Gunson Sole Executrix in this will named
Thos: Poole
was sworn well and truly to execute ye same and
so forth
before me
Murthwaite Commissioner
Know all men by these Presents that We Sarah Gunson of Gards in
Netherwasdale in ye Parish of St Bees Widow, and William Dixon of
the Parish of Gosforth Weaver, both in ye County of Cumberland
are holden and firmly bound unto the Right Reverend Father in God Edmund by
Divine
permission Lord Bishop of Chester in two thousand Pounds of good and lawful
money
of Great Britain to be paid unto the said Right Reverend Father or to his
certain
Attorney his Executors Administrators Successors or Assigns to which payment
well
and truly to be made, We bind ourselves and each of us our and each of our Heirs
Executors and Administrators firmly by these Presents, Sealed with our Seals,
Dated
the twenty Second Day of December in the Year of our Lord one thousand
Seven hundred and fifty five
The Condition of this Obligation is such that if the above bounden Sarah Gunson
(widow
of John Gunson late of Gards in Netherwasdale in ye Parish of St Bees
and County of Cumberland) her
Executors Adminstrators or any of them shall and do well and honestly educate
maintain and
bring Upp John Gunson aged Six Years, Anthony one Year, and Mary aged eight
Years
the natural and lawful Children of him ye said John Gunson deceased and of her
ye
said Sarah Gunson with sufficient Meat, Drink, Washing, Apparel and Lodging
agreeable to their Condition and State during their Minority and do make A true
and
perfect Inventory of all and Singular the Goods Cattles and Chattles belonging
the said Children
and the same so made do exhibit into the Registry of the Archdeaconry of
Richmond when they
shall be thereunto lawfully called and do also well and truly pay or cause to be
paid unto the
said John Gunson, Anthony Gunson and Mary Gunson
all such filial Children’s part and Portions as shall be due to them by the Last
Will
and Testament of the Said John Gunson
Deceased and otherwise, when they shall attain twenty one
Years if Age, be marryed or otherwise lawfully demand the same, That then this
obligation
to be void or else in Force.
Sealed and Delivered
Sarah Gunson
In the presence of
Richard Thompson
Murthwaite
William Dixon
Know all men by these Presents that
We Sarah Gunson of Gards in Netherwasdale
and John Nicholson of Eskdale Yeoman
both of the Parish of St Bees in ye County
of Cumberland
are holden and firmly bound unto the Right Reverend Father
in God Samuel by Divine Permission, Lord Bishop of Chester, in
two thousand Pounds of good and lawful Money of
Great Britain, to be paid unto the said Right Reverend Father or to
his certain Attorney, his Executors, Administrators, or Assigns;
to which payment, well and truly to be made, We bind ourselves, and
each of Us our Heirs, Executors, and Administrators firmly by
these Presents, Sealed with our Seals, Dated the twenty second
Day of December in the Year of our Lord One Thousand
Seven Hundred and Fifty five
The Condition of this Obligation is such, That if the above bounden
Sarah Gunson Executrix of the last Will and
Testament of John Gunson late of Gards in Netherwasdale
in ye Parish of St Bees in ye County of Cumberland & Arcdeaconry of Richmond
shall and do well and truly execute, and perform the last Will and
Testament of him ye said John Gunson
Deceased; and do pay all his Debts and Legacys, so far as his Goods
and Personal Estate will extend, and the Law shall bind her if also she
do exhibit into Court a true and perfect Inventory of the said
Deceased’s Goods and Personal Estate, and give a true and just Accompt of
her acting in the Premises when she shall be thereunto
lawfully called; That then this obligation to be void or else in Force.
Sealed and Delivered
Sarah Gunson
in the presence of
Richard Thompson
Murthwaite
John Nicholson