Will (1582) and Probate (1583) of Richard Cooper of Merson Sicca, Gloucestershire - Glos GDR/R8/1583/93

Date: 9 Feb 1583 to 10 Apr 1583
Location: Marston Sicca, Gloucestershire, England
Surnames/tags: cooper cowper

Consistory Court of Gloucester, Wills and Probate; GDR/R8/1583/93; Gloucestershire Archives

Ancestry.com. Gloucestershire, England, Wills and Inventories, 1541-1858 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014; Entry for Richard Cooper (accessed 24 Mar 2024) Ancestry Sharing Link

Transcribed by Nicholas Adams

Contents 1 Will 2 Probate 3 Research Notes

Will

Richarde Cowper

In the name of God amen, the ix^th daye of ffebruarye, in the yeare of our Lord god 1582 in
the xxv^th yeare of the Reigne of our sovereigne Ladie Queene Elizabeth &c I Richard
Cooper of merson sicca, in the County of Glocest[er] husbandman, beinge sicke in body, but whole
& perfecte of memory, praised be god doe ordaine, & make, my Laste will & Testa
ment, in maner, & forme, as followeth. ffirste I geve & bequeath my soule, unto al
mightye god, & my body to be buryed, in the Churche, or Churchyarde, of mersone
aforesayd. Item I geve unto the parishe Churche of merson sicca --- vj^d Item I
geve unto the poremens Boxe, of the said parishe --- xj^d Item I geve unto Thomas
my sonne -- xl^s & doe forgeve him – iij^li of due debte w[hi]ch he owethe me Item I geve
unto John my sonne, a blacke heyfer, xx^s of money, & ij sheepe. Item I geve and
bequeathe unto him, his heires, excutors, & assignes for ever, all my Lands and
Tenements whatsoever, y^t lie, & be, w[hi]ch in the Towne parishe, & ffeldes, of welforde
in the County of Glocest[er], w[i]th their appurtenances. Item I geve unto Richarde
my sonne, a Rawne Coulte, a redde Cowe, iij sheepe of the middle sorte, an Iron
bounde Carte, a harrowe, & a plowe, & whatsoever is co[n]tayned in the Chamber where
in he nowe lyethe. And ffurthermore, my will is, y^t my sonne Roberte, his heires,
executors, or assignes, shall fynde unto him, meate, drincke, & washinge, all the while
he keepeth him selfe single, & y^t he shall have the use of the sayde Chamber all
the while he is batcheler. if he be disposed, there for to tarrye. Item I geve unto
my Daughter Agnes --- xx^s Item I geve unto my Daughter Joane – xx^s Ite[m]
I geve unto Richard the sone of Roberte my sone, a ffetherbed, a spice morter, and
a sheepe. Item I geve unto Ales his Daughter a sheepe. Item I geve unto every
on of the Childre[n] of my sonne Thomas, a sheepe. Item I geve unto Roberte y^e
sonne of John my sonne, a heyfer. Item I geve unto every on of the Childre[n] of my
Daughter Anne, a sheepe. Item I geve unto willia[m] the sone of my Daughter
Joane, an ewe, & a Lambe, & to her Daughter Joane, a sheepe. Item I geve unto
every on of my sonne John Sclatters Childre[n], a sheepe. Ite, I geve unto william
Sclatters Childre[n] – vi^d a peece. Ite[m] I geve unto Richard Powell his
Childre[n] --- vi^d a peece. Item I geve unto every on of my servants –- xij^d
Item I geve unto every on of my godchildre[n] --- iiij^d. The reste of all my
goods moveable & immoveable, whatsoever, my debtes, Legasies, & funerals
discharged, I geve & bequeath, unto Robarte my sonne, whom I doe or
daine, & make, the ffull, whole & lawfull executor, of this my Laste will &
Testament. And furthermore I doe appoint Thomas Cooper, Henrie
Cooper. John Kecke, & Gefferie M[o]n[n]muth, to be the overseers of the same.
who are also witnesses there unto.

Probate

T[estamentum]
Rich[ard]i Cooper
de marson sicca
p[ro]bat[um] cora[m] m[agist]ro
Will[iam]o Blackleech
in leg[ibus] bacc[alario] &c com[issario]
dicimo die Aprilis
1583
et comissa est ad[ministrac]o
execut[orem] in eade[m]
test[ament]o iurat[um] debite
primo vigore
comissio[n]is iurat[um]
Saluo &c 1583

The testament
of Richard Cooper
of Marson Sicca
was proved befiore magistrate
William Blackleech
bachelor of laws &c commissary
the tenth day of April
1583
and administration was granted
to the executor in the same
testament sworn first
as required by law
by the power of the commission
Preserving &c 1583

Research Notes

There appear to have been a couple of naming errors in this will. The first is Richard's son, Roberte. The first mention of him is as 'Richarde', but it is clear from the following clause that it refers to the same person as both clauses refer to the same chamber. Subsequent references reinforce the name as actually being Roberte rather than Richarde. It may well be that Roberte's own son, Richarde, may be the cause of this slip.

The second is of Agnes/Anne. I have come across these names used interchangeably before, and it is possible this is the case here. It is also possible one is just an error, but with only one mention of each name, it is impossible to be sure which is wrong without further evidence from other sources. Whilst it is just possible that these are two separate daughters, the same relative position in the lists of children, and then the grandchildren by those children, argue against it.