Will of Mary Rowe, widow of London 1732/3

Date: 1720 to 1733
Location: London, England
Surnames/tags: Rowe Woollaston Westrow

Will of Mary (Westrow) Row (1649-aft.1733)^[1]

This is a transcription of the register office copy of the will of Mary Rowe, widow. Written on the 5 March 1730/1 and proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury on 22 February 1732/3 with two codicils annexed by the oaths of Edward Rowe and Samuel Rowe the sons of the deceased

Transcription conventions:
Spelling, punctuation and line breaks are as per the original document.
Crossings through have been included struck out
Spelling, punctuation and line breaks are as per the original document.
Crossings through have been included struck out
Paragraph breaks at change of bequest, and bold text are my own for ease of reading.
Where present, the obsolete letter Thorn has been rendered as th, and ff has been rendered as F
Abbreviations and breviographs have been expanded in [square brackets]
The image quality was good and the writing very legible.
Non standard spelling as per usual for this time period, which has been transcribed verbatim.

Persons mentioned

• Mary Rowe of London Widow Testatrix
• my Sons Edward Rowe joint executor. Swore that codicils were wrirren by testatrix
  • and Samuel Rowe joint executor
• Rachael the Wife of the said Samuel Rowe
• my Daughters Anne Rowe
  • Mary Woollaston Widow
    • and Dorothy Harris Widow
• Jn. Nicholoson Witness to will
  • W Stonestreet Witness to will
    • Sarah'Morris Witness to will
• my Servant Eliz. Morris
• Lucy Cook no relationship stated
• Elizabeth Harris grand-daughter of testatrix
• ISrael Woollaston of the Middle Temple London Gentleman Swore that the Codicils were written by the Testatrix
• Mr Brag received a ring
• Mr Gibes received a ring

[page one folio 108 recto] This is the last Will and
Testament of me Mary Rowe of London Widow Imprimus I doe
appoint my Sons Edward Rowe and Samuel Rowe Executors and do

[page 2 folio 108 verso]

desire them to bury me in a private manner and as to the Fee Farm
Rent of One hundred pounds per Annum which is Settled in Trust and
for the benefit of me and my Children my Will and desire is that each
of my Children who shall be living at my decease and their heirs
respectively shall have such parts shares and proportions thereof and
in such manner as is limitted and appointed by the said Settlement

Item I give and devise to my Daughter Ann Rowe and her heirs
for ever four pounds per annum and do charge the residue and
remainder of the said Fee Farm Rent with the payment thereof

Item
I give to my said Sons Edward Rowe and Samuel Rowe and to Rachael
the Wife of the said Samuel Rowe Ten pounds apeice for
Mourning and as to the Rest residue and remainder of the said Fee
Farm Rent on One hundred pounds per annum and all my Estate
Right Title and Interest therein both in possession and Remainder
after payment of the said Legacies for mourning and all my Debts
and Funerall charges and Subject to the said Annuity or Rent
CHarge of Four pounds per Annum I give and devise the same
and every part thereof to my Daughters Anne Rowe Mary
Woollaston Widow and Dorothy Harris Widow and their heirs
forever as Tennants in Common and not at Joint Tennants and
Whereas I intend in a Seperate paper of my own hand writing
to give and dispose of my houshold and other Goods being old and
of little value to be sold) now my Will and meaning is that such
Gift and disposal of my said Goods shall be deemed and taken
as part of my Will In Witness whereof I have hereunto Sett
my hand and Seal this Fifth Day of March anno D[omi]ni 1730 and in
the fourth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord KIng George
the Second etc Mary Rowe./. Signed Sealed and published by
the above named Mary Rowe to be her last Will and Testament
in the presence of us whom her presence Subscribed our
names as Witnesses Jn. Nicholoson W Stonestreet Sarah
Morris

Cod. If my Servant Eliz. Morris lives with me at the time of my
death I give her five pounds for mourning - Mary Rowe

Cod.This is how I would have my Good dispoes of at my death
To my eldest Son all the pictures

To my daughter Woollaston all
that belongs to me in her Chamber in Lime Street a Bed for her
Maid my Great Bible the yellow Stuff that lyes by

ToDaughter
Ann all the furniture in her Chamber the White Quilt belongs
to it my Seal all my wearing Cloths and houshold Linnen all the
China in the Dineing Room and the Green Window Curtains the
|Tea Spoons and the little Stone Mortar both the little Seals

To
Daughter Harris the Bed she has of mine and one of the Beds in
the Maid Chamber the Leather Screen the great Table the Ring
I had for Lucy Cook

To Elizabeth Harris all the furniture in my
Chamber The rest of my Goods I give equally between my
Daughter Woollaston and my Daughter Ann ONly out of my plate
I would have my three Sons and my Daughter Rowe and my

[page 3 folio 181 recto]

fower Grandchildren have a Ring

I would have Mr Brag and
Mr Gibes have a ring written with my own hand the second day of
Sep[tember] 1721 Mary Rowe

I give to my Daughter Ann the C[ur]tons in the dining rome & all the things
belonging to that Chimny & all my Bookes witness my own this 10
day of Apr[il] 1730 . Mary Rowe. I give to my Daughter Anne my two
little servers & to my Granddaughter Eliz: Harris my Tancard
March the y^th 1730 Mary Rowe I desier the other side may stand as it
is March the 7^th 1730 Mary Rowe

22 Febry 1732

Which Day appeared personally Edward Rowe of Leaden
Hall Street London Stationer and Israel Woollaston of the Middle
Temple London Gentleman who being severall Sworne upon the
holy Evangelists to depose the Truth did depose and say as ffollows
viz^t this Deponent Edward Rowe saith that he is the own Son
of M^rs Mary Rowe late of St Dionis Back Church London
Widow deceased and is well acquainted with her manner and
Character of handwriting having often seen her write and this
Deponent Israel Woollaston Saith that he has been acquainted
with the said Mary Rowe deceased for severall years before
her death and during such acquaintance of her has seen her
write and thereby became acquainted with her manner and
Character of handwriting and these Deponents say that having
now viewed and perused the bequest or Codicill at the Foot or
bottom of the last Will and Testament of the said deceased
hereunto annexed in the words following viz^t - If my Servant
Eliz: Morris lives with me at the time of my death I give her
five pounds for mourning - and subscribed thus Mary Rowe
and having likewise viewed and perused the Testamentary
schedule of Codicill hereunto annexed beginning thus - This is
how I would have my Good dispoes of at my death To my
Eldest Son all the pictures etc and ending thus - my fower Grand
Children have a ring I would have Mr Brag and Mr Gibes
have a ring written with my own hand the second day of Sep[tember] 1721-
and this subscribed - Mary Rowe- and likewise the additional
bequests at the end of the said Codicill in the words and figure
following viz^t I give to my Daughter Ann the C[ur]tons in the dining
rome & all the things belonging to that Chimny & all my Bookes
witnes my own this 10 day of Apr[il] 1729 Mary Rowe I give to my
Daughter Anne my two little servers & to my Granddaughter
Eliz: Harris my Tancard March the y^th 1730 Mary Rowe I desier
the other side may stand as it is March the 7^th 1730 -Mary Rowe - doe

verily believe the said two Codicils and severall Subscriptions of
Mary Rowe thereto subscribed to be totally wrote and Subscribed by
and with the proper handwriting of her the said Mary Rowe
deceased - Ed: Rowe - Israel Woollaston - This was sworn as being truthful to me Rich: Cheslyn Not[ary] Public (rough translation of the Latin)

Sources

1. ↑ Will: "England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858"
   The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 657
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 5111 #834890 (accessed 20 March 2023)
   Will of Maria Rowe, granted probate on 22 Feb 1732. Died about 1732 in London.