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Proved 12 Jul 1684

Extracted from the Registry of the Archdeacon's Court of Totnes

In the Name of God Amen the fowerth day of November in the five & thirtieth Yeare of the reigne of our Soveraigne Lord Charles the second by the Grace of God of England Scotland ffrance & Ireland King Defender of the faith etc Annoq[ue] D[omi]ni 1683 I Roger Efford of Modbury in the County of Devon Yeoman being sick of Body but of sound & P[er]fect Mind & Memory (thanks be unto Almighty God therefore) Doe make & ordaine this my last Will & Testam[en]t in manner & fforme followinge vizt. ffirst I recom[m]end my Soul into the Hands of Almighty God my maker hopeing through the Meritts of Jesus Christ my onely Savio[u]r & Redeemer to inherite eternall Salvac[i]on & my Body to a decent & Christian Buryall And as touchinge my temporall Estate I dispose thereof as followeth Impr[imi]s I give & bequeath unto Mary my Wife One hundred Pounds Alsoe I give & bequeath unto my said Wife Mary All my Houses Closes or Parcells of Land with th[e]appurten[an]ces & the Use of all my Houshold Good Utensills & Implem[en]ts of Houshold for & during the full Time & Terme of threeescore Yeares If my said Wife doe or shall soe long happen to Live Alsoe I give & bequeath unto my two Daughters Mary and Johane One hundred & fifty Pounds a peece And my Will & desire is that my said Wife & Daughters doe live together & that the Yearly p[ro]fitt of Money or Estate I shall leave amongst my said Wife & Daughters bee for & towards their respective Maintenance & livelihood untill my said Daughters or one of them bee Marryed Alsoe I give devise & bequeath unto my said Daughters Mary & Johane & their Heirs All my Messuages Lands Tenem[en]ts & Hereditam[en]ts with th[e]appurten[an]ces scutuate lying & being within the p[ar]ish of Modbury or elsewhere in the County of Devon togeather with the Deeds & writings - concerning the same imediately after the decease of my said Wife And my Will & meaning is & I doe soe declare that if either of my said Daughters shall happen to dye unmarryed or shall happen to be marryed & dye without Issue of her Body lawfully to be begotten Then all my said Messuasges Lands Tenem[en]ts & Hereditam[en]ts with th[e]Appurten[an]ces shall bee remaine & come unto such of my said Daughters as shall survive the other & to the Heirs & Assigns of my said Daughter (soe surviving) for ever Alsoe I give & bequeath unto my said two Daughters (after the decease of my said Wife) All my Goods & Chattels whatsoever to bee equally divided amongst them Alsoe I give unto my Sister Elizabeth Pettallack fforty Shillings All the residue of my Goods & Chattels whatsoever I give & bequeath unto my said Wife whome I herebt make constitute & ordain to bee my whole & sole Executrix of this my last Will & Testament And farther my Will & Meaning is That if there shall arise any difference betweene my said Wife & Daughters or any of them or any scruple or doubt touchinge this my last Will that such difference scruple or doubt shsall bee made upp by my Kinsman Christopher Efford & Henry Legassicke of Modbury & they or the survivo[u]r of them shall expound the meaninge of this my Will And Lastly my Will menainge & desire is that my said Daughters nor either of them doe not marry without the Consent or approbat[I]on of my said Kinsman Christopher Efford & Henry Legassicke or the Survivo[u]r of them first had And I desire the said Christopher Efford & Henry Legassicke to bee aiding & assisting to my said Wife & Children in the Managem[en]t of their affaires & in the p[er]formance of this my last Will & Testament In Witnesse whereof I the said Roger Efford have hereunto sett my Hand & Seale the Day & Yeare first above written -
                 Roger Efford

Signed Sealed Published & declared by the above named Roger Efford in p[re]sence of us
    John Swete
    Ambr[ose] Rhodes
    Hen[ry]Legassicke
The sign of Elias Reeby    +
The sign of James Phillips    [like the letter z or figure 2]

24th Julii 1684 Probatu[m] fuit hu[ius]mo[d]i Test[a]m[e]n[tum] apud Modbury coram D[omi]no Jacobo ffullwood Legu[le] Dioce[sis] Surr[ogato] ven[erabi]lis viri ffran[cisci] fullwood cl[er]ici Archi[diaco]ni Totton com[m]issa p[ro]cu[rare?] adm[inistratio]ne[m] Mari[a]e Efford rel[ic]t[a]e et Ex[ecutri]ci et c[etera] prius jurat[ur] et c[etera] salvo jure et c[etera]
Inv[entariu]m £480

Last updated: 4 Nov 2009 - Brian Randell

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