One word is all i need.

[Gert in Oz]

Sorry you can run and hide if you want, its that will again, but if i can get this word its completed, pretty please.

Adam Underwood left his oldest son Monke, Cattle, Chattles and everything else, every one else got money, so i would have thought he was a farmer, but what does this word say please? does not look like farmer to me,

I have looked at other wills on the net, of the same era and this is where the occupation is on each will.

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb101/gert1945/part.jpg

Its the second line down under God and between Leicester and being

Thank you in antisipation

Sylvia

[kiterunner]

Is it Shepherd, or something-herd?

[Gert in Oz]

Thank you for looking Kiterunner, would a shepard have his own cattle ?

I have been looking at it that long, i thought the first letter was T as in testament below or H.

Just looked at the full will and Sh is totaly different, so not shepard

Sylvia

[kiterunner]

I wonder if there was such a word as Kineherd? (Kine being an old word for cattle)

[Gert in Oz]

I haven`t heard that before, i did come across Heritor yesterday meaning Land owner in a parish, when looking up old occupations

Sylvia

[kiterunner]

Is there a capital K on the page that you can compare the first letter to?

[Langley Vale Sue]

My first thought was that it was Hawker.
Or is it a borough or county where Leicester is?

[Gert in Oz]

There is,

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb101/gert1945/p2.jpg

Sylvia

[Gert in Oz]

Thank you for looking Sue, i thought of it was to do with the county at first, til i looked at several other wills from the same era.

Sylvia

[kiterunner]

Hmm, it's not completely different, but not exactly the same!

The borough and county for Leicester would be Leicester.

[Gert in Oz]

It is similar, as you go down the will, its easier to read, because the background is lighter and more spread out.

Sylvia

[Phoenix]

Kite's initial guess of Shepherd does look the most likely. You are unfortunate in having the most appalling quality of image to deal with.


I don't suppose, at that period, that there is an inventory?


It is possible that he was a shepherd employed by someone else, so no or few sheep of his own, but cattle that were looked after by his wife? I don't know how much land each animal requires or what quality of land, but I get the impression that cattle were for survival, while sheep were for entrepreneurs to make a profit on.

[Gert in Oz]

I believe his wife died before him, no inventory found, that doesn`t mean there wasn`t one. The only other thing that came with it was a request by the son Monke Underwood which says

Monk Underwood the within signed Gator? was sworn the 4th day of February 1743 and then made the Deeds ? perfort? ****** doth not amount to twenty pounds
Before qns? and a signature Geof Andrews ?

His father died 29th May 1743

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb101/gert1945/AdamUnderwood.jpg

Sylvia

[kiterunner]

Would Gator be Executor? I don't think that it would be a request by the son, but rather him taking the oath to execute the will and stating the total amount of the estate, and the signature would be the judge. If you can post up the image of that then I would have a go at deciphering the words.

[Gert in Oz]

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb101/gert1945/img025.jpg

Is that too small

Sylvia

[kiterunner]

Monk Underwood the within signed Extor was sworn the 4th day of February 1743 and then made Oath the Deceased's personal effects doth not amount to Twenty Pounds
Before me
Jere(?) Andrews
Surrgt.

[Gert in Oz]

Not sure about "doth not amount to twenty pounds "

Adam left 3 grandsons 5 pound each, for when they were 21, his daughter in law 5 pound, but her husband (his son)1 shilling. 4 grandaughters 20 shillings each and one of the 3 grandsons an extra 2 pound 10 shillings for learning th be paid at 8 shilling each year until all gone.

Sylvia

[Gert in Oz]

Ah, i get it his personal effects were worth under 20 shillings, not the money.


Thank you so much for your help

Sylvia

PS what does Surrgt stand for ?

[kiterunner]

Surrogate - some of the definitions in the dictionary include "a deputy, esp. of an ecclesiastical judge; a judge of probate".

[Gert in Oz]

Thank you, i have learnt a few new things doing this will.

Sylvia

[Phoenix]

Bear in mind that you could leave a million pounds to your children, but die in debt!

I know I've heard it said that testators often willed more than they were worth.

I'm not well up on wills of this period, but the fact that the value of the estate is being mentioned suggests that the church courts were charging some sort of fee, based on the value of the estate. Human nature being what it is, I bet there was some slight fudging of the figures, though it wouldn't be by much.

You don't say which court the will was proved in, but I assume an Archdeaconry court?

[Gert in Oz]

The will itself gives no indication. I originally found a mention of probate for Adam Underwood with the date 1743 on the IGI, i checked Ancestry and found this,

Yorkshire, England: Parish Records > Wills and Administrations in the Archdeaconry court of Leicester 1660-1750 > Wills and Administrations in Leicester

Wills and Administrations at Leicester 1660-1750
page 332. 1743..Underwood, Adam, Ashfordby

Emailed Leicester RO and there you are, it was in the notes on my FTM. Archdeaconry court.

Sylvia

[Olde Crone]

Yes, there was the ever present death duty which the church was always extremely anxious to collect. If it wasn't a statutory duty, it was a tithe.

This is why Wills were proved in ecclesiastical courts, because the church had a financial interest.

When I executed my late father's Will, I was worried because the valuation of his personal effects was nearly zero, compared to the value of the estate in total.

I discussed this with the IR,, a nice man, who laughed and told me not to worry, they were very used to elderly people who had a lot of money but no possessions!

OC

[Phoenix]

In the pre-reformation days, when it would be the priest writing up the will, there would always be a clause "for tithes forgotten". The more sins you had, the longer you stayed in purgatory and, conveniently for the church, forgetting to pay your tithes was a sin!