Person:Richard Baldwin (49)

WILL OF RICHARD BALDWIN OF ST. LEONARDS, CO. BUCKS.

Extracted from the principal Registry of Her Majesty's Court of Probate :- In the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.

In the name of God Amen. The eighteenth daie of February in the eight yeare of the raigne of our Soveraigne Lord Charles by the Grace of God of England Scotland France & Ireland Kinge, Defender of the Faith &c.- anno dni 1632. I, Richard Baldwin of Dun-Dridge in the Parishe of Aston Clinton in the Countie of Bucks Yeoman beinge sicke in bodie but of good & perfect remembrance prayse God therefore doe make and dec1are this my last Will and Testament in manner as followeth: First I comitt my soule unto allmightie God my Maker and Redeemer beleeveinge the forgiveness of all my sinies through the death and passion of Jesus Christe my lord, my onely, and alone Saviour my bodie I comitt to the earth to be buried in decent and christian sort by my Executor touchinge my temporall estate I give and bequeath unto Mr. Hall now the minister of St. Leonards Vii. to be paide within three moneths after my decease. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto Henry Baldwin sonne of my brother Silvester and my next heire all that cloase of free land called Brayes Bushe with appurtenance lyinge in the Parishes of greate Chesham and Wendover to him and to his heires for ever yeilding and payinge unto the poore people of St. Leonards XX a yeare every yeare for the tearme of one hundred yeares to be distributed on St. Thomas daie by the minister of St. Leonards and my heires. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto the saide Henry Baldwin XX of money to be paide unto him within six moneths after my decease uppon condition that he the saide Henry shall suffer all those men which bought wood and timber of me quietIy and peaceably to fell cut downe and carry away the same and the mony that is behinde to be paide unto my Executor for the discharge of my legacies in this will given. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto the saide Henry Baldwin one coffer with evidences concerninge this Mannor of Dundridge and also the evidences concerninge the chappell lande and also one mault mill and one coslet and furniture, and furniture for one horse for service of the musters, and the tables and frames in the hall with the formes cubbord ,wainscott, benches and the armor in the said hall. Itm-- I give unto the saide Henry the best bedsteede in the new Chamber. Itm-- I give will and bequeath unto Christian my well beloved wife all the Goods and householde stuffe that is or formerly hath used to be in my bed chamber except the best peice of plate. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto Christian my wife aforesaide halfe all my bedsteeds not bequeathed and halfe all my bed cloaths halfe all my linnen cloathes halfe all my pewter and brasse and halfe all the moveable goods in the dwellinge house whatsoever unbequeathed to be equally devided betweene the said Christian and my Executor. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto the saide Christian twoe of my best bease xx sheepe three hoggs, all my poultry one quarter of wheate one quarter of malt and all my wearinge apparell to be delivered unto her within tenn daies next after my decease further more my will and minde is that the saide Christian my wife XX pounds a yeare paide unto her yearely every yeare duringe her naturall life by my next heire for & in consideration of her estate and interest in my Mannor of Dundridge and also that she shall have sufficient howse room and firewood. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto John Baldwin my Brother xx and to John Baldwin his sonne xx all to be paide within one yeare after my decease and the rest of my mony in theire hande's shall be paide to my Executor. Itm-- I give & bequeath unto Mary Salter my sister xii. Itm-- I give & bequeath unto John Salter and unto David Salter and unto Mary Salter and unto Sarah Salter all beinge the children of Mary Salter my Sister aforesaide to every one of them x all which severall legacies of x a peece bequeathed unto my Sister Mary and her children I will shall be paide unto them within twoe yeares next after my decease. Itm-- I give and bequeathe unto Henry Bonus xx and unto James Bonus x and unto Christian Bonus xxx all which legacies bequeathed unto my Sister Bonusses Children I will shall be paide unto them within one yeare after my decease. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto Mary Bonus daughtcr of my Sister Jane Bonus one hundred pounds to be paide unto her within one yeare after my decease in full payment of her grand mothers gifte as also of her mothers goods. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto Jane Bonus Daughter of my Sister Jane Fiftie pounds to be paide unto her within twoe yeares after my decease in full payment of her grandmothers gifte and also of her mothers goods. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto Anne Bryant Daughter of Robert Baldwin my Brother and unto Richard Bryant her sonne all that tenement with the appurtenances beinge freeholde lying and beinge in Wendover towne to the saide Anne and her sonne Richard and their heires for ever aud fortie eight pounds vj eight pence in mony to be paide within three moneths after my decease. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto Henry Stonhill sonne of Annie Stonhill my Sister xxx to be paide unto him when he shall come to the age of xxjl yeares and twentie acres of free land more or lesse in the parishe of Drayton Bechampe to him the saide Henry and his heires for ever. Itm-- I give and bequeath to Anne Stonhill daughter of Anne Stonhill my Sister x to be paide within twoe years after my decease. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto Richard Baldwin sonne of Silvester Baldwin my Brother x to be paide within twoe years after my decease. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto Willyam Baldwin sonne of my brother Silvester x to be paide within one yeare after my decease. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto Richard Baldwin Sonne of Silvester Baldwin of Aston Clinton x to be paide within one yeare after my decease. Itm-- I give and bequeath every one of my Brothers and Sisters Children that shall be liveing at my decease I saie unto every one of them fortie shillings to be paide unto every one of them within one yeare after my decease. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto Joane Chaffe my wifes sister fortie shillings to be paide within one yeare after my decease. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto Willyam Darley one whole yeares rent of that messuage wherein he dwelleth that is to saie the next yeare after my decease he shall paie no rent. Itm-- I give & bequeath unto Joyce Bernard widowe xx and to Silvester Tomkins of St. Leonards xx and to John Tompkins of the same parish xx and unto George Baldwin of the same parishe xx and unto Richard Gravener of Buckland xx and unto widowe Wilkins of the same parishe xx and widowe Gourney of the same parishe xx and Edward Springall of the same parishe xx and to Richard Arnoll of the Parishe of Chesham xx and to his sister Mary Garratt xx and to Jonas Nuton of Cholesbury xx and to widowe Childe of Harridge xx and to Robert Wilkins of Buckland xx and to Shem Ginger of St. Leonards xx. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto the poore people of Aston Clinton xx and to the poore people of St. Leonards xx and to the poore people of Cholesbury xx all which bequests by me bequeathed of xx a peece I will shall be paide within three months after my decease. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto everyone of my Servants that shall be in my service at the time of my death x to be paide within one moneth after my decease. Itm-- I give and bequeath unto widowe Cocke of St. Leonard's xx provided alwaies and my will and minde is that all those legacies shall be paide in good and lawfull money of England at the severall times appointed by my Executor and if any of those Children shall be under age then I will that theire legacies shall be paide unto the fathers of the said children at the time appointed theire fathers giving theire owne bonds unto my Executor for the true payment thereof to theire saide children at theire severall ages of xxi yeares by the shewinge of the saide bonds together with sufficient letters of attorney made by my saide Executor unto the saide children for the saveinge of the saide bonds and to them delivered shall be a sufficient discharge in lawe for my said Executor against Every of the saide children for his or theire legacie or legacies aforesaide resectively. Itm-- All the rest and residue of all my goods and cattell and chattels not before bequeathed my debts and legacies being paide my funeral orderly performed and discharged and this my will well and truly fullfilled I give unto Silvester Baldwin of Aston Clinton sonne of Silvester Baldwin my Brother whome I make and ordaine my whole and sole Executor of this my last will and testament. In Witness whereof I the saide Richard Baldwin have hereunto put my hande and seale the dai and yeare first above written --- Sealed subscribed published and declared in the presence of Willyam Grange --Henry Stonhill.

(Signed) Richard BALDWIN.

Richard Baldwin, whose will is above printed, was buried in the parish of Aston Clinton, co. Bucks, Oct 14, 1636; proof of the will was made Nov 29, 1636, and the execution thereof committed to Silvester Baldwin, the executor named therein. This will is referred to in several early records in this country, and by Mr. Savage under the name of Silvester Baldwin, whom he styles son of Richard. The mistake arose no doubt, from an erroneous transcript of a dim record of conveyance in vol. i, p. 3 of records of New Haven county court. The record of the will itself was in Oxford, England, until about two years since; with the other records it was then removed to Doctor's Commons, London.

The line of Silvester, the emigrant plainly appears. He was son of Silvester, deceased, and nephew, not son, of Richard of Dundridge. Silvester, the emigrant, married Sarah Bryan, probably sister or other near relative of Alexander Bryan (son of Thomas Bryan of Aylesbury), the first of Milford, whose wife Ann is mentioned in the will. Silvester and Sarah had children baptized in Aston Clinton as follows: Sarah, April 22, 1621; Richard, Aug. 25, 1622; Mary, Feb. 28, 1623; Mary again, Feb. 19, 1625; Martha, April 20, 1628; Samuel, Jan. 1, 1632, buried next 4th of June; Elizabeth, Jan. 25, 1633, buried Jan. 31, 1633. They also had John and Ruth, no doubt younger; all living children seem to have come hither and settled in Milford, Conn. John was afterward of Stonington, and was probably born 1634 or 1635.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Baldwin, Charles Candee. Notes on the ancestry of Sylvester Baldwin. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1991)
   pas. 3,4,5,6.

   See Personal History