... When he [William Waymouth] died in 1578 most of his not inconsiderable wealth (we are talking here of a yeoman rather than a gentleman) is left to his son William and the first item is 'a moitie of ye shippe ye LYON' valued at £50. This may not seem much for half a ship but it is in fact 12 years wages for a farm labourer and in any case probably only notional as it was not passing out of the family - one assumes that son William already owned the other half.
George's chattell
The first item in William's Will, however, is of wider significance as he leaves to his 'sonnes sonne' George his 'chattell to be delivered after the death of my sonne William Weymouth'. ...
