Person:William Carter (103)

1775 William Carter was one of 13 jurors at a court concerned with the allocation of land, all were tenants of variably sized holdings who felt they had been dealt an injustice in receiving "poorer" land than they originally held.

The other jurors were William Prudden, John and Thomas Barber (these three, along with William Carter, were from the longest established families in Hexton), Thomas Odell (churchwarden), John Elliott (parish clerk) and Richard Paternoster, were all men of standing in the village, and Thomas Minnard, William Pateman, Richard Wilkins, William Chamberlain, George Osborne and George Woodfield, made up the rest of the jury.

SOURCE: "A Harvest of Hexton" by Anne Ashley Cooper

Patti Salter

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1791 LAST WILL & TESTAMENT William Carter of Hexton

The last will and testament of me William Carter of Hexton in the county of Hertford as follows that is to say first having surrendered all the parts of my Estate as are copyhold to the use of my will I give and devise to my loving wife Elizabeth Carter all my ffreehold and copyhold Estates with keeping therein in tenantable repair and paying the annuitants to and after the decease of my wife I give and devise to my eldest son William Carter all the Estates that I am now possessed with paying out of it to his sister Elizabeth the sum of eighty pounds to be paid next being one year after the decease of my wife I give and devise to my loving wife the interest of ……….hundred pounds now in the hands of my youngest son Jeremiah Carter and after the decease of my wife I give to my younger son Jeremiah Carter that the hundred pounds he has now give a note of hand for to me with paying out of it to my younger daughter Sarah Mennard the sum of eighty pounds to be paid within one year after the decease of my wife and I also I do give to my loving wife all my stock boath live and dead stock and all my house hold goods debts of all kinds with paying debts which I may now owe and all my debts are paid and my stock sold it there is forty pounds to pay that forty pounds shall be put out to use and the interest paid to my loving wife and after her decease I do give that forty pounds to my grand daughter Hannah Mennard when comes to age but if there is not fforty pounds to spare when all the charges is paid my two sons William Carter and Jeremiah Carter shall make it up to her after the decease of my wife and the household goods shall be equally divided between my four children after the decease of my wife William Carter Elizabeth Merrill Sarah Mennard Jeremiah Carter my wife and I have both agreed in this my will if she longest lives should marry again that those four children shall take possession of all emediately and I do hereby nominate and appoint this my loving wife sole executor of this my will and I do hereby make void all former wills by me made In witness whereof I William Carter have hereunto set my hand and seal this eighteenth day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninetyone WILLIAM CARTER

Signed sealed published and declared by me William Carter the testator to be his last will and testament in the presence of us who subscribed and attest the same THOMAS HINE MARY HINE The mark of THOS BURREY

1801 This will was proved at London the nineteenth day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and one before the worshipful Samuel Pearce parson Doctor of Laws and Surrogate of the Right Honourable Sir William Wynn Knight Doctor of Laws Master Keeper or Commissary of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury lawfully 24 constitute to the oath of Elizabeth Carter widow …….and sole executrix named in the said will to whom administration was granted of all and singular the goods chattels and credits of the said deceased having been first sworn duly to administer