John and Alice Boxe, Husbandman and widow, 1570-72

John Boxe (abt 1500-1570) and Alice Boxe (abt 1500-1572)

1. The Last Will & Testament (LW&T) of John Boxe, dated 6 Dec 1570, is the oldest LW&T from Sutton Benger in the Archives. John’s wife widow Alice was his named Executrix; she then made her own LW&T (Testamentum) dated 1 April 1571.

2. Both documents are in English (as opposed to Latin), but in 16th century ‘Secretary Hand’ with archaic spelling, and with (mainly) Roman numerals for numbers and cash bequests. Dates of death or burial have not been found for either John or Alice.

3. An attempt has been made to transcribe the documents, and to translate them into modern English. They have not been cross-checked or reviewed. Special brackets and question marks – eg { ? } – are used where a word is too difficult to decipher or where there is some doubt about the accuracy of the transcription.

4. Some spelling has been updated to modern usage where appropriate; similarly, some punctuation and paragraph breaks have been added for ease of understanding.

5. Notes have been added at the end to provide context or emphasis. For guidance on items found in old Wills and Inventories, see, for example, Words from Wills and Other Probate Records, 1500-1800 by Stuart A Raymond.

Introduction

There are several people by the name of ‘Box’ or ‘Boxe’ who appear in the Parish Registers in the 1600s, but no records have been found for any of the people mentioned in this Will.

It is likely, but not certain, that the Boxe family or families lived in a house at the west end of the village, on the north side of the High Street, where 2/4 High Street (Box Cottages) stands now. There were also fields near the village called ‘Box’s Croftland’ and ‘Box’s Close’ and ‘Box’s Benham’ that were probably farmed by the same family originally.

There was nobody called ‘Box’ or ‘Boxe’ living in the village after the 1700s. The High Street property in the early 1800s was leased by the Messiter family, at which time it was called ‘Box Bush’.

LW&T of John Boxe

In the Name of God Amen, the sixth day of December in the year our Lord God 1570.

I, John Boxe of Sutton Benger in the County of Wiltshire, Husbandman, being sick in body but whole of mind and good remembrance, thankes be to God, doe make this my last will and testament in manner and form following, viz.

First. I give and bequeath my soul to Almighty God, my Creator and Redeemer, wishing to be saved only by the merits of god the father for and through the merit and death of his son Jesus Christe, and my body to be buried in the church yard of Sutton Benger aforesaid.

Item. I give to the poor men’s box there £2.

Item. I give to my oldest son William Boxe all my part and the right of the plough harness, a {yoking stone ?} a chafing dish and a great crocke. That the same William Boxe doe get and provide for John Boxe, Ellen Boxe and Edith Boxe my children a convenient crocke or 20 shillings of good and lawfull money of England at the choice and election of the said John, Ellen and Edith Boxe.

Does this say 'plough harnis a yoling stone'? - meaning 'plough harness (and) a yoking stone'? - what do you think? Please email hello@bengertrails.co.uk with your suggested transcription

Item. I give to the said John Boxe two bushels of wheat, four bushels of barley, a yearling of twelve months, also two sheep and a crock.

Item. I give and bequeath to the said Elen Boxe a yearling and the keeping of her until { she ? } has calved, and a crock, and a cauldron. Item. I give and do grant to the said Edith Boxe an ox, a {ladle ?}, a crock and a cauldron.

Item. I give one other ox to the said John Boxe, Ellen Boxe and Edith Boxe my children equally to be divided {among} them.

I give and bequeath to my said daughters Ellen and Edith Boxe all my part and right of all manner of corn or grain which I shall have at the time of my decease or departure from this transitory world, to be delivered to them in manner as followeth, that is to say, the whole value of every parte and parcell thereof to be delivered unto them immediately after the death or decease of Alice my wife

All the rest of my goods moveable and immoveable not given nor bequeathed, my debts being paid, I give and bequeath to Alice my wife, whom I make my sole Executrix of this my last will and testament

And I do appoint Henry Boxe and Thomas Greye to be my Overseers hereof.

Testamentum of Alice Boxe; 1 April 1571

In the Name of God Amen, the first day of April in the year of our Lord God 1571.

I, Alice Boxe of the parish of Sutton Benger and in the County of Wiltshire and in the Diocese of Sarum, widow, being of perfect memory, laud and praise be given unto almighty God, do make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner and form following.

First. I commit my soul unto Almighty God, my maker and Redeemer, and my body to be buried in the church yard of Sutton in hope of {a final ?} resurrection. And as touching and concerning such temporal goodes as God has {sent ?} me the use of in this worlde, my mind that to be { ? } as followeth.

Imprimis. I give and bequeath to mother church of Sarum four {pence?}. Item. I give and bequeath to the parish and church of Sutton four {pence?}. Item. I give to the poor men’s box four {pence?}.

Item. I give and bequeath to Joane Seargant one flockbed, one coverlet, one bolster, one pair of sheets, one tester, two kine, one of the younger sort and the other of the elder sort, and my mare, the second crock, the second {pale / pate ?}, two platters, one porringer, one farrow, one candlestick, {deletion in the original}, my great copper, two pottingers, my coarse woll, and two bordes.

Item. I give and bequeath to Annie {Polard ?} one flockbed, one bolster, one paire of sheetes, one coverlet, two kine, one { ? } standing at my bed seat, one platter one Pottinger, one {saucer ?}, one candle stick, one crock, one paire of the best sorte, my {copperk?} , and my red petycoate.

What is that after 'two kine'? - is that a 'saucer' after the pottinger? - what do you think? Please email hello@bengertrails.co.uk with your suggested transcription

Item. I give and bequeath to Joane Boxe and to Annie Boxe, the daughters of Edward Boxe, one crock betwixt them both.

Item. I give to Annie Boxe my {cupbord ?} and my best {panne ?} to be delivered to her at the day of her marriage and one black peticote, a platter, one Pottinger, one candlestick, one {shipe ?}

Item. I give to Joane Boxe one yearling bullock. Item. I give to Richard Boxe my best crock, my yoking stone after his father’s decease, one yearling bullock, two shepe.

Item. I give to Thomas Coxe one {mare colt?} and two shepe. Item
Item. I give and bequeath betwixt Annie Lovell and Joane Sargant and Annie Pollarde halfe my crope nowe growing uppon the ground.

Item. I give to Richard {Holdyn Meldyn ?} two shepe. Item. I give to John {Holdyn Meldyn ?} two shepe. Item. I give to Richard Pollarde {ten ?} shipe.

Item. My will {would? } that Annie Pollard shall be with Richard Lovell and to be {ruled ?} by him and so take him as a father unto her or else he shall kepe backe the legacies from her and she not to have that

All the reste of my goodes moveable and immoveable not bequeathed I give and bequeath to Edward Boxe my son whom I do make my whole Executor. I do appoint to be my overseers Richard Lovell, William Edmundes and Henry Boxe Richard Palmer { ? }

Notes.

The Latin abbreviations ‘viz’ or ‘vizt’ are short for ‘videlicet’, meaning ‘that is to say’ or ‘namely’ or ‘as follows’.
The original has Latin abbreviations for numbers; eg, ‘iy’ for ‘2’ and an ‘l’ abbreviation for ‘pounds £’.
These words ‘yoking stone’ are not clear. If it does indeed say ‘yoking stone’ (in both documents) it may be a reference to the marking-out of strips ploughed by oxen (ie, yoked together).
A chafing dish is a metal cooking or serving pan on a stand. The original has ‘chaffen dishe’.
A ‘crock’ is an earthenware pot, jar, or other container.
A bushel was a unit of volume for liquids or dry goods, equivalent to about 8 gallons.
For the possible transcription ‘40’, the original has ‘iiij’ for ‘four’ followed by a superscript ‘o’ – it is not clear what this superscript letter ‘o’ means.
Nobody with the name of ‘Grey’ or ‘Greye’ appears in any other Sutton Benger document.
Flockbed: a bed with a mattress stuffed with wool refuse, shearings of cloth, etc. Tester: headboard of a bed, canopy. Kine: cows, cattle. Crock: thick earthenware pot or jar; the ‘second crock’ is perhaps the second best’. Porringer: A small bowl or basin, typically with a handle, used for soup, stews, etc. Woll: an archaic variant spelling of ‘wool’. Copper: a large metal tank of upright cylindrical shape, used for heating water, for cooking or for a bath. Pottinger: a vessel to hold broth, soup, porridge, etc. The ‘borde board’ would be used on trestles for a table or a bed, and then folded away after use to make more room in the house. ‘Farrow’ could mean a cow or a pig, but here seems to refer to an item in the house; perhaps an error in transcription.
Copperk: a word has perhaps faded from the original and was ‘copper kettle.’
According to Wikipedia: The practice of wearing petticoats as undergarments was well established in England by 1585.
Cupboards, as places to store household items, were certainly in use in the 1500s, and it is certainly possible that one might be left as a bequest. The word ‘panne’ (ie, ‘pan’) is more likely a mis-transcription.
‘Shipe’ was an archaic word which meant ‘wages, reward’; it seems wrong in this context and is possibly a mis-spelling of ‘shepe’ for ‘sheep’, which appears several times in the Will. The spelling ‘shipe’ appears twice in the Will.
There were several families called ‘Coxe’ in Sutton Benger at the same time as families called ‘Boxe’.
‘Annie Pollard’ is probably the same person as the previously-mentioned Annie Polard.
In the final paragraphs, Alice seems to be suggesting that Richard Lovell shall act as a guardian to Annie Pollard, and that if Annie does not accept him as her guardian, then she does not get the legacies in this Will. It is not clear what the relationship was from Alice Boxe to Annie Pollard, nor how old she was.

The Testamentum ends somewhat abruptly; there is one final word after ‘Richard Palmer’ which has proved too difficult to transcribe. It is not clear if Alice is appointing one, two, three or four Overseers; but probably three. Richard Palmer may be a witness.