Title
Last Will and Testament of Sir George Wentworth, 1655, with codicil, 1656
Date
1655-1656
Physical Description
parchment ; 54 x 53.6 cm.
Description
The Last Will and Testament of George is the will of Sir George Wentworth (ca. 1609-1660) of Wentworth-Woodhouse, York, England. Sir George was a knight and Member of Parliament (1640-1644), and the brother of Sir Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Stafford (1593-1641). He was a Royalist in the English Civil War, and was appointed General of Charles I's forces in Ireland, where he may have met his wife. Her father, Frances Ruishe had property near Castle Jordan in County Meath, and left his two daughters property formerly of the Manor of Sarrein in Kent that is discussed at length in the will.
The will details the inheritance Sir George left to his three younger children William, Ruishe, and Elizabeth Wentworth; the eldest son, Sir Thomas Wentworth, is not mentioned by name, but only as the 'eldest son.' The executors of the will are Sir George's wife Dame Anne Wentworth, William Chadwell, and George Saville (Sir George Savile, his great nephew).
The will states that the three younger children will receive payment taken from the sale of one third of Sir George's share of the farm of Pococke in Sarre, Kent, in England, which he expects to raise 2500 pounds. The executors are instructed to sell the farm within three years to provide portions of 1000 pounds each to William, the older of the two sons and to Elizabeth, and 500 pounds to Ruishee. The sons are to inherit on their 21st birthdays, and the daughter on her eighteenth birthday or marriage. The will also outlines that George Wentworth’s other possessions shall be sold by the executors to pay his debts, complete the amount due his younger children, or be put into the estate.
A codicil dated one year later, in Dublin, amends the will in several respects. Due to the death of Anne Wentworth and William Chadwell, Sir George adds his friend and 'servant' Francis Colley as an executor. He also increases by 500 pounds each the funds he provides to the three children because “the portions provided by my will for my younger children seem to me to be too small for them.”
The will is 47 lines, plus annotations regarding the witnessing of the document. The codicil is 22 lines. Both documents include administrative information on the back (verso)
Provenance
Patricia-Ann Lee, former owner.
Content Type(s)
text
physical object
Language(s)
English
Identifier
patricia_lee_land_grant_025
