This is the last will and testament of mee Isacke Johnson2 of Boston in the Com. of Lincoln esquier made the Twentieth day of Aprill in the Third yeare of the raigne of our Soveraigne Lord Charles Kinge of England Scotland Fraunce and Ireland etc. beinge in some distemper of body but in good and perfect vnderstandinge and memory: For my soule I shall willingly resigne itt into the handes of my God thorough Jesus Crist when hee shall please to call for itt: For my body I leave itt to be buryed in the Churchyard of Boston in such maner and with such funerall expences and with such Tombe or stone to be sett over the place where my body shall lye and with 50such inscripcion to be wrytten thereon as shall seeme good to my executors hereafter named: For my temporall estate I dispose of itt in this maner followinge First I give and devise to my honourable and dearely beloved wife3 over and aboue the landes already conveyed to her for her life in Joincture before our entermarryage All that wood and woodground called or knowen by the name of Eystowe wood alias Eyshawe wood standinge lyeinge and beinge in Stretton in the Com. of Rutland conteyninge by estymacion betweene Eightscore and nynescore acres be the same more or lesse, And also all those closes of pasture arrable or woodground lyeinge and beinge in Pickworth in the said Com. of Rutland called or knowen by the name of Pickworth Stockinges, all which I lately purchased to mee and my heires of George Boteler of Lee Lodge in the said Com. of Rutland esqr: To haue and to hold vnto my said wife for and dureinge the tearme of her naturall life: which landes I soe bequeath vnto her in performance and satisfaccion of one obligacion made by mee heretofore to the right honourable Theophilus Earle of Lyncoln4 brother of my said wife or to some other to her vse, wherein I stand bound in a great somme of money with condicion to this purpose that I shall assure vnto or for my said wife one hundredth poundes by the yeare for her life more then her Joincture before mencioned, which landes hereby devysed vnto her are of the value of sixscore poundes by the yeare or neare thereaboutes and soe will more then performe the intencion of the said obligacion and the condicion thereof: Provyded alwayes that if the said Earle of Lyncoln or such other persone or persones to whome I stand bound in the said obligacion shall not deliver the said obligacion to my executors within six monethes after my decease to be cancelled, or in case the said obligacion cannot be found, if then my said wife and the said Earle or such other persone or persones to whome I stand bound as aforesaid shall not within six monethes after my decease make seale and delyver a generall release to my said executors whereby the said obligacion may be avoyded and discharged, That then this present gyfte and devise concerninge the said Eystowe wood or Eyshawe wood and the woodground and the said closes called Pickworth Stockinges shalbe void and of none effect: And Provyded also vnder the same penalty that my said wife shall permytt and suffer such wood as is already sold to be quyetly remooved and carryed away of from the said ground by those whoe have bought the same: Item 51I give and bequeath more to my said wife as a testymony of my true love and bounty towardes her my lease of my howse in Boston aforesaid and three mylch beastes and three geldinges and also Three hundredth poundes of lawfull money beinge parte of that ready money which I nowe have in my howse, and also all my howshold stuffe and plate and English bookes of dyvinyty intreatinge her to vse the same to Godes honour and to be helpfull to my executors in delyveringe them all my wryteinges evydences and bookes that thereby they may be enabled for the execucion of this my will: Item I give and devise to my dearly beloved and reverenced Father Abraham Johnson5 esquier all that and those my manour and manours of and in Braunston alias Brandiston in the Com. of Northampton, and all my landes tenementes and heredytamentes in Braunston aforesaid and in Braunston Bury in the said Com. of Northampton and all my revercion and revercions thereof And also all that my manour of Glenfeild in the Com. of Leicester and all my landes tenementes and heredytamentes there, To have and to hold to him my said Father and to his heires for ever: Provyded alwaies nevertheles, That if my said Father his heires or assignes shall not well and truely vnto my executors hereafter named within one yeare next after the day of my decease at or in the porch of Boston Church in the said Com. of Lincoln the somme of Twelue hundredth poundes of lawfull money of England That then this present gifte and devyse of my said Manours of and in Braunston and Glenfeild and all the landes and premisses there shalbe vtterly void and of none effect; And then and in that case my Will is that my said executors shall have the said manour and landes of and in Braunston alias Braundiston and sell the same and the inherytance thereof vnto whome they shall thincke meete that soe they may pay themselues the said Twelue hundreth poundes with the interest thereof and delyver the overplus to my said Father and his heires: Item I give and devise to my beloved brother Samuell Johnson6 eldest sonne of my said Father by his second wife nowe lyveinge in present possession my manour of Clypsham in the Com. of Rutland and all my messuages cottages landes tenementes and heredyta­52mentes in Clypsham aforesaid (which my wife holdeth not in Joincture for her life and which is not hereby in this my will given or devised to her and to John Wheeler my servant for such estates and tearmes as are herein mencioned); and also the revercion and revercions of all my said landes tenementes and heredytamentes with their appurtenances in Clypsham Stretton and Pickworth aforesaid after the determynacion or expiracion of the said tearmes and estates hereby given or devised to my said wife and servant John Wheeler and after the determynacion of my wyves Joincture as is aforesaid: To have and to hold the said manour landes tenementes heredytamentes revercion and revercions to my said brother Samuell Johnson and his heires for ever: Item I give and devise to my said servant John Wheeler for his faithfull and painefull service performed to mee in my life tyme, all that messuage or tenement in Clypsham aforesaid with two little closes neere vnto the same and one or two closes of arrable belonging to the said messuage all which is reputed to be Thirty acres or thereaboutes beinge nowe in the tenure of one Robert Lorrington whoe holdeth the same by lease paroll from Mr. Robert Johnson7 my graundfather To haue and to hold the same and the rent of seaven poundes by the yeare reserved vpon the said lease to the said John Wheeler and such woman as hee shall first take to wife for and duringe their naturall lyves and the life of the longer lyver of them: Item I give to my servant Robert Dyxie for his like faithfull service Thyrty poundes in money and to my servant Phillip Johnson Fyfty poundes in money or one annuytie or yearely rente 53of Twenty nobles for and dureinge the tearme of his naturall life to be paid him vpon the Fyve and twentieth day of March and the nyne and twentieth day of September or within Ten dayes after at the Church porch of Boston aforesaid by equall porcions, The first payement thereof to be made and begin vpon such of the said dayes as shall next happen after the day of my decease: which said somme of Fyfty poundes or Twenty nobles by the yeare I doe hereby will shalbe paid vnto him by my executors at the choise of my said executors which they shall thincke to be meetest for his advauncement: Item I give to Thomas Edgly my servant Twenty nobles and to Edward Greene my servant Fyve poundes and to John Ravensdale my servant Three poundes: Item I give to be bestowed for good vses as my executors and Mr. Cotton of Boston shall thincke meete, one hundreth poundes, and towardes the reliefe of my poore distressed Cristian brethren in the Palatinate Twenty poundes and for the reliefe and educacion of yonge Germanes here in England I give Twelue poundes by the yeare for foure yeares: Item I give to the most worthyly honoured Lord the Lord Viscount Say and Seale8 as a testymony of the due affeccion I owe to his vertues my yonge stoned horse, intreatinge him to accept thereof: Item I give to my reverend grandfather Mr. Doctor Chaderton9 as a testeymony of my thanckfulnes for my educacion vnder him Fyve peices of Two and twenty shillinges a piece and the like somme to my worthy grandmother10 his wife: Item I give to my beloved mother in lawe the lease of certaine landes which my Father formerly graunted mee which landes lye in or neere Molton in the Com. of Lincoln and are worth foure poundes and a noble yearely more then the rent reserved therevpon: For the rest of my brethren and sisters I haue remembred them hereafter in this my will: Item I give to my most reverend and deare freind Mr. John Cotton11 Minister of Boston Thirty poundes and a gowne cloath: Item I give to my very lovinge freind John Butler12 of Okeham gent. Fyve poundes and Forty shillinges to my good freind his wife besides the Fyve marckes by the yeare due to him by my graund­54fathers will intreatinge him to be helpful to my executors in the execucion of my will as hee can: Item I give to my lovinge freind Mr. Henry Rastall13 of Stamford Forty shillinges and to my loving freind his wife Twenty shillinges: Item I forgive my kinsman Henry Stafford14 the Three score poundes and odd money due to mee as executor to my grandfather and Thirty poundes of that money which I since lent him vpon condicion that hee pay Twenty poundes or Thirty poundes due besides vnto mee, to my executors within three monethes after my decease: Item I give to the Towne Clerck of Stamford Mr. Richard Bucher15 for his former service and freindship to my grandfather and my selfe and in hope of the helpe he will afford to my executors in the execucion of this my will Twenty nobles: Item I give to my good freind Mr. Jonathan Tongue16 and his wife Twenty shillinges a peice: Item I give to Mr. Vicars the minister of Stamford Fyve poundes: Item I give to the old hospitall in Okeham the money that is yett to receave vpon the bondes of John Beaver and twenty poundes in money: Item I give and devise to my kinsman Mr. William Walker of Stamford the revercion of all my landes tenementes and heredytamentes in Stamford aforesaid in the said Com. of Lincoln after the decease of my aforesaid Father Abraham Johnson whoe hath the evidences thereof: To have and to hold vnto the said William Walker and his heires for ever: Provyded alwayes nevertheles that if the said William Walker shall not within two yeares next after the decease of my said Father pay satysfy and discharge all such debtes as my grandfather Mr. Robert Meadowes did owe at the tyme of his decease and which are yett vnpaid, whether the same be due vpon specyalty or without specyalty (Except such debtes as were or are due by him to my said Father Abraham Johnson), That then this present gyfte and devise shall cease and be void, And then I give and devise the same revercion of the said landes to my executors and their heires To the intent that they shall sell the inherytance thereof to whome they shall thincke meete and pay the said debtes due by my said grandfather Robert Meadowes and give the overplus of the money which shalbe receaved for the sale thereof vnto the said William Walker and his heires: Item vpon the 55said proviso before mencioned I give to the said William Walker all such moneyes as hee oweth mee which I thincke is about thirty poundes otherwise I will that my executors dispose of it as hereafter I shall appointe: To my Cosen Nathanaell Turner I give Fyve pounds: To the poore people of Boston I give Foure poundes, and to the poore of Stamford Foure pounds, To the poore of Braunston three poundes, To the poore of Clypsham Forty shillinges: and to the poore of North Luffenham Fyfty shillinges: All other my landes leases stattutes recognizances bondes bills debtes monyes horses beastes sheepe and other goodes and chattells whatsoever I give to my worthyly esteemed freindes Richard Bellingham17 of Boston in the Com. of Lincoln esquier and to Thomas Dudley18 of the same towne and Com. gent, whome I doe hereby make executors of this my last will and testament my will beinge herein further expressed that my said executors shall therewith iustly and truely pay my debtes which I owe to every persone as the same shall growe due and that they shall pay the charge of my funerall expenses, which I will shall not exceede the charge of Fyfty poundes (vnles my executors shall see necessary cause to the contrary) in blacke tombe or otherwise and also that they shall pay to themselues whatsoeuer costes charges and expences they shall expend or be putt vnto for by reasone or in respect of this my will or the probate or execucion thereof or of any thinge tendinge therevnto, eyther in suytes at lawe or otherwise and lastly that the overplus of my said personall estate after my debtes legacyes and funerall expences and charges shalbe defrayed shall by my said executors be equally devyded into three partes, one parte whereof I will shalbe given to my said deare Father a second parte to my beloved brethren and sister and the other third parte to my poore kindred especyally 56and cheifely to my grandfather Johnsons brothers19 children, And if the surplusage of the estate shall amount to Eighteene hundreth poundes I will that my Cosen John Johnson of Cambridge Stationer shall have at the least Fyfty poundes thereof: Item I give to my executors for their paynes and love in takeinge vpon them the execucion of this my last will and testament, as followeth viz: To Mr. Richard Bellingham Twenty poundes by the yeare for three yeares next ensuyinge the day of my decease, and to Mr. Thomas Dudley Thirty poundes by the yeare for the like tearme and a geldinge and my bookes (except those hereafter given to my wife) for his former helpfulnes to mee and because the waight of the buisnes will most lye vpon him: And I will that my executors doe pay all the legacyes which are yet vnpaid of my grandfathers will, And that for the doeinge thereof and the payinge of the legacyes nowe given by my selfe my executors shall have a yeare and six monethes to pay them in or sooner if they can: Item I give my little English bookes of dyvinyty to my deare wife: Also I will that all postscriptes and codicells which shall hereafter be added or annexed to this my will by mee in my life tyme shalbe my will also and shalbe of equall valydytie with this my will formerly wrytten: in wytnes whereof I the said Isack Johnson have to every sheete of paper wherein this my will is wrytten subscrybed my name and sett to my seale and published the same to be my will in the presence of those whose names are vnderwrytten.