Can someone please advise me on the short and rather odd will below, written by Samuel GOODMAN yeoman, and a Presbyterian, of Leckhampstead in 1742 (proved same year). His widow Ann (nee BANWARD) married my Robert MILLAGAN, rather soon after Samuel passed away, in Nov 1742, in Newton Longville. I have never seen a Will before where a landlord is called upon to approve some property deal and so my two questions are these: (1) why would the landlord have any kind of say? (2) who would the "honoured landlord" have been? On GENUKI, it says the Leckhampstead manor was at this time in the hands of Lord Henry Beauclerk, so is that likely to have been the one? Any advice would be much appreciated. Celia Renshaw in Chesterfield UK Will of Samuel GOODMAN of Leckhampstead, Yeoman 1742 To loving wife Ann and friends Mr. John SEWELL the Elder of Luffield Abbey, Bucks and James ADAMS of Hanley near Towcester, Northants – all his goods, chattles and personal estate to be sold and money used to purchase lands and tenements or a mortgage “as my honoured landlord shall judge most proper”, to uses of wife Ann for life then to his son Samuel his heirs etc. To daughter Sarah GOODMAN, after wife Ann’s death - £80. Wife Ann, John SEWELL and James ADAMS to be executors.

As a non-lawyer my view would be that "honoured landlord" = lord of the manor and that they were dealing with copyhold land. "Copyholds, however could be transferred only by a surrender and admission made in the lord's [of the manor] court. The transferor surrendered his land to the lord, who then admitted as tenant the the person nominated by the transferor. ... the transferee had a copy of the entry to prove his title; he thus held "by copy of the court roll". " Megarry & Wade "The Law of Real Property" 2000 Sweet & Maxwell @ 2-034 Good public reference library could have a copy. Copyhold died out in the 19thC with various Copyhold Acts and was finally killed-off by the Law of Property Act 1925. Details in Wade & Megarry. Christopher Whitmey Herefordshire UK On 2 Jun 2007 at 22:23, Celia Renshaw wrote: > Can someone please advise me on the short and rather odd will below, written > by Samuel GOODMAN yeoman, and a Presbyterian, of Leckhampstead in 1742 > (proved same year). His widow Ann (nee BANWARD) married my Robert MILLAGAN, > rather soon after Samuel passed away, in Nov 1742, in Newton Longville. I > have never seen a Will before where a landlord is called upon to approve > some property deal and so my two questions are these: (1) why would the > landlord have any kind of say? (2) who would the "honoured landlord" have > been? On GENUKI, it says the Leckhampstead manor was at this time in the > hands of Lord Henry Beauclerk, so is that likely to have been the one? Any > advice would be much appreciated. > > Celia Renshaw > in Chesterfield UK > > Will of Samuel GOODMAN of Leckhampstead, Yeoman 1742 > > To loving wife Ann and friends Mr. John SEWELL the Elder of Luffield Abbey, > Bucks and James ADAMS of Hanley near Towcester, Northants - all his goods, > chattles and personal estate to be sold and money used to purchase lands and > tenements or a mortgage "as my honoured landlord shall judge most proper", > to uses of wife Ann for life then to his son Samuel his heirs etc. To > daughter Sarah GOODMAN, after wife Ann´s death - £80. Wife Ann, John SEWELL > and James ADAMS to be executors. > > >