Judith, I totally agree with "fermhold" in line 6 - its most definitely an 'h' in the middle. I also agree with "wain" at the beginning of line 7 and would suggest that the second word is possibly "dunge". Your interpretation of "wandes of ynge" sounds very, very feasible. All the best Martyn ----- Original Message ---- From: Judith Werner <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, 14 October, 2006 11:12:42 PM Subject: Re: [OEL] A Yorks. will - 1559 - help please Re http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~oel/unsolved41.html Good show, Martyn. If I get to the Family History Library next week I'll look at the film to see if the faint portion is any more legible. In Line 6, however, I believe it's fermhold (farmhold) rather than fermfold. The 'draughting' item looks like it might be wain (Line 7), but I have to wonder why it would be described as a draughting wain (as opposed to what?), so it may be something else. I've been interested in the 'wandes of ynge' in Line 8, as that's what it appears to be. Oxford English Dictionary has wand as a measure of land (obsolete) and cites a 1596 example from a volume of Yorkshire deeds: [Two] wandes [of meadow] in the Northe Inges. So 'ynge' must be modern ing, about which OED says: A common name in the north of England, and in some other parts, for a meadow; esp. one by the side of a river and more or less swampy or subject to inundation. I'll have another look a little later. cheers, Judith Werner Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Administrator, OLD-ENGLISH-L http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~oel/ | I've given it my best shot and have tried my best to decipher the left hand side of the upper part (which is very feint). | | Any way I hope it is of some help. | | | 1. In dei no[m]i[ne] amen the sixt day of Apr[i]le in the yere of o[u]r lord god MCCCCClix I W[illia]m Lenge | | 2. of nether catton husbandman being of p[er]fecte mynd & good remembrance do make | | 3. this my last will & testament as in forme followeth First I give & bequeth my soull to | | 4. almighty god to the blessed virgen marie and to all the celestiall company of heven & my | | 5. body to be buried in the p[ar]ishe churche yarde of catton It[em] I bequeth to the sacrament xijd | | 6. It[em] [? -----] to Ric[hard] lenge my son my fermfold It[em] to the said Ric[hard] my draughting | | 7. [? ----------] & all things belonging to them It[em] to the said Ric[hard] I give my cropp | | 8. of [? -----] of the ground & vj wand[es] of [? ynge] in wilberfosse fild It[em] I give to Jane leng | | 9. my daughter all my shepe [? ---] ? w---e & a counter my bed & on mattresse w[i]t[h] all thing[es] | | 10. belonging [? -----] It I give to Rob[er]t lenge one bushell of whete & on white headed | | 11. stott It[em] I give to Thomas nelis my best gray Jackett It[em] I give to Jenet my daughter | | 12. one bushell of whete It[em] I give to Alison sanderson one bushell of whete Item to | | 13. Agnis my daugghter one bushell of whete It[em] I give to the said Ric[hard] one cowe Item | | 14. I will that the said Jane my daughter shall shifte w[i]t[h] Ric[hard] all my good[es] w[i]t[h]in the house / the residewe | | 15. of my good[es] my debt[es] paid & my funeralls discharged I give to the said Ric[hard] whom I make my | | 16. executor of this my last will & testament This being recorders of the same will & testament Rob[er]t | | 17. clerke John Smeton John clerke & Thomas A[?-]eth clerke & Curate ther / Et xxij die ap[ri]lis | | 18. anno d[omi]ni Mccccclix probat[um] fuit hui[usm]o[d]i test[ament]u[m] iurat &c Com[m]issaq[ue] fuit ad | | 19. mi[ini]straco[em] bonor[um] Ric[hard]o filio soli Excut[or] no[m]i[n]ato iura[men]tp &c salvo iure cuiuscu[m]q[ue] ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message