In a very long but interesting Will, that I just received from the PRO and have transcribed, I found an abbreviated word in one sentence. I can't figure out what it stands for and I am quite sure I transcribed it correctly. Here is the sentence: ". Mungo Langcake, in his Last Will, dated 9 March, 1770, after "several particular legacies", left everything to his "tender and affectionate mother and hoped and was inclined to think that the interest on the sum left would be sufficient to maintain her agreeable to her wishes if so beg'd". It is the last word that has me baffled: "beg'd" (without the quotation marks). What does it mean, any ideas? I am afraid it is really easy but I just don't get it. From the context you might think it means something like "desired". Art Lengkeek Researching Langcake and Longcake surnames in Cumberland and Westmorland, UK in 16th and 17th centuries.

> inclined to think that the interest on the sum left would be sufficient to maintain her agreeable to her wishes if so beg'd". Withough having seen the handwriting itself, I should be inclined, from its context, to interpret it as 'bequeathed'. It was not unknown for scribes to misalign the 'tails' in letters 'g'g and 'q'. IB

In message <000001c48e39$296791f0$6501a8c0@D30XZM21>, Art & Hanna <artandhanna@shaw.ca> writes > >In a very long but interesting Will, that I just received from the PRO and >have transcribed, I found an abbreviated word in one sentence. I can't >figure out what it stands for and I am quite sure I transcribed it >correctly. Here is the sentence: ". Mungo Langcake, in his Last Will, dated >9 March, 1770, after "several particular legacies", left everything to his >"tender and affectionate mother and hoped and was inclined to think that the >interest on the sum left would be sufficient to maintain her agreeable to >her wishes if so beg'd". is it actually beq'd, bequeathed. ? In other words, he thinks it will work if he does it that way. It is odd to find an abbreviation in the body of a will, though, unless he wrote it himself, in which case, it was up to him. The risk here is that particular legacies have to be paid first, so if there is a delay between making the will and dying allows time for his financial circumstances to change, the balance may be wrong and Mum may be left short. In those circumstances, he might have said 'if so be it.', but in 1770 beyt for be it doesn't seem right/ -- Eve McLaughlin Author of the McLaughlin Guides for family historians Secretary Bucks Genealogical Society