Transcription by Elaine Barker March 2022

Abstract
Edward Marke, yeoman of Langenhoe, leaves a tenement and three acres of land called Cockles Croft to the poor of Langenhoe parish for ever [Note 1] and also bequeaths sums of money to the poor of Langenhoe, Fingringhoe, Layer de la Haye, Wigborough, Peldon, Abberton and Dedham. He bequeaths sums of money to John Potter, Mary Wood, Jeremy Potter, William, Tobias and Robert Potter [Note 2] He also makes monetary bequests to several clergymen and numerous friends. He leaves gifts to many friends, his son and daughter in law, Henry and Mary Bullock [Note 3] and three servants. He requests his loving friends Alexander Digby & Thomas Westbroome manage his remaining properties for a period of fourteen years using the profits to settle his debts and legacies. After the period of fourteen years he bequeaths all his properties except Cockles Croft to his kinsman Richard Marke of Rivenhall and his heirs. Should Richard have no heirs the properties are left to the five Potter brothers and Mary Wood his kinswoman.
Alexander Digby and Thomas Westbroome are appointed executors and are to receive all unbequeathed goods and chattels. After all expenses and legacies are paid, half of the remaining profits are to be spent on repairs to his house, Crouch House, the other half to his executors.
Should Digby and Westbroome refuse to be executors then he appoints John and Jeffery Potter and they will have his goods and chattels instead.
The will is witnessed by J Songer, ? Lingood, Richard Gale and Henry Carpenter.

Transcription
In the name off god Amen In The Thertith day of May and in
the One & twentith yeare of the raigne of o[ur] sov[er]aigne lorde the kinge that nowe is
of England and of Scotland the lvjth [56th] deffender of the faythe &c[etera] Annoq[ue] Dom[ini] 1623 I
Edward Marke of Langenhoe in the County of Essex yeoman beinge sicke & weake in
body but of sound Mynde and Memory I blesse & prayse god therefore doe make &
ordayne this my Testament & last will in man[n]er and forme Followeinge (that is to say)
First & principally I Com[m]ende my soule xx\& body/ into the hand[es] of allmyghty god my
Creato[ur] & maker trusting & most assuredly beleeveing for his Infynite mercy and the
merritt[es] & righteoussnes of o[ur] lorde Jesus Christ to receive the full & free remyssion of
all my sinnes and the fruition of a joyfull resurecc[i]on at the last day, And my body to
the earth from whence it was taken to be buried in decent & comly man[n]er wher most
Conveniently it may, And concerneing my worldly good[es] wherewith god of his mercy
hath blessed me with I doe give & bequeath in man[n]er & forme followeinge (that is to say)
Inprimis I doe give and devise all that my tenement and three Accres of land Called
Cockles Croft with thapurtenanc[es] scittuate & being in langenhoe aforesaid to the poore
people of langenhoe abovesaid for ever Item I doe give unto the said poor people of
Langenhoe ten shilling[es] to be distributed amongst them within on monthe next after my
deceasse in the discrecc[i]on of my executor[es] Item I doe give and bequeath unto the pore people
of the p[ar]ishe of Fingringhoe ten shilling[es] to be distributted amongst them within one month
next after my deceasse in the discrecc[i]on of my executors Item I doe give and bequeath
unto the poore people of Laier delahay ten shilling[es] and to the pore people of Wigborow
ten shilling[es] & to the pore people of Peldon ten shilling[es] & to the pore of Aberton fyve
shilling[es] & to the pore people of Dedham twenty shilling[es] to be distributed amongst them
and every of them within one monthe next after my deceasse by my executor[es] Item
I doe give & bequeathe unto John Potter my brother the some of One hundred
& Fyfty pound[es] of lawefull money of England to be payd unto him his executors
adm[ini]strator or assignes within three yeares next after my deceasse by my executor[es] Item I doe
give & bequeath unto Mary Woode the daughter of Thomas Wood of dedham the
som of Fyfty pound[es] of lawfull money of England to be paid unto her or her
executors adm[ini]strato[ur] or assignes within an Eleaven yeares and a half next after
my deceasse Item I doe give and bequeath unto Jeffery Potter my brother the
some of one hundred pound[es] of lawfull money of England to be payd unto him
his executor[es] adm[ini]strato[urs] or assignes within six yeares next after my deceasse
Item I doe give & bequeath unto William Potter my brother my brother the
some of one hundred pound[es]of lawfull money of England to be payd unto him
his executor[es] adm[ini]strator[es] or assignes within Eighte yeares next after my
deceasse Item I doe give & bequeath unto Tobias Potter my brother the some of
one hundred pound[es] of lawefull money of England to be payd unto him his
executor[es] adm[ini]strator[es] or assignes within ten yeare next after my deceasse Item
I doe give & bequeath unto Robert Potter my brother the some of ten pound[es] of
lawfull money of England to be payd unto him his executor[es] adm[ini]strator or assigne[s]
within ten yeares and a half next after my deceasse Item I doe give and bequeathe
unto M[aster] James Harison pre\a/cher of the worde of god in Laierdelahay the
some of Fyfty pound[es] of lawefull money of England to be paid unto him his
executor[es] adm[ini]strator[es] or assignes within fower yeares next after my deceasse
Item I doe give & bequeath unto M[aster] Richard Umpsted preacher of the word of god
the some of ten pound[es] of lawefull money of England. And to M[aster] Nathaniell
Rogers preacher of the word of god (the sonne of M[aster] John Rogers of dedham) the som
of Fyve pound[es] of lawfull English money to be payd unto either of them their
executor[es] adm[ini]strator[es] or assignes within twelve yeares next after my deceasse
Item I doe give and bequeath unto my my loveing frend Richard burton of Wigbarow magn[a]
in the County of Essex yeoman the some of Fyve & twenty pound[es] of lawefull money
of England to be payd unto him his executor[es] adm[ini]strator[es] or assignes within twelve
yeares & a half next after my deceasse Item I do give & bequeathe unto my loveinge
frend Thomas Westbroome of Aberton in the County abovesayde yeoman the som of
Twenty pound[es] of lawefull money of England to be paide unto him his executor[es]
adm[ini]strator[es] or assignes within Therteene yeares next after my deceasse Item
Signed sealled & published         Edward marrke
in the p[re]sence of J: Song[er]
[illegible] Lingood
Richard Gale & Henry Carpenter

Page 2

Item I doe give & bequeathe unto Thomas Freeman of Peldon in the said County of
Essex husbandman the some of Fyfe pound[es] of lawfull money of England to be
payd unto him his executor[es] adm[ini]strator[es] or assignes within Therteene yeares next
after my deceasse Item I doe give & bequeathe unto Edwarde Greene (the sonne
of George Greene of Peldon Fyve pound[es] and to Marke Fynche the sonne of Henry
Fynche of Aberton Fyve pound[es] And to Sarah Havelocke the daughter of James
Havelocke of Langenhoe Fyve pound[es] And to George Lyveinge of Laier delahay
Fyve pound[es] And also to Thomas Clarke the sonne of Thomas Clarke of langenhoe
Fyve pound[es] of lawfull money of England to be payd unto them & every of them
their executor[es] adm[ini]strator[es] or assignes within Therteene yeares & a half next
after my deceasse Item I doe give & bequeath unto Henry Bullocke my sonne in law
one stone Jugge edged with silver and to Mary Bullocke my daughter in lawe on[e]
sylver beaker to be delivered unto them within one moneth next after my decea[sse]
Item I doe give and bequeath unto Thomas Underwood of Langenhoe abovesaide
sixe silver spoones and to Sussana Jerveis the wyf Richard Jerveis on Clothe
gowne to be delivered unto either of them within one moneth next after my
deceasse Item I doe give & bequeath unto Martha Gale of Peldon Widow And to
the Widow Litle of fingrenghoe \And to daniell fynche of Dedham/ & to Mary Redishe the wyf of [blank] Redishe of
horsley magna And Allice the wyf of Thomas Warner And to Josephe deacon of
dedham And to Abraham Ham[m] of dedham And to Isacke Ham[m] of dedham and to
Josephe mos of dedham & to Josias May of Colchester And to goodman Harison of
Colchester Shoemaker And also to Nathaniell Hill my servant to every of them
twenty shilling[es] apeece to be payde unto every of them their executor[es] or assigne[s]
within Fowerteene yeares next after my deceasse Item I doe give & bequeath unto
John Plantane & to Elizabeth Crossonne my two servants the some of Ten shilling
apece to be payd to either of them their executors or assignes within Fowerteene \One/
yeares next after my deceasse Item I doe give and bequeath unto my very
loveing frend[es] Alexander digby & Thomas Westbroome their executor[es] or
assignes All and singuler my messuage land[es] and tenement[es] withall the proffits
arysinge thereof scittuate and beinge in Langenhoe aforesaide (except a tenement &
croft above devised Called Cockles Croft) from the tyme of my deceasse untell
the full end & terme of Fowerteene yeares from thence next Comeinge the p[ro]fitts
thereof Aryseing to be Imployed by the said Alexander digby & Thomas Westbroom
their executor[es] or assignes for & toward[es] the payment[es] of my debts and theise legacies
herby bequeathed And after the full end and expiration of the sayd fowerteene
yeares I doe give & devyse all and singuler my said messuage land[es] & tenement
(except before excepted) unto my loveing kinseman Richarde Marke of Rivenall
in the said Cownty of Essex And to the heires of his body lawfully begotten
for ever And for want of suche heires I doe give & devise all and singuler
the sayd Messuage land[es] & tenement[es] unto my bretheren John Potter Jeffery Potter
Robert Potter William Potter & Tobyas Potter and Mary Woode the daughter
of Thomas Wood my kinswoman their heires & assignes for ever All the rest of my
good[es] & Chattells whatsoever unbequeathed I doe give & bequeath unto the abovenamed
Alexander digby and Thomas Westbroome for and towards the payment of my debts and
theise legacies herby bequeathed And I doe hereby name ordayne and apoynt[es] the said
Alexander digby and Thomas Westbroome executors of this my testament and last
will And I doe herby declare my mynde and meaneing to be that my debt[es] and legacies
paid and funerall expences discharged the rest of my estate then remayneing the one
half thereof to be stowed by my executor[es] in repayreing my messuage Called Crowtche
howse and the other half to my executor[es] Provided alwayes that yf it shall so
so com to passe that the said Alexander digby & Thomas Westbroome doe
reffuse and doe not prove this my testament & last will Then I doe hereby

Signed sealled & published         Edward marrke
in the p[re]sence of J: Songer
[illegible] Lingood
Richard Gale & Henry Carpenter

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hereby name ordayne and apoynte my loveing bretheren John Potter & Jeffery
Potter executor[es] of this my testament & last will and for the p[er]formance
theireof I doe give and bequeath \unto them/ all that my said Messuage land[es] & tenement[es]
good[es] & Chattells formerly given & bequeathed unto the said Alexander digby &
Thomas Westbrowne unto the sayde John Potter & Jeffery Potter in manner & forme
and for suche terme \ end & purpose/ as is above bequeathed unto the sayde Alexander digby &
Thomas westbroome and I doe hereby renownce all former wills by me hertofore
made And doe publishes & declare this to be my testament and last will
Contaying three sheet[es] of paper in wittnes whereof I have herunto put my hand
and seall the day & yeare in the first shete of paper first above written
Signed sealled & published             Edwarde
in the p[re]sence of J: Song[er]         mark
[illegible] Lingood
Richard Gale & Henry Carpenter

Note 1: the Edward Marke Charity still administers the land in Langenhoe which is rented out as allotments.
Note 2: the five Potter brothers are all Edward Marke's brothers-in-law. Brothers of Edward's late wife, Anne.
Note 3: here I believe brother-in-law and sister-in-law actually mean stepson and stepdaughter. I believe Henry and Mary Bullock were Edward Marke's late wife, Anne's children by a previous marriage.

MARG - Mersea Archive Research Group
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