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Wills of 19th Century Chatham Shipwrights
Prerogative Court of Canterbury (P.C.C.) Wills  (Pre 1858)

James ACWORTH - 1814

THIS IS THE LAST WILL & TESTAMENT of me
JAMES ACWORTH OF Chatham in the County of Kent Shipwright First I direct that all my just Debts & Funeral &Testamentary expenses be paid I give unto my grandson James Acworth son of my son William Acworth my Silver Tankard marked with the letters E.A.A. to be delivered to him immediately after my death Also I give unto my Wife Elizabeth Acworth all that my Leasehold Messuage or Tenement with the Appurts situate in Clover Lane Chatham & now in my own occupation & all my estate term & interest therein to hold unto my said wife her executors administrators & assigns Also I bequeath unto my said wife during her life the interest dividends & annual produce arising from my stock in the public funds & and from all other my personal estate from & immediately the death of my said Wife I bequeath my said stock in the public funds & all other my personal estate not specifically bequeathed by this my will unto my Son & Daughters who shall be living at the death of my said Wife & and the children of each of them who shall be then dead to be divided amongst them in equal shares & proportions the child or children of a deceased Son or Daughter taking only the share which his her or their parent respectively would have been entitled to if living Also I direct that my said Wife shall have the use but not the absolute property of my household goods &furniture & household linen during her life & upon her death I bequeath the same to my Daughter Sarah Luff Widow for her own use & benefit Also I give unto my said Wife for her own use all my plate & china Also I unto my Son William Acworth all my moiety or half part & all other my part shares & interest of & in all that freehold messuage or tenement with the appurts situate in Cage Lane Chatham aforesaid & now in the occupation of [          ] Baker together with the brewhouse adjoining & belonging & also in the occupation of the said [          ] Baker & also of & in all that freehold messuage or tenement now in the occupation of my Son Edward Acworth situate in Cage Lane aforesaid & adjoining to the said messuage in the occupation of the said [          ] Baker to hold the same unto my Son William Acworth his heirs & assigns upon trust nevertheless to pay to or otherwise admit & suffer my said Wife to receive & take the annual rents issues & profits of the said premises so given to my said Son as aforesaid during the time of her natural life for her own use & from & immediately or as soon as conveniently may be after the decease of my said Wife Upon Trust for my said Son William Acworth his heirs or assigns do & shall make sale & absolutely dispose of the heredits so given to him as aforesaid in one or more lot or lots & either by public auction or private contract as he or they shall think proper with liberty if he or they shall deem it expedient from time to time to buy in & resell the same at any future auction or by private contract without being liable to answer for any loss or diminution in price by such resale & convey & assume the same when sold as aforesaid unto the person or persons who shall agree to become the purchaser or purchasers thereof nevertheless I declare my will to be that in case my said Wife shall depart this life before the expiration of such lease granted by me & my Sister Ann Grant to George Hammond of the said messuage & brewhouse in the occupation of the said [          ] Baker of which nine years are unexpired my part share & interest of & in the same messuage & brewhouse & of & in the said messuage in the occupation of my said Son Edward Acworth shall not be sold under the trusts herein before declared until the expiration of such lease & that in the meantime my said Son William Acworth shall stand seized of of my part share & interest of & in the said heredits Upon Trust to permit my said Son Edward Acworth & in case of his death his Wife & family to reside in the said messuage now in his occupation without paying any rent for the same & upon further trust to receive & take the rents annual profits of the second messuage & brewhouse in the occupation of the said [          ] Baker & to pay the same unto the proper hands of my said Daughter Sarah Luff for her own use & in case of her death before the expiration of the said lease to apply the same in the discretion of my said Son for the benefit of her children & I direct that the person or persons who shall become the purchaser or purchasers of all or any part of the heredits herein before given to my said Son William Acworth or shall be the tenant or occupier thereof or any part thereof & shall pay his her or their purchase money or rents & profits or any part thereof to my said Son William Acworth his heirs or assigns or any other person or persons under his or their direction shall not be obliged to   ?   to the application of the same purchase money or rents & profits or any part thereof or be answerable or accountable for the misapplication or non-application of the same or any part thereof & that all receipts which shall be given for the said purchase money or the said rents & profits or any part thereof by my said Son William Acworth his heirs or assigns or any other person or persons to whom the same shall be paid under his or their direction shall be good & sufficient discharge for the sum or sums of money which therein or thereby respectively shall be acknowledged to be or to have been received & as to the money arising from the sale of the heredits herein before directed to be sold I give & bequeath the same unto all my Sons & Daughters who shall be living at the time of the death of my said Wife & and the children of such of them as shall be then dead to be divided amongst them in equal shares & proportions the child or children of a deceased Son or Daughter taking only the share which which his her or their parent respectively would have been entitled to if living & I appoint my said Wife & Son William Acworth executor & executrix of this my will & I direct that the trustee & executors of this my will not be answerable or accountable for any other money and effects than such as shall come to into their hands respectively under this my will nor for any Banker   ?  , Broker   ?  , or other person entrusted with the receipt or possession of any monies or effects in the course of executing this my will or the trusts thereby nor for any other less misfortune or damage which may happen to my estate unless the same shall happen or be occasioned by or through his or her respective wilful default & that my trustees & executors shall not be answerable or accountable for each other neither one for the acts receipts of defaults of the other but each for his or her own acts receipts of defaults only the joining in receipts for the sake of conformity to notwithstanding I likewise direct that it shall be lawful fir the trustee & executors of this my will his or her executors or admons to deduct reform   ?  , allow & discharge in the first place by or out of the money which shall come to the hands of them or any of them under or by virtue of this my will all costs charges damages & expenses which they or any of them shall or may suffer sustain expend or be put in or about the execution of this my will or the trusts thereof or in any wise relating thereto & I revoke all former wills In witness whereof I have to each of these three sheets of paper written on one side only subscribed my name & to the last of them affixed my seal this 17th day of January 1814 James Acworth these three sheets of paper were each of them signed by the above named James Acworth the testator & the last of them sealed by him & were by him published as his last will & testament in the presence of us who in his presence & at his request have hereunto subscribed our names as Witnesses thereto
T. Hope, Surgeon, Chatham, Alex Gardiner, Chatham,   ?   ?   Marshall

Proved 13th August 1814 Power reserved to Elizabeth Acworth, Widow

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