Aspects of Kentish Local History

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

THIS IS THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT
of me William Rich of the New Road Chatham in the County of Kent Shipwright which I make in manner following that is to say First I desire to be decently and privately interred by and at the discretion of my Executrix and Executor hereinafter named And I nominate and   ?   appoint my dear Wife Catherine Rich and my good friend William Heard of Cannon Street London Cordwainer Executrix and Executor thereof And I give and bequeath to him the said William Heard the sum of five pounds as a token (of) my respect for the care and trouble he will have in the execution of this my Will and the trusts thereof and I give devise and bequeath unto them the said Catherine Rich and William Heard all that my leasehold messuage or tenement with the outhouse yard garden and appurtenances thereunto belonging situate and fronting the New Road in the parish of Chatham aforesaid in which I now reside to hold the same unto them the said Catherine Rich and William Heard their Executors administrators and assigns for all the residue of the term of years thereof granted which shall be to come therein at the time of my decease subject nevertheless to the payment of the rent and performance of the leasee's covenants the lease whereby I hold the said premises reserved and contained   ? m  upon the trusts and for the ends and intents and purposes therein   ?   expressed and   ?   that is to say upon trust to permit my said Wife Catherine Rich to reside and dwell in the said messuage tenement and premises rent free for the period of six calender months next after my decease she quietly giving up the said premises at the expiration of the said six calender months in as good   ?   and condition as the same shall be in at the time of my decease and from and immediately after the expiration of the said six months or if my Wife previously ceased to reside and dwell at the said premises then as soon as conveniently may be after her quitting and leaving the same Upon a further trust that they the said Catherine Rich and William Heard or the survivor of them his or her executors or administrators do and shall make sale and absolutely dispose of the same leasehold messuage or tenement hereditament and premises for all the residue of the said term of years which shall be then to come therein either by public auction or private contract for the best price that can be reasonably had and   ?   for the same and do and shall enter into make or execute all such ? contracts conveyances and assurances as shall be necessary to effect and confirm such sale and I do hereby declare the the receipt or receipts of of them the said Catherine Rich and William Heard or of the survivor of them his or her executors or administrators for the moneys to arise by such sale of the said premises shall effectually discharge the purchaser or purchasers paying such moneys from the same and from all liability for any loss misapplication or non-application thereof or of any part thereof and from all obligation of seeing to the application of the same moneys or any part thereof and of enquiring into the necessity propriety of any such sale Also I do hereby direct them my said trustees or the survivor of them her or his executors or administrators from and out of the said moneys in the first place to pay all income   ?   rent repairs and other   ?   affecting the said premises together with the costs and charges or   ?   (of) the said sale and in the   ?   out and perfecting the title of the said premises and to stand possessed of the residue of the said moneys upon trust   ?   And I do hereby give and bequeath the sum unto my dear Children by my late Wife Elizabeth namely my Sons John Rich William Rich and George Rich and my daughters Ann Elizabeth Nichols Wife of James Nichols Sarah Arnott Wife of William Arnott and Mary Clift Wife of Thomas Clift to be equally divided between and amongst them share and share alike for their respective use and benefit And it is my mind and Will and I do hereby direct them my said Executrix and Executor as soon as may conveniently may be after my decease to sell out and transfer so much of my stock in the public funds as will not in the whole produce more than the clear sum of of one hundred pounds and thereout to pay and satisfy the following legacies namely to my said Son John Rich the sum of ten pounds To my said Son William Rich the sum of ten pounds To my Son George Rich the sum of ten pounds To my said daughter Sarah Arnott the sum of ten pounds and to my said daughter Mary Clift the like sum of ten pounds To Ann Flanagan? Wife of Daniel Flanagan   ?   , and daughter of my said Wife Catherine by her former husband Edward Croden the sum of ten pounds And to Thomas Christopher Headgecock    ?    Croden And as to any residue of the moneys to arise from such sale of stock I do direct the same to be paid and applied or so far as the same will extend in satisfaction of my just debts funeral and testamentary charges and expenses and the expenses of proving this my Will and as to all the rest and residue of my stock in the public funds with all other my moneys out at interest and upon security I give and bequeath the same unto them the said Catherine Rich and William Heard upon trust to permit and suffer her my said Wife Catherine Rich to receive and take dividends interest and annual produce thereof for and during the term of her natural life and from and immediately after her decease I direct the said stock funds and securities to be called in transferred and converted into money and I give and bequeath the net moneys arising therefrom and from the dividends and interest thereof unto and among them my said Children John Rich William Rich George Rich Ann Elizabeth Nichols Sarah Arnott and Mary Clift and the said Children of my said Wife namely her daughter the said Ann Flanagan and her Son the said Thomas Christopher Croden in and by equal shares and proportions for their respective use and benefit provided always that if any or either of them my said children or the said children of my said Wife Catherine shall depart this life before me and in my lifetime then I give and bequeath the legacy or legacies part or share and moneys heretobefore to each one so dying unto any child or children he or she may leave if more than one in equal parts and if but one then the whole to such only one and if any or either such children of a deceased child shall be under the age of twenty one years then the part or share of each such minor to be paid to his or her natural guardian for his or her own use And in case any or either of them my said children or the said children of my said Wife shall die in my lifetime without leaving any child or children surviving then the legacy or legacies part or share and moneys herein before bequeathed to each one so dying shall go unto his or her brother or brothers sister or sisters of the whole blood if more than one equally between them and if but one then the whole to such only one And I give and bequeath my eight day clock with it's mahogany case unto her my said Daughter Ann Elizabeth Nichols for her own use and benefit And as to all my rights share and interest in the Club or Society called the "Mourner's Friend" of which I am (a) member with all moneys benefit and advantage to be received or served therefrom (my said daughter Ann Elizabeth Nichols who is my nominee therein having only been so appointed by me in compliance with the Rules and Regulations of the said Club or Society) and all my ready moneys household goods and furniture (except my said clock) plate linen and china and all the Rest Residue and Remainder of my estate and effects whatsoever and wheresoever (subject to the payment thereout of the said legacies hereinbefore given to him the said William Heard and of my debts funeral and testamentary charges and expenses and the expenses of proving this my Will or of such part or parts thereof as the said residue of moneys arising from the said sale of stock thereinbefore firstly directed to be sold may prove insufficient to satisfy) I give and bequeath the same unto her my said Wife Catherine Rich for her own absolute use and benefit And I do hereby declare that it shall and may be lawful for them my said Trustees Executrix and Executor to deduct and reimburse themselves respectively and to all each other all costs and charges which they or either of them shall pay expend incur in or about the execution of this my Will or the trusts thereof and that they shall not be answerable the one for the other of them or for the acts receipts or payments of the other of them but each of them for herself and himself and her or his own acts receipts and payments and wilful default only And lastly I revoke all former and other Will or Wills by me made and do declare this only to be and contain my last Will and Testament In Witness whereof I the said William Rich the Testator have to this my last Will and Testament contained in four sheets of paper written on one side thereof only set my hand to the first three sheets thereof and my hand and Seal to this fourth and last the seventh day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty six Wm. Rich Signed sealed published and declared by the said William Rich the Testator as and for his last Will and Testament in the presence of us who in his presence at his request and in the presence of each other have subscribed our names as Witnesses thereto (the word "inability" in the last line but one of the first page having been first partly written on an erasure) J. Stephens M. S. Stephens

CODICIL
Whereas I the above written William Rich the Testator have made and published my last Will and Testament in manner above set forth Now I make this Codicil thereto and direct the same to be taken as part thereof and do hereby appoint my Son John Rich of Chatham aforesaid Shipwright to be an Executor of my said Will jointly with my Wife Catherine and friend William Heard therein named as Executrix and Executor thereof And I give devise and bequeath to him the said John Rich jointly with them the said Catherine Rich and William Heard all that my leasehold messuage or tenement and premises in my said Will mentioned and [    ?    ] to hold the same unto them the said John Rich Catherine Rich and William Heard their executors administrators and assigns for all the residue of the term of years [    ?    ] upon the trusts [    ?    ] the ends intents thereof [remaining] in the lease [    ?    ] the said premises and with the power in my said Will expressed and declared     ?     of and [    ?    ] the same thereof [    ?    ] premises and the moneys to arise from the sale thereof and with under and Subject to the like [    ?    ] as to the appropriation and division of such sale moneys in my said Will is expressed and contained and I direct all the several bequests in my said Will made and contained to be paid executed and performed by them the said John Rich jointly with my said Wife Catherine Rich and the said William Heard the same as if he had been therein originally appointed an Executor In all other respects I do hereby ratify and confirm my said Will and the several devises bequests and trusts therein contained In Witness whereof I the said William Rich the Testator have to the foot or end of this Codicil to my said Will written on the back of the fourth sheet thereof set my hand this fifth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty two Wm. Rich Signed by the said William Rich the Testator and by him declared to be a Codicil to this my last Will and Testament in the presence of us who in his presence and in the presence of each other have subscribed our names as Witnesses thereto J. Stephens M. S. Stephens

Proved 23rd September 1846