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The will of Jonathan Sills, 1800

  
Will made 17 May 1799 . Testator buried 23 Feb1800 . Will proved 27 Feb 1800


In the Name of God Amen

I Jonathan Sills of Hamburgh Wharf Thames

Street in the City of London Warfinger being

of sound mind do make and publish my last

Will & Testament in manner following (that is to

say) I do direct that all my just Debts Legacies

and Funeral Expences together with the Charges

of proving this my Will shall in the first

place be paid and discharged by my Executrix

herein after named and Subject to the payment

thereof I do give devise and bequeath all my

Estate and Effects both Real & Personal after it shall

please Almighty God to call me hence (may it be

to his Heavenly Mansions) unto my dearly beloved

Wife and Sympathising Friend and Companion

Frances Sills for and during the term of her natural

life But my Will is and I do direct that that

part thereof which is known by the Name and

description and consists of the Hamburgh Wharf

aforesaid and the Messuage or Tenement wherein

I now reside and the several Warehouses and Stable

and the Yard and Appurtenances thereunto belonging

shall during the lifetime of my said dearly

beloved Wife be used as at present for carrying

on the Trade and Business of the said Hamburgh

Wharf the Profits and Emoluments of which I

will and direct to be paid divided and applied

during the lifetime of my said dearly beloved

Wife in the following manner and proportions

(that is to say) one half part thereof to my

said dearly beloved Wife, one quarter or fourth

part thereof to my Son Joseph Sills and the

remaining quarter or fourth part thereof to my

Son Jonathan Sills And my Will also is that

upon the decease of my said dearly beloved Wife

the Hamburgh Wharf aforesaid and the said Messuage

or Tenement wherein I now reside and the said

several Warehouses Stable Yard and Appurtenances

shall be fairly valued and appraised and that the

same shall be sold to and purchased by the said

Sons Joseph Sills and Jonathan Sills at and

for the amount of such Valuation & Appraisemt.

it being my Will and Intention that my said

Sons Joseph Sills and Jonathan Sills shall on

the decease of my said dearly beloved Wife exclusively

carry on the said Trade or Business of a

Wharfinger at the Hamburgh Wharf aforesaid and

hold and enjoy the benefits and advantages to

arise therefrom to their only proper use in equal

shares and proportions But my Will also is

that in estimating the value of the said

Hamburgh Wharf Messuage or Tenement Warehouses

Stable Yard and Appurtenances the Trade or

Business now carried on thereat shall not be

taken into Consideration but that the same

shall be appraised and estimated with the

advantage of situation duly? supposing it’s present

Trade and Business did not belong thereto And

my Will also is that the amount of the said

Valuation and Appraisement shall be paid by my

said Sons Joseph Sills and Jonathan Sills deducting?

their own Shares and Proportions thereof by the

following Instalments with legal Interest (that is

                       twelve Months one other third part thereof at

to say) one third part thereof at ^ eighteen Months

and the remaining third part thereof at thirty

Months And I do further Will and direct that

my Son Edward Prascey Sills and also my Sons

Joseph Sills and Jonathan Sills and my Daughters

Elizabeth Golding and Jane Ramsay shall be

Interested in or intitled to and participate of the

amount of the said Valuation and Appraisement

in equal Shares & Proportions and that upon

payment of the said several Instalments to the

necessary parties shall execute an absolute Conveyance

of the said Hamburgh Wharf Messuage or Tenement

Warehouses Stable Yard and Premisses to my said

Sons Joseph Sills and Jonathan Sills To Hold to

them and their Heirs for ever And I do particularly

hope and request that my said Son Edward

Prascey Sills and my Sons in Law Thomas

Goulding and Thomas Ramsay will upon all

necessary occasions during the lifetime of my said

dearly beloved Wife furnish her with their best

advice assistance and protection And my Will

also is that the several Partnership Books and

Cash Accounts belonging to me and my said Sons

                                                                         and settled?

Joseph Sills and Jonathan Sills shall be stated? ^ so

soon after my Burial as possible and presented

to my said dearly beloved Wife And that the

future Books Accounts and Concerns? of the said

Hamburgh Wharf shall be settled Balanced & adjusted

at certain fixed periods in every Year during the

lifetime of my said dearly beloved Wife and

that a sketch thereof shall be made out for and

delivered to her by my said Sons Joseph Sills &

Jonathan Sills in the most plain and expressive

manner to enable her to know and understand what

she has to depend on I give and bequeath to

my dearly beloved Sister Hannah Gurling one

Annuity of twenty Pounds to be paid to her

half yearly out of the Profits of the Trade carried

on at the said Hamburgh Wharf and Premisses

during her natural life the first half Yearly

Payment to commence at the expiration of six

Months next after my decease to each of the

following persons (that is to say) My Sons

Edward Prascey Joseph and Jonathan and my Daughters

Elizabeth Goulding and Jane Ramsay and to my

Daughter in Law Barbara Sills I give Mourning

and a Ring For the very dear and tender offspring

of my Son Edward Prascey and my Daughter Jane

Ramsay I offer my poor imperfect Prayers that

the Lord Infinitely good and gracious will take

them under his peculiar? care? be their Guardian

in Infancy their Guide in Youth their protection

in Manhood? and dependance? in old Age I give

and bequeath to my dearly beloved Brother Samuel

Sills at three Rivers in North America twenty Pounds

and to his Wife and Sons and Daughters ten

Pounds each, not for mourning for that will

answer no good purpose, but as a token which I

hope they will accept of my respect regretting as

I do that I never had the pleasure of ever seeing

or knowing them I also give & bequeath Mourning

to my much esteemed Friend and Brother John Allen

of Henley on Thames and also to his Wife and

five Daughters I give to my Sister Keen Jane

Clark and Richard Allen of Pangbourn ten Pounds

each and to Mrs Harper Elizabeth Keen Elizabeth &

Frances Clark five Pounds each and to Mrs Canning

Mr & Mrs Smith and Mary Canning of Coventry

also to Mr John Brooks Mrs Ann Brooks and Miss

Mary Brooks of Maiden Lane and to my Nephew

John Keen and Mrs Keen his Wife and my

Nephew James Keen and to Mr & Mrs Gerard of

Windsor I give each a Ring as a small token

of my love and respect if they will accept them

with an Apology that had it pleased God to

have continued me longer and permitted me to

make another journey to Holland so that I might

thereby have recovered? my Property there I might

have been more liberal I give and bequeath

to my Grandson Edward Sills one hundred Pounds

to be paid as it can best be spared out of the

Profits of the said Trade carried on at the said

Hamburgh Wharf and Premisses and I am desirous

of appointing with permission Mr Thomas Goulding

and his Wife Mrs Goulding Trustees for and

Guardians to my said Grandson Edward Sills

until he attains the Age of twenty one or twenty

five Years as to them shall seem most proper

though the Sum be but small? and I do hope

that he will receive such Instruction as will

ground him in the Principles of the Gospel

Religion and teach him a due observance of the

Sabbath never making it a day of Pleasure and

Idle Conversation I give to John Pidgeon who

now lives with me Fifty Pounds and Mourning

as a token of my Sense of his Fidelity And

Lastly I do hereby nominate constitute and

appoint my said dearly beloved Wife Frances Sills Sole

Executrix of this my last Will and Testament

Revoking all former Will and Wills by me at

any time heretofore made and declaring this

only contained in four Sheets of Paper to be

my last Will & Testament In Witness whereof

I have to the first second and third Sheets

of this my Will set my Hand and to the

fourth and last Sheet thereof set my Hand &

Seal this Seventeenth day of May in the Year

of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and

ninety nine – Jonathan Sills ..? Signed Sealed &

published and declared by the said Testator as

and for his last Will & 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, R..?

Eaton Birchin Lane London – Thos Martin

Clerk to Mr Sills – Jno Howshall? Clerk to Mr Sills -/-


[Copy of will purchased online from the National Archives]

NOTE:  The following beneficiaries of the will are assumed to be related to the deceased..... Mrs Canning Mr & Mrs Smith and Mary Canning of Coventry Mr John Brooks Mrs Ann Brooks and Miss Mary Brooks of Maiden Lane..... because their names  are included among those of known close relatives, but their family connections have yet to be found.



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Page last updated: 3rd October 2014, e-mail: martin@hagger.org