in the name of God Amen the 8th and 20th day of May Anno Dom 1708 in the seventh year of the reigne of our Soveraign Lady Anne by the grace of God of Great Britain France and Ireland Queen defender of the faith etc I William Weldon of Syston in the County of Leicester Taylor do make this my last will and testament in manner and form following that is to say first I will that all those debts and duties as I owe in right or conscience to any person or persons whatsoever shall be well and fully paid within convenient time after my decease by my executor hereinafter named

and I do revoke renounce frusterate and make void all wills by me formerly made and declare and appoint this to be my last will and testament

Item I give and bequeath unto my sonne John Weldon the sum of ten pounds of lawful money of Great Britain for to be paid unto him within one year after my decease and the disease of Elizabeth my now wife by my executor hereinafter named and if it shall happen that my said sonn John Weldon shall die before it becomes due and leave no issue then it shall be to my son William Weldon

Item I give and bequeath unto my sonne William Weldon his frame or stockinge loume for him to have it at the day of my death

item I further give and bequeath unto my said sonne William Weldon the sum of fforty pounds of lawful money of Great Britain full to be paid unto him within one year after my decease and the decease of Elizabeth my now wife by my executor hereinafter named and if it shall happen that my said sonne William Weldon shall depart this life before it becomes due and have no issue then the one half of it shall be to my sonne Robert Weldon and the other half of it shall be to my sonne John Weldon

Item my will and mind is and I do order and appoint it so to be that for the none payment of the summes of ten pounds and the summe of fforty pounds unto my said son John Weldon and unto my said son William Weldon as aforesaid that then it shall and may be lawful to and for I said sonne John Weldon and my said sonne William Weldon to enter upon all my houses lands and tenements with their appurtenances in Syston aforesaid and hold and enjoy them to their own Proper use and behoofed until the said somme of ten pounds and the said summe of fforty pounds be fully paid as aforesaid

Item my will is that all my household goods shall stand and be in my house as they now be full and during the Term of the natural life of Elizabeth my now wife and at her disease then to be equally divided between my three sons Robert Weldon John Weldon and William Weldon

Item my will and mind is that my son Robert Weldon shall maintain and provide for Elizabeth my now wife he having that with she has during the term of her natural life if she lives with him and if she shall happen to go from him then he shall pay her 20 shillings a year yearly during the term of her natural life

Item I give and devise unto my son Robert Weldon and to his heirs and assigns forever all my dwelling house out houses gardens orchards and backsides and all my arable land meadow ground pastures sheep domons and premisses with their appurtenances situate in Syston aforesaid thereof my goods chattells & chattells unbequeathed I give and bequeath (my debts and funerall discharged) unto Robert Weldon my sonne whom I make soul whole and lawful Executor of this my last Will and Testament

in witness whereof I have here unto sett my hand and seale the day and year first above written

William IX Weldon his mark [his seal]

Signed sealed published pronounced and declared by the said William Weldon as his last will and testament in the presence of us

John [mark] Fewkes his mark

Jarves [mark] Plumer his mark

John Reeve

INVENTORY

__

A true and perfect Inventory of ye goods cattell and chattells of William Weldon Late of Syston in ye County of Leics as valued and prized by us under written

Item his purse and Apparrell - 1-0-0

Item ye goods in ye house and chimney - 4-1-0

Item in ye parlour next the house one bed and beddings and chest 2 boxes and a cubbard one little table and other od things - 3-10-0

Item in ye buttery barrills and thralls and other lumber - 0-10-0

Item in ye new parlour 5 chairs - 0-4-6

Item in ye chamber over ye parlour next to ye house one bed and beddings + tubbs one krinnill and other od things - 1-2-6

Item the chamber over the house two bedds and beddings one cradle 2 blankits and other lumber - 2-15-0

Item in ye chamber over ye new parlour corne and mault cheeses and other od things - 2-0-0

Item in ye yard s stone traaues [troughs?] 2 ladders one cheese presse - 0-8-0

Item in ye garden 3 hive of bees - 0-9-0

Item coales and wood and other lumber in ye yard - 0-10-0

Item one store pigg - 0-6-8

Item 3 cows - 4-0-0

Item ye crapp ye is growing on ye ground - 5-15-0

Item mony owinge - 10-0-0

Things unseen - 0-1-0

Loast ye whole sume is 36-12-8

John Goddard

Ye mark of John [mark] Fewkes

Robert Weldon

In the name of God Amen I Robert Weldon of Syston in the County of Leicester Taylor being in health of body and of sound mind and memory do make an ordained this my last will and testament in manner and form following

First I commit my body to the earth to be interred at the discretion of my executrix hereafter named and nice to my temporal estate I give and advised the same in manner following

First I will that my debts an funeral expenses be paid and discharged

Then all my messuage cottage and tenement situate and being insistent aforesaid wherein I now dwell together with all the rights members and appurtenances thereof and thereto belonging I give and devise to my son Robert Weldon and to his heirs forever accepting that my said son Robert Weldon shall not be in actual possession of my aforesaid dwelling house till twelve months after my decease

Also I give and devise to my said son Robert Weldon all those several pieces and parcels of arable land meadow pasture and grass ground and one cow pasture with their appurtenances lying being within the fields and Liberty's of Syston aforesaid containing by estimation one acre that is to say one half acre of land in every field that I bought and purchased of John Brown of Syston and one half acre of land in every field that I bought and purchased off Edward Skinner of Syston aforesaid

And also one acre of meadow ground in Syston meadow aforesaid I give and devise to my son Robert Weldon and his heirs forever but provided my son Robert Weldon should die without issue than my will and pleasure is that what I have hereby given and devised to my son Robert Weldon shall in such case be equally divided between my son's John and William Weldon

And all that messuage cottage or tenement with the appurtenances situate and being in Syston aforesaid near the wooden bridge and not being since built and near to the last mentioned cottage or tenement I give and devised to an my wife for and during the term of her natural life and from and after her to cease then to my son John Weldon and to his heirs and assigns forever

All that other messuage and college cottage or tenement with the appurtenances situate standing and being in Syston aforesaid and near the wooden bridge and near to the last mentioned cottage or tenement I give and devise to an my wife for and during the term of her natural life and from and after her decease to my son William Weldon and to his as forever

Also all my other lands tenements and hereditaments whatsoever situate and being in Syston aforesaid or within the Lordship or Liberty's thereof I also where I give and devise to my wife for and during the term of her natural life and from and after her decease then to my son Robert Weldon and to his heirs for ever

I give and bequeath to my son William Weldon my Engen or Frame to Knitt or make stockings upon with all the implements and appurtenances thereto belonging.

Moreover I give and bequeath to my two sons John Weldon and William Weldon the sum of twenty pounds apiece to be paid twelve months after my decease but in case either of them should die unmarried or leave no issue then I will the legacy or sum of money of him so deceased shall be paid to the survivor of them all the rest residue and remainder of my goods chattels and personal estate whatsoever not before here given and disposed of I give and bequeath to and my beloved wife who I make my sole and full Executrix of this my last will and testament hereby revoking all other wills and testaments by me formerly made In Witness whereof of I the said Robert Weldon first above named have hereunto set my hand and seal the sixteenth day of May in the 13th year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second King of Great Britain etc : Anno Dom 1740

The mark of Robert Weldon Senr [W mark] [Seal]

Signed sealed published and declared to be the last will and testament of the above named Robert Weldon the testator in the presence of us who attested the same in his presence and at his request the words and not long since build in the 17th line being first interlined

Thos Cropper

Ann Pickard

The mark of Dorothy Stones [X]