GOD Amen ye nine and twentieth daie of june, in the yeare of or Lord
God 1621 And in ye yeares of the reigne of or Soueraigne Lord James by
the Grace of God of England Scotland Fraunce & Ireland Kinge Defender
of the Faythe & (that is to saie) of England Fraunce & Ireland the
nineteenth And of Scotland the fower & fiftieth I THOMAS HARRIOT of
Syon in the County of Midd Gentleman being troubled in my bodie wth
infirmities. But of pfecte minde & memorie Laude & prayse be giuen to
Almightie God for the same doe make & ordayne this my last will and
testamt. In manner and forme following (viz) First & principally I
Comitte my Soule in to the hands of Almighty God my maker and of his
sonne Jesus Christe my Redeemer of whose merritts by his grace wrought
in mee by the holy Ghoste I doubte not but that I am made ptaker, to
thend that I may enioye the Kingdome of heaven ppared for the electe.
Item my will is that if I die in Londn that my bodie bee interred in
the same pishe Churche of the house where I lye the we" I comitte to
the discrecon of my Executors hereafter named, Excepte taking the
advise and direccon of the right honorable my very good Lord the EARLE
OF NORTHUMBERLAND if it bee his pleasure to haue me buryed at Ilseworth
in ye County of Midd And if it be the pleasure of God that I die at
Syon I doe ordayne that my buriall bee at ye said Churche of Ilseworth
w’out question Item I will & bequeath vnto the aforesaid Earle One
wooden Boxe full or neere full of drawne Mappes standing nowe at the
Northeast windowe of that Roome wch is Called the plor at my house in
Syon, And if it pleaseth his Lorpp to haue anie other Mappes or Chartes
drawne by hand or printed Or anie Bookes or other thinges that I haue I
desire my Extors that hee may haue them according to his pleasure at
reasonable rates excepte my Mathematicall papers in anie other sorte
then is here after menconed Excepting alsoe some other thinges giuen
away in Legacies hereafter alsoe specified Item I bequeath vnto the
right honorable Sr ROBERT SYDNEY KNIGHT VICOUNT LISLE, One Boxe of
papers being nowe vppon the table in my Library at Syon, conteyning
fiue quires of paper, more or lesse wch were written by the last Lord
Harrington, and Coppyed out of some of my Mathematicall papers for his
instrucon Alsoe I doe acknowledge that I haue two newe greate globes
wch haue Cous of Leather the wch I borrowed of the said LORD LISLE And
my will is that they bee restored vnto him againe Item I giue vnto JOHN
PROTHEROE of Hawkesbrooke in the Countie of Carmarthen Esquier One
furnace wth his apputnnce out of the North Clossett of my Library at
Syon. Item I giue vnto NATHANIELL THORPERLEYof Salwarpe in the Countie
of Worcester Clarke One other furnace wth his apputnnce out of the same
Clossett. Item I glue vnto my servaunte CHRISTOPHER TOOKE one other
furnace wth his apputennce out of the same Clossett Alsoe I glue to him
an other furnace out of the South Clossett of my said Lybrarie Item I
give and bequeath vnto Mris BUCKNER wife vnto THOMAS BUCKNER Mercer at
whose house being in St Christophers pishe I nowe lye, and hereafter
nominated one of my Executors the some of fiffteene poundes towards the
repacons of some damages that I haue made, or for other vses as shee
shall thincke Convenient’ Item I giue vnto Mr JOHN BUCKNER theire
eldest sonne the some of fiue poundes Item I giue & bequeath vnto my
Cozen THOMAS YATES my sisters sonne fifty poundes towardes the paiemt.
of his debte and not otherwise, But if his debt doe fall out to be
lesse then fifty poundes then the residue to remayne to himselfe Item
to JOHN HARRIOTT Late servaunte to Mr Doleman of Shawe neere Newbury ín
Barkeshire and being the sonne of my vnckle John Harriotte but nowe
married and dwelling in Churche peene about a Myle westward from the
said Shawe, I doe giue and bequeath fifty poundes Item I giue and
bequeath vnto CHRISTOPHER TOOKE my foresaid servaunte one hundred
poundes. Item I giue & bequeath vnto myservaunte JOHN SHELLER fiue
poundes more then the forty shillinges wch I haue of his in
Custodie,being money given vnto him at sevall tymes by my frends wch in
all is seauen poundes to bee imployed for his vse according to the
discrecon of my Executors for ye placing of him wth an other Master
Item I giue and bequeath to JOANE my servaunte fiue poundes more then
her wages. Item I giue and bequeath vnto my svaunte JANE wch serveth
vnder the said JONE fortie shillinges more then her wages wch wages is
twenty shillinges by yeare Item I giue and bequeath to my auncient
svaunte CHRISTOPHER KELLETT a Lymning paynter dwelling neare
PettyFraunce in Westminster fiue poundes Item to my aincient servaunte
JOANE wife to Paule Chapman dwelling in Brayneford end I bequeath
fortie shillinges. Item I giue vnto the aforesaid EARLE OF
NORTHUMBERLAND my two pspectiue trunckes wherewth I vse espetially to
see Venus horned like the Moone and the Spout in the Sonne The glasses
of wch trunckes I desire to haue remooved into two other of the fayrest
trunckes by my said servaunte CHRISTOPHER TOOKE Item I bequeath vnto
euyone of my Executors hereafterwards to be named, One pspectiue
truncke a peece of the best glasses, and ye fayrest trunckes, as my
said servaunte Can best fitt to theire liking Item I giue vnto my said
servaunte CHRISTOPHER TOOKE the residue of my Cases of pspectiue
trunckes wth the other glasses of his owne making fitted for pspectiue
trunckes (excepting two great longe trunckes Consisting of many ptes
wch I giue vnto the said EARLE OF NORTHUMBERLAND to remayne in his
Library for such vses as they may be put vnto, Alsoe I bequeath the
dishes of iron Called by the spectacle makers tooles to grinde
spectacles, and other pspectiue glasses for trunckes vnto my foresaid
servaunte CHRISTOPHER TOOKE, Item Concerninge my debts, I doe
acknowledg that at this psente I doe owe moneyes to Monseir Mayornes a
Potycarie More to Mr Wheately a Potticary dwelling neare the Stockes at
the East end of Cheapeside Item to my Brewer dwelling at Braynford end
Item to Mr John Bill Staconer for Bookes The some of the debte to all
fower before meneoned I thincke and Judge not to bee much more or lesse
then forty poundes. Item I doe acknowledge to owe vnto Mr Christopher
Ingram keeper of the house of Syon for the aforesaid EARLE OF
NORTHUMBERLAND Three thousand sixe hundred of Billett wch I desire to
be repayed vnto him Item I doe acknowledge that I haue some written
Coppies to the number of twelue or fowerteene (more or lesse) lent vnto
me by Thomas Allen of Gloster Hall in Oxford M` of Artes vnto whome I
desire my Executors hereafter named to restore them safely according to
the noate that hee shall deliu of them (I doubting whether I haue anie
true noate of them my selfe) Item I make Constitute and ordayne theise
fowre following my Executors Namely the aforesaid Sr ROBERT SIDNEY
KNIGHT VISCOUNT LYSLE (if his Lopp may take soe many paynes in my
behalfe) Also JOHN PROTHEROE of Hawkesbrooke in the County of
Carmarthen Esquio` Alsoe THOMAS ALESBURY of Westminster Esquior Lastly
THOMAS BUCKNER Mercer dwelling in St Xpofers pishe in Lond not farre
from ye Royall Exchainge vnto wch Executors I giue full power & aucty
to vse theire owne discrecons in paying theire Charges in my behalfe
out of the rest of my good And if my Bookes wth other goods doe in
value Come to more then I haue afore supposed First I desire them to
bestowe soe much vppon ye poore not exceeding twenty poundes as they
shall thincke Convenient somee pte whereof I giue vnto the poore of the
hospitall in Christes Churche in Lond, Some pte vnto the said pishe of
St Xpofors where I nowe lye, and some pte wch I would haue the greater)
vnto the poore of the píshe of Isleworth neere Syon in the Countie of
Midd Secondly out of the said residue of my good, my will is, That the
said Executors take some pte thereof for theire owne vses according to
theire discretions Lastly my will and desire is that they bestowe the
value of the rest vppon Sr Thomas Bodleyes Library in Oxford, or imploy
it to such Charitable & pious vses as they shall thincke best Item my
will and desire is that Robert Hughes gentleman and nowe attendant
vppon th’afore said EARLE OF NORTHUMBERLAND for matters of Learning bee
an ouseer at the prizing of my Bookes, and some other thinges as my
Executors and hee shall agree vnto Item I ordayne and Constitute the
aforesaid NATHANIELL THORPERLEY first to be Ouseer of my Mathematicall
Writinges to be receiued of my Executors to pvse and order and to
sepate the Cheife of them from my waste papers, to the end that after
hee doth vnderstand them hee may make vse in penninge such doctrine
that belonges vnto them for publique vses as it shall be thought
Convenient by my Executors and him selfe And if it happen that some
manner of Notacons or writinges of the said papers shall not be
vnderstood by him then my desire is that it will please him to Conferre
wth Mr Warner or Mr Hughes Attendants on the aforesaid Earle Concerning
the aforesaid doubte. And if hee be not resolued by either of them That
then hee Conferre wth the aforesaid JOHN PROTHEROE Esquior or the
aforesaid THOMAS ALESBURY Esquior. (I hoping that some or other of the
aforesaid fower last nominated can resolue him) And when hee hath had
the vse of the said papers see longe as my Executors and hee have
agreed for the vse afore said That then he deliu them againe vnto my
Executors to be putt into a Convenient Truncke with a locke & key and
to be placed in my Lord of Northumberlandes Library and the key thereof
to be delifted into his Lordpps hands And if at anie tyme after my
Executors or the afore said NATHANIELL THORPERLEY shall agayne desire
the vse of some or all of the said Mathematicall paps That then it will
please the said Earle to lett anie of the aforesaid to haue them for
theire vse soe long as shall be thought Convenient, and afterwards to
be restored agayne vnto the Truncke in the afore said Earle’s Library
Secondly my will & desire is that the said NATHANIELL THORPERLEY be
alsoe Ouseere of other written bookes & papers as my Executors and hee
shall thincke Convenient. Item Whereas I haue diuers waste papers (of
wch some are in a Canvas bagge) of my Accompte to Sr Walter Rawley for
all wch I haue discharges or acquitances lying in some boxes or other
my desire is that they may bee all burnte. Alsoe there is an other
Canvas bagge of papers concerning Irishe Accompt (the psons whome they
Concerne are dead many yeares since in the raigne of queene Elizabeth
wch I desire alsoe may be burnte as likewise many Idle paps and
Cancelled Deedes wch are good for noe vse Item I revoake all former
wills by mee heretofore made saue onely this my pnte last will and
Testament wch I will shalbe in all thinges effectually and truely
pformed according to the tenor and true meaning of the same In witnes
whereof I the afore said THOMAS HARRIOTT haue to this my psent last
will & Testament put my hand & scale yeouen the daie and yeare first
aboue written THO : HARRIOTTS.
Sealed a published and deliued by ye wthin named THOMAS HARRIOTT for
and as his last will & Testamt the daie & yeares wthin written in the
pfice of vs IMMANUELL BOWRNE WILL: FUTTER, Scr: & THO : ALFORD Svte to
the said scr
Probatum fuit hfnoi Testum sexto die mensis Julij Anno Dni 1621. Coram
venli viro RICHARDO CLARKE legum Dcore Surto Dni Offitis &c . jurio
THOME AILESBURIE et THOME BUCKNER duorum Extorum &c quibus &c de bene
&c saluo jure &c Resrvata tamen ptate similem Comissionem faciendi Dno
ROBERTO SIDNEY militi et JOHANNI PROTHERO armigero alteris Extoribus &c
Cum venerint eandem in debita Juris forma petituri. Pro Inveno ANDREE
prox &c. Concordat cum Originali fca exaicoe pnos HEN: DURHAM Norium
Pubcm RA: BYRDE
[From the certified copy filed in the Probate Registry in Somerset
House, which has been collated with the copy registered, Arch. Lond.
1618-1626/7, Folio 71. The differences in spelling, punctuation etc.
are numerous but unimportant.]