Will of Katherine White, widow of Sir John White of Aldershot, proved 24 Dec 1576
transcribed by Peter Tipton, January 2010 from PROB11/58 TNA on-line image ref 527/401
1 In the name of god amen I Katherine White widowe late the
2 wife of Sir John White Knight late Alderman of Londin deceased beinge in health of bodie
3 and of perfecte Remembrance (praise be to Almightie god) and myndefull of the Inconstante
4 state of this mortall life do ordaine this my present Testament in manner and forme as followeth
5 Firste I do bequeath my sowle to Almightie god with humble prayer That by his mercye I
6 maye be received into his heavenly sight through the passion of owre saviour Jesus Christ
7 And I will that my bodie be buried within the parishe Church of St Dunstans in the Easte
8 within the Citie of London where my father do lie buried and in which parrishe I was borne Mr
9 Deane of Powles of Mr Deane of Westminster to make a Sermon there at my buriall
10 And that my Executors shall distribute amongst the poore at the saide Church uppon the
11 Daye of my Buriall fortie shillinges And I bequeath to the poore of the parrishe of St Bartil
12 mewes where I nowe dwell Twentie Shillings And to the prisoners of the fowre prisons that
13 is to saye Newgate, the Counters in Woodstrete, and Pultrye and Bethleme in London twenty
14 shillinges for every of the same fowre houses And my will and meaninge is That my Executors
15 shall not excede in the expences of my funeralls together with the distributions to the poore and
16 prisons aforesayde above the some of one hundred and fortye powndes As towching the residewe
17 of my goodes and Debtes saving such legacies as I shall hereafter bequeath in this my will
18 after my debtes paide I will the same to be devided into two equall partes whereof one parte
19 being a moitie I do bequeath to my daughter Katherin White to be delyvered and paide to her
20 at her age of Twentie Yeares or daye of marriage if she marry before the saide age And I be
21 queath the other moitie of the residue of my goodes betweene my two sonnes John and Thomas
22 White to be paide to them at theire severall ages of Twentie foure years And if anie of my saide
23 sonnes or daughter die without issue of theire bodie lawfullye begotten before the severall tymes of
24 payment to them limited Then I will the survivor or survivors of them or anie of them survivinge
25 to have the parte and partes of him or them deceased to be divided equally betwene them And
26 if all my saide thre Children die without issue of their bodies Lawfully begotten before they shall
27 enjoie theire severall legacies aforesaid Then I will that all the same legacies to them bequea
28 thed shall remaine and be devided betwene my thre other Children That is to saye John and Willm
29 Allen, and Margery Lightfoote, and to the Survivor or survivors of them Item I will that
30 my Executors shall at theire good discretions sett forth my saide Childrens porcions for the
31 advancement and Commoditie of those my thre yonger Children the same to be awnswered
32 and paide to them together with theire ptes in manner aforesaide Item I bequeath to me saide
33 Daughter Katherine White all my Jewells That is to saye my Chaines, my gudell bracelette
34 Tablettes and ringes of goulde and my perrells which I shal have at the time of my decease
35 Item I bequeath to her painted Table containge her owne picure Item my will is That
36 my Executors do presearve and kepe for my saide sonne John White such parcels of his owne
37 plate as were given him by his good frendes nowe remaininge in my Custodie That is to saye Firste
38 one standinge Cuppe of silver and guilte Item one guilte bowle with a Cover Item a guilte pott
39 with a Cover all which thre parcells were of the guifte of his late uncle John sometyme Bisshopp of Winton
40 Item one other standinge Cupp guilte of the guifte of th late Lorde William Marques of Winton
41 Item twoe guilte Spoones of the guifte of the Lady Laxton All the aforesaide parcells to be delivered
42 to my saide sonne John White at his lawfull age Item my will is that my Executors shall deliver
43 to my saide Daughter Katheryne the Jewell of golde remayninge in my Custody bequeathed to he in the
44 laste will of the saide Sir John White her father accordinge to the meaninge of my saide husbandes will
45 Item I bequeathe to my Daughter Margerye Lightfote my booke of goulde with the letters J . K which
46 my husbande Jasper Allen her father gave me havinge the Storye of Judeth and Holifeynes Item
47 I bequeath to her my Bason and Ewer of silver pcell guilte wich was sometimes my late husbandes Sir
48 John White Item I bequeath to my brother Richarde Sodye Twentie powndes Item I bequeathe
49 to my sister Gibons a standing Cupp of silver and guilte which was sometimes her brother Grenewayes
50 with the letters of # . K . G Item I bequeath to Margaret Huse my whistle of goulde Item I
51 give to such of my maide servantes as shalbe with me at the time of my decease (twenty crossed out) fourty Shillings
52 a pece Item to such of my men servantes a shalbe in my Service at the time of my decease twentie
53 Shillings a pece Item I ordaine for Executors of this my laste will my sonnes in lawe Lawrence
54 Huse and John Lightfote Grocer and William Gibons Salter whom I request to take paines for
55 me as well in the execution hereof as towching theire good discretion and helpe for the bringinge
56 upp of my saide thre yonger Children givinge to every of my saide Executors for theire paines
57 herein Tenne powndes apece And I make my sonne John Allen Overseer of this my will desiring
58 him to see the same accomplished according as my truste is in him To whom I give for his paines
59 herein fyve powndes In witness whereof I have sett hereunto my hande and seale The Eight
60 Daye of Julye in the yeare of owre Lorde god 1574 In the presence of me William Shorte Grocer
61 Geyles Howlande grocer, and William Broke Notarye
62 Be it knowne That I the saide Katherine White have and do add to my former
63 will by waye of Codicell as followeth First I will to the poore of the parish of St Dunstans
64 over and besides my former bequeaste Twentie Shillings to be distributed by my Executors at my
65 buriall Item more to the poore of St Bartilmewes parish besides the former bequeaste fortye
66 Shillinges Item more to the fowre prisons abovenamed besides theire former legacies foure powndes
67 Item I bequeathe to the Hospital of Christ Church thre powndes Item I bequeath to Elizabeth
68 Curtess my Servante besides her former legacie thre powndes Item I bequeath to John Saxby
69 if he be with me at my decease besides his former legacie Twentie Shillings And in witness
70 of the promisses I have sett my hande the xxth Daye of September in the yeare or owre Lord
71 god 1576 In the presence of me John Sodaye Incent (?) Godman Grocer and Wilm Brokes Notary
72 Memorandum That the Twentie and seaventh Daye of September in the
73 yeare of owre Lorde God one Thowsande five hundred seaventye and six Dame Katherine
74 Whyte Widow beinge of perfect memory did bequeath to John Symons her servante the somme
75 of five powndes over and besides the legacie give him in her will which she wolde to be defrayed to him
76 by the discreation of her Executors as he shall have neede thereof from time to time In witness
77 whereof the witness under written have subscribed their names the Daye and Yeare above written
78 In the presence of me Willyam Shorte Grocer and Incent Godman
79 Memorandum That the Eighte and twentieth Daye of Septembre One Thousand
80 five hundred and Seaventie and Six Dame Katheryne White widdowe did declare her will That
81 where she had made William Gibons and John Lightfoote two of her Executors in her former will
82 now her meaninge is They shall stande her Executors uppon this condicon That they and eny
83 of them become bownde to Lawrence Huse Doctor of Lawe whome also she made (inserted: #####) her before the
84 provinge of her will in the some of fowre or five hundred powndes for the payment of suche
85 Debtes as they owe to the saide Ladye to the Accompte of her saide laste will In the presence of
86 Mr John Scarlett parson Mary Offlay John Saxby and John Swayne
87 Memorandum That the Eight and Twentie of September 1576 beinge
88 Frydaye Dame Katherine White Widdowe declaring her meaninge of he former will before the
89 witness underwritten saide and confessed That her will was that the reasidue of her goodes
90 her debtes and legacies comprehended in her former will discharged should be
91 devided into two partes, whereof one parte she had and wolde
92 give to her daughter Katherine White and the other moietie or halfe between her two sonnes
93 John White and Thomas White And then she gave to her brother John Sodaye Twenty
94 Powndes In witness hereof we have setto owr handes the Daye and Yeare above written
95 Mary Offley Anthony Sodaye John Saxby Katherine Gibbons Allice Gibbins and John
96 Swayne
Probate granted to Lawrence Huse and William Gibbens 24 December 1576
NOTE FROM PJT: The 'Lawrence Huse' to whom Katherine White's probate was granted was probably Lawrence Hussey, Doctor of Civil Law. According to Curtis he had married Margaret eldest daughter of Sir John White and his first wife Sybil White. Curtis says that Margaret Hussey was buried in Christ Church Newgate 6 Aug 1571 (ie before the above will was first written. Katherine's bequest of her gold whistle to Margaret Hussey would therefore make no sense. Curtis also states that it appears that the same Lawrence Hussey also later married Joan the younger sister of his first wife Margeret, and that she died before 1573. In 1574 there was living a Margaret Hussey: the daughter of Lawrence and Margaret Hussey baptised at Christ Church Newgate on 30 July 1568. Perhaps this little girl was the intended recipient of the gold whistle.
Lawrence Hussey appears to have been the overseer of the will of Admiral Sir John Hawkins in 1595
Return to Sir John White's Biography
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