The Will of William Moulton of Hampton, 1663/4

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The Last will & Testament of william moulton of Hampton in the County of norfolke in new England:

I william moulton being sick & weak of body butt sound in my understanding & memory Doe by this my last will & testament settle my Estate as followeth

Imp I Give & bequeath unto margritt my Loving wife my new House being the west partt of my Dwelling House with the Chambers belonging thearunto and the use of the leanto and the one Halfe of the orchyard as itt is Devided by a parth Goeing through itt she haveing liberty to Choose which pt she pleaseth the which shee is to Injoy Duering the terme of Her life or to her Day of marriage Item I Give unto margritt my wife the bed which standeth in my new Room with all furniture theirunto belonging with the Rest of my Beding and the moveables in the house Excepting whatt is other waise Disposed of as shalbee after Expressed Itte I Give unto margritt my wife my warmeing pan & smoothing Iron and fier shovell & tonges, and the Rest of the Iron Brass and peuter is to bee Devided into two partts by one of my Exequeters and my sones and then my wife to Choose her partt & my two Elderst sones to hay the othe partt: Ittem I Give unto margritt my Loveing wife my whole stocke of neatt Cattle Horse & Swine towards the bringing up of my Children Except-ing the Horse which only is to Returne unto my Eldest sones att the Day of my wives marriage or death: only my Childeren are to Injoy those Cattle which are now accounted theirs viz: my sone Joseph three my son Benjamin two & Hanna one & mary one:

Ittem I Give unto my son Joseph moulton my Dwelling House & Barne with all my outt Houseing and my House lott being by Estismation ten acres more or less as itt is and ten acres of plant-ing land in the north plaine lying by Henery Robies land the which was Granted to mee by the Towne and five acres more or lesse lying in the East field adjoyning to the land of will Samborn & Samuell ffoge: and nine acres of fresh medow lying near to the Great bores Head between the medow of John Browne and Gilles ffullers: Ittem two acres of Salt marsh lying in a place Called the severals between the marsh of william ifuller and Christopher Palmer: Ittem five acres of Salt marsh on the other sid of the fales, lying betwee[n] the marsh of will ffifield & Phillip Lewes: Ittem I Give unto my son Joseph three shares of Comonedg two shares of the Cow Comon & one share of the ox Comon : Ittem I Give & Bequeth unto my sonn Benjamin Moulton ten acres of Planting land Adjoyning to my House lott: and ten acres of Planting land in ye north Plaine Adjoyning to ye lott of Thomas marston ye which was first Granted to Robert marston: Ittem fower Acres of medow in the Greatt medow lying between the medow of will ifuller & Henery Robey: Ittem thre: acres in the Greatt Bores Head medow Adjoyning to the medow somtimes Thomas Chases: Item five acres of Salt marsh lying on the other side of the River by the landing place Ittem one share of the Cows Comon and one share of ye ox Comon: Item I Give unto my Son Robertt Moulton six acres of Planting land in the East feild Adjoyning to the lott of John Redman

And further itt is my will and Determination thatt when my sone Joseph shall Come to the Age of twenty one yeers hee shall Enter upon & posses the land which I have here Given and Appointed for him and them thatt hee shall yeerly Pvid and lay in for his mother fower loads of Hay: and shall likewise pay unto his mother Every yeere fifteen Bushiles of Indian Come and Eight Bushiles of wheatt and five Bushiles of malt all merchent-able and thatt my son Joseph shall afford and Allow His mother Convenient House Room for her Hay and Cattell Duering the terme of her life or to her Day of marriage

and further thatt my son Benjamin shall Pvide for his mother three load of Hay yeerly to bee putt into the Barne and to pay her ten bushilles of indian Corne & Six bushiles of wheat yerly Duer-ing the time above sayd: the which Corne is by both my sons to bee Delivered as their mother shall stand in need

Itt I Give & Bequeth unto my daughter Hanna moulton the some of ten pounds to be payd out of my stock when shee shall Com to the Age of sixteen yeers the which is to bee Improved by my Exequetor for her untill shee shall Com to the Age of twenty yeer or att her day of marriage which shall fall out first

Itt I Give unto my Daughter mary the some of ten pounds to bee payd by my sonn Joseph five pounds when [she] shall Come to the Age of sixteen yeers and five pounds the yeer following

Itt I Give unto my Daughter Sarah the some of ten pounds to bee payd by my sonn Benjamin five pounds when shee Come to the Age of sixteen yeers and five pounds the yeere followin

Ittem I Give unto my Daughter Ruth the some of ten pounds to bee payd by my son Josuph moulton five pounds when she shall Arive to the Age of sixteen yeers and five pounds the yeere following

Item I Doe appoint Conserning my Child which is yett un Borne thatt if God Give itt life untill itt Come to the age of four-tteen yeeres itt shall Chose a gardian and shall then my two sones Joseph & Benjamin shall pay unto the sd Child the some of five pounds to bee Improved in the Hands of the sd Gardian for the Pfitt of the Child untill itt shall. Come to Age: and itt is Alwaies Pvided thatt att my wives marriage the paymentt of the Come & Hay by my sons above mentioned shall seace: and thatt when my wife leave the house the sd new Room is to Remaine to my sonn Joseph and yt all her Removeing the bedstead & the Greatt Table and other Lumber shall Remaine in the house by lumber I Intend tubes & troughs & such like: and thatt when my sones Come to Age my plowes Cartes yoaks & Chaines and such Imple-ments ot Husbandry shalbe Devided between my two sons Joseph & benjamen: and thatt my two sones Joseph & Benjamin shall Pvid & bring home for their mot[h]er twenty loads of wood P annum thirtteen loads to bee Pvided by Joseph & seaven loads by Benjamin Duering the terme of her life or untill the Day of her marriage & they are to begin their time of Pviding of this wood when Benjamin shall Come to the Age of twenty one; and my will and Intent is thatt If my sone Joseph Depart this life before hee Coin of Age thatt then my sonn Benjamin shall Injoy his lige-sey and thatt my sone Robertt shall Injoy the legesay appointed to Benjamin

And farther I Doe will and Determin thatt if thear bee any of the stocke left att my wives Desease thatt itt shalbee Devided amongst my Children by my Exequetors or so much of itt as they shall Judge meett my two Eldest Exeqter and I Doe make Co[n]stitute and appoint my Loving father in law Robert Page yeoman and my Loving Brother in law Henery Dow to bee my Lawfull Exequetors to this my last will and testiment who are to Adminester [uppon my estate] and to settele itt according to this last will after my Disease and I Doe appoint yt att my sones Reseiving their Ptions they shall allow unto their mother Comonedg for to keepe her Cattle Duering the time above sparcified and this my last will and testament I Doe Conferme with my hand & seale the Eight Day of march Anno D one thousand six Hundred and sixty & three: Pvided thatt if att my wives marriage the thirds of my land should bee Claimed from my sones then yt the Exequetors shall Devid the stock to my Children or so much of it as they shall see meett

Wittnes my Hand & seale
Will [Seal] moulton

Signed Sealed and Confermed
in the prsents of
Robertt X Page
His mark
Samuel Dalton
Thomas Page

[Proved Oct. 11, 1664.]

[Essex County, Mass., Probate Files, and Norfolk County, Mass., Deeds, vol. 2, p. 9.]

[Inventory of the estate of "William Moulton of Hampton: late Deceased: upon the Eighteenth day of Aprill: Anno: 1664"; taken by William Godfrey and John Sanborn May 14, 1664; amount, £470; attested by Robert Page and Henry Dow, executors.]

[Essex County, Mass., Probate Files, and Norfolk County, Mass., Deeds, vol. 2, p. 12.]

[Sarah Moulton acknowledges the receipt, April 28, 1674, from her brother, Benjamin Moulton; of £10 left her in the will of her father, William Moulton; witnesses, Henry Dow and John Moul-ton.]

[Norfolk County, Mass., Deeds, vol. 2, p. 341.]