Meade, John

[Mead8.FTW]
The information about John, his wife and children is from his will, dated 1570
Will (Prerogative Court of Canterbury), PROB11/508., TNA: PROB 11/53 (Reliability: 3).
In the name of God, Amen. The first day of October in the year of our lord God one thousand five hundred three score and ten and in the twelfth year of the reign of our sovereign lady Elizabeth, by the grace of God of England and Ireland queen, Defender of the faith, I John Meade of Denton Hill within the parish of Much Easton in the county of Essex and within the Diocese of London being feeble in body and in good and perfect remembrance, laud and praise and honour unto almighty God, make, ordain and deliver this my present testament and last will in manner and form following, that is to say. First and principally I commend my soul unto Almighty God my maker, saviour and redeemer and my body to be buried within the parish churchyard of Much Easton aforesaid near unto my father and mother. Also I give and bequeath unto Elenor my wife my tenement or tenements set, lying & being in Denton Hill within the parish of Much Easton within the Manor of Blanster Hall which I do now dwell in, with all the land, meadows d pastures thereunto belonging during the time of her natural life, making no scrimp nor waste, and for keeping the said tenement or tenements in good and sufficient repair. Also I give and bequeath unto the said Elenor my wife iii £ vi s viii d out of my tenement called Kingstone lying, standing & being in Matching within the county of Essex in full consideration and satisfaction of her full dower for the term of her life. Also I give unto John my son iiii £ out of the aforesaid tenement during his mother''s life. Also my wish and will is that John my son, which shall be one of my executors, that and if my debts annuities do not discharge all my legacies, that then I will that John my son shall have full power and authority to sell so much of my tenement called Kingstone aforesaid as shall fully discharge my legacies within written, he the said John Meade making offer thereof first unto the said Thomas Meade his brother and his heirs. Also I give and bequeath unto Thomas Meade my son of Henham all my tenemets and lands both free, copy, _____ and leases whatsoever that I have lying, standing & being within the parish of Henham to him and to his heirs for ever. Also I give and bequeath unto the said Thomas Meade my son the residue of my tenement called Kingstone unbequeathed being in Matching aforesaid to him and to his heirs for ever. Also I give & bequeath unto John Meade my son my tenement or tenements with all the land, meadows and pastures thereunto belonging,what name or names so ever they be or are called, which I now dwell in, in Denton Hill in the parish of Much Easton being within the Lordship or Manor of Blanster Hall to him and to his heirs for ever after the decease of Eleanor his mother. Also I give unto the said John my son all my copy land belonging to the manor of Tylty called Mills Meade, and Phampholow after the custom of the manor to him and to his heirs for ever. Also I give unto Robert Meade and William Meade my sons all my lease land and lease which was for a thousand years which I late hd of my brother George Meade of Much Easton, called Bronands Field, Fishers Fens, and Handly lying within the parish of Much Easton, and also three acres of meadow lying in the common mead of Thaxted as more plainly appears in a paper of indenture made between George Meade and John Meade his brother, bearing date the XVI th day of October in the eleventh year of the reign of our sovereign lady Elizabeth, and all such covenant and grant which be in the aforesaid ndenture I give and bequeath unto the aforesaid Robert Meade and William Meade my sons conditionally that that the aforesaid Robert Meade and William Meade do pay unto John Meade their brother the sum of X £ a year of lawful money for the space of twenty years if their mother lives so long, or else not. Also I give unto John Meade my son XX £ of lawful money to be paid unto him within one year after my decease. Also I give unto Robert Meade my son XX £ in lawful money to be paid unto him within two years next after my decease. Also I give and bequeat unto William Meade my son XX £ of lawful money when he comes to the full age of one and twenty years. And if the said William Meade happen to depart the world before he comes to the full age of XXI years, then I will that the said XX £ shall be equally parted between John Meade and Robert Meade my sons. Also I give unto Johanna Meade my daughter forty pounds of lawful money, twenty pounds to be paid unto her at the day after her marriage and the other twenty pounds to be paid unto her at the same day two years. Also I give unto Elenor my daughter forty pounds of lawful money to be paid unto her at the day of her marriage and twenty pounds to be paid unto her that same day two years. And also I will and my mind is, that if Elenor my daughter happen to die before she do marry, then my will and wish is that the legacies to her before given shall be equally divided among all my children then living. Also I bequeath unto John Meade my son my gelding. Also I give unto Robert Meade my son my grey nag. Also I give nto John Meade my son my silver salt to be delivered unto him at his mother''s death or else at the day of his marriage, which so ever do happen first. Also my mind is that Elenor my wife shall have the occupying and keeping of the said slt until the day which shall first happen as is before mentioned. Also I give unto my six children, that is to say Thomas Meade, Robert Meade, William Meade, Margaret Newman, Joan Meade and Ellen Meade, unto either of them a silver spoon to be delivered unto them at their mother''s death, or at the day of their marriage, which so ever shall happen first. Also my mind & will is that the said Elenor my wife shall have the occupying and keeping of the said spoons until either of the days before mentioned, or which shall happen first. Also I give unto Margaret Newman my daughter all the debt which her husband does owe me. And also I do give unto the said Margaret Newman the third obligation which I have of John Marten and Thomas Marten of Newport Pond, which comes to the sum of ix pounds, thirteen shillings four pence of lawful money. And also I give the other two obligations which I have of the said John Marten and Thomas Marten of Newport Pond unto Robert Meade and William Meade, which comes to xiii £ vi s viii d to the building of a house at Menders Moate, and the timber lying in the street. Also I give unto Johanna Meade my daughter my standing bed in the guest cellar, with the featherbed, bolster, mattress, covering, two pillows and ii pairs of sheets, and my cupboard standing in the hall to the delivered unto her at the day of her marriage. Also I give unto Elenor Meade my daughter a featherbed, a mattress, a covering, a bolster, two pillows and iii pairs of sheets, and a close shut table of the old fashion, to be delivered unto her at the day of her marriage. Also I give and bequeath unto Thomas Meade my son my best coat and my best fustian doublet, and the white cap thereunto belonging. Also I give unto John Newman my black gown which was my father''s. Also I give unto William Byrd my servant my doe leather jerkin. All the residue of my wearing gear I will that it shall be given unto the poor people at the discretion of my executors, except ii gowns. Also I give unto Elenor Grace a yellow bullock to e delivered unto her immediately after my decease. Also I give unto William Byrd my servant two sheep to be delivered unto him immediately after my death. Also I give and bequeath unto my executors all my money, debts, annuities, obligations, bills of debt, to the payment and discharging of my father''s will and my brother Robert Meade''s will, and the vicar of Henham''s will and my legacies also. Also I will that Elenor my wife shall not make nor meddle with my hutch nor with my toffer under the hutch nor with the two hutches which were my brother Robert Meade''s but my executors only. Also I will that all my children shall have all those _____ and leases belonging to the said land before to them bequeathed to be delivered unto them immediately upon my decease. Also I make Eleanor my wife guardian unto William Meade my son until he comes to the age of XXI years. Also I give and bequeath unto the said Eleanor my wife xii beasts and a black bull, iiii horses, xvi sheep, & all my carts and ploughs, cart harness an plough harness and all my corn threshed and unthreshed and all my hay and all my hogs and all my pullen [chickens] about my house whatsoever they be and all my implements of household of what kind so ever they be within the house and without and also half my wheat which are unbequeathed to bring me honestly in earth upon condition that if the said Eleanor my wife do marry that then she shall deliver the said moveable goods or the value thereof late before unto her given unto my executors and the said goods to be equally divided amongst all my children thenbeing alive. Of this my present testament and last will I constitute, ordain and make Thomas Meade and John Meade my sons my executors, and I constitute, ordain and make Robert Meade my son my supervisor, and I give him for his pains taken a sovereign of xx s. Made the day within written in the presence of John Newman & William Byrd & John Meade. Also I will & mind is that John Meade my son shall be bound unto Thomas Meade in a recognizance of two hundred ounds that he shall not retain any debt, annuities, statutes, recognizance or money, nor acquit without the consent of Thomas Meade and his heirs. Also my will and mind is that Thomas Meade my son shall be bound unto John Meade my son in a bond obligation of two hundred pounds that he shall not receive any debt, annuities, recognizance, statutes, or money, nor acquit without the consent of John Meade and his heirs. By John Meade, they being witnesses George Meade, Thomas Brown.