Some wills have been transcribed in full, whereas others are a paraphrased transcription. If they are paraphrased, they contain the names of all those mentioned in the will, with the gist of what they were (or were not!) bequeathed, but to find the full details, such as the names of property, requests as to how they were to be buried etc., please contact the relevant archive.
- Haven, John, clothmaker of Dedham, 1540
- Hazell, John Joseph, farmer of Great Bromley, 1857
- Hazell, Joseph, farmer of Great Bromley, 1775
- Higham, Edward, farmer of Faulkbourne, 1798
- Hill, Humphrey, gentleman of Ardleigh, 1559
- Hill [Hyll], Lettice, singlewoman, dwelling with John Dyer of Frating, 1573
Haven, John, clothmaker of Dedham, 1540
- Sons Robert, John and Edward £20 each when 21
- Daughters Alice and Jone £6 8 shillings 4d each when 21 or married, whichever comes first
- Sons to be apprenticed
- Wife Alice: rest and residue, to be executrix
- Richard Lawrence of Dedham, clothmaker 20 shillings
Overseer: William Ellynet of Dedham, clothmaker, 20 shillings
Witnesses: Robert Bogas, William Cardinall, William Litlebury
Written 7 Jun 1540, probate 17 Dec 1540
ERO
Transcriber’s notes: John Haven’s wife Alice was the daughter of John Cole (d 1534). William married Alice’s stepmother, Joan Gurdon, after John Cole’s death. The testator appears to be one of the Havens family.
Hazell, John Joseph, farmer of Great Bromley, 1857
- wife Elizabeth
- son John Joseph Hazell
- son Joseph John Lufkin Hazell
- other children (unnamed in the will)
Executors: wife, sons John Joseph and Joseph John Lufkin Hazell.
Witnesses: HG Deane of Colchester, Thomas W Shave his clerk.
Written 31 Jan 1857, probate 2 June 1857.
Died 20 April 1857 in Great Bromley.
Hazell, Joseph, farmer of Great Bromley, 1775
- grandson John Joseph Hazell, U21
- granddaughter Sarah Hazell, U21
- grandson Joseph Hazell, U21
- property in Great Bromley and Ardleigh, including the Red Lion in Ardleigh, occupied by Joseph Girling.
- granddaughter Mary Hazell, U21
- daughter-in-law Sarah Hazell, widow
- Sarah Avis of Ardleigh, widow
- Abijah Southgate of Ardleigh, bricklayer
- friend Philip Lugar of Ardleigh, gentleman.
Executor: Philip Lugar.
Witnesses: Hor. Bayles, Thomas Bayles, Thomas Dye.
Written 25 Feb 1775, probate 17 Aug 1775.
From probate in August: died in Great Bromley “3 or 4 months ago”.
ERO
Higham, Edward of Faulkbourne, farmer, 1798
- To my wife Margaret Newton Higham: copyhold messuage and 30 acres called Godfreys
otherwise Crackborns in White Notley, Essex, and all my other copyhold in White Notley, for her natural life. After her death, to be sold and the proceeds to be divided between my
daughters: - Margaret, wife of John Barnard of Faulkbourne, farmer
- Elizabeth, wife of William Humphreys of White Notley, victualler
- Jane Higham
- Julia Higham
- (and also) To my daughters Julia and Jane Higham, £50 each after my wife’s death
- To my son Edward Higham: £5, two guns or fowling pieces, and all the rest, residue and
remainder of my estate. - If there is enough for my daughters above mentioned to have £150 each, then to include my daughter Ann, wife of John Grimwood of Kelvedon, farmer, share and share alike.
Execs: wife Ann, friends Joseph Nunn of Rivenhall and Abraham Barnard of White Notley
(farmers).
Witnesses: Wat., J. & M. Gullifer
Written: 26th December 1797, proved: 21st September 1798
ERO ref: D/ABW 114/1/60
Hill, Humphrey, gentleman of Ardleigh, 1559
[Original will. The writing is very difficult]
- To be buried in Ardleigh church.
- Lands in Wigborough to be sold by William Cardinall the elder esq and William Rouef? Of Lawford.
- Daughters Margaret Hill, ? Hill, and Grace? Hill: £10 each on their marriages
- Sons Thomas Hill and Steven Hill: £10 each
Executor: wife Jone.
Witnesses: Henry Colle, William Hecford?, William Affylld
ERO
Transcriber’s notes: Humphrey’s brother Simon married Elizabeth Knightley, the sister of Lettice Knightly (with of William Clippesby and William Cardinall) and Audrey Knightley (wife of Thomas Gawdey). So when Humphrey requests William Cardinall the elder to sell his lands, he’s referring to his brother’s brother-in-law. Humphrey’s grandfather, William Hill of East Bergholt, left him lands in Little Wigborough (see his will).
Hill [Hyll], Lettice, singlewoman, dwelling with John Dyer of Frating, 1573
Sister Anne Hill, wife of John Dyer, £20
Sisters Margaret Hill and Ede Hill £10 each
Executor: sister Anne, rest and residue
Witnesses: John Wenend, Geoffrey Allyn of Frating, husbandmen
Non-cupative will written 14 Apr 1573 [Lettice was buried on 6 April, so the date is when her verbally-given will was written down by someone else], probate 11 Nov 1573
ERO
Transcriber’s notes: this very short will tells a sad tale. Lettice was a daughter of Simon Hill (see his will) and Elizabeth Knightley, making her a niece of Lettice, wife of William Clippesby, then William Cardinall, and Audrey, wife of Thomas Gawdey. The testator was perhaps Lettice Knightley/Clippesby/Cardinall’s goddaughter, given that they share the same name. Lettice’s parents appear to have died very soon after each other, in 1551 – her mother was her father’s executor, but she died before executing the will. The job was taken over by Elizabeth’s sisters Lettice and Audrey, and their respective husbands. The will was executed not long after Simon’s death, so Elizabeth must’ve died soon afterwards. Simon’s will mentions sons William and John, and four daughters: Anne, Margaret, Lettice and Edith. As you can see, Lettice names all four of her sisters in her own will, but doesn’t mention her brothers.
Given that the Hills had been living in East Bergholt, it seems possible that the orphaned children were taken in by their mother’s family. The Gawdeys lived in Norfolk, but the Cardinalls lived in Great Bromley, Essex, which is perhaps where some, if not all of them lived. This would explain why Anne married a man who lived in Frating, as it’s in the parish next door to Great Bromley.
Anne had perhaps married John Dyer of Frating by 1560 (see his will). Six children of John’s were baptised there between 1560 and 1570: John (died in infancy), John, Elizabeth, Lettice, George and Anne. Then, in 1573, the burials for Frating show that, once again, several deaths happened in the family in close succession: Lettice was buried on 6 April, John senior on 5 May, Anne (presumably John’s daughter) on 12 May, and Lettice Dyer (presumably another daughter) on 15 May. A year later, the widowed Anne married John Tucke and they had two daughters, Mary and Parnell. Anne died in 1577, and at the end of the year, John married Margaret Berife. It appears that they subsequently moved to Elmstead, but I have lost track of them after that.
The will of Lettice’s uncle Humphrey Hill is above.