Samuel mentions 5 children in his will - eldest son Samuel, eldest daughter Isabell and other children John, Dorothy and Mary. The Bradford records show the baptism of some of these (but not Dorothy or Isabell) plus two others not mentioned, all children of Samuel Jowett of Heaton:
Also, not mentioned in the will:
The only possible baptism of Samuel himself is Samuel son of John Jowett of Heaton, 14 January 1616, but this seems a little too early. I am still researching the family but he is almost certainly related in some way, probably uncle to Nathan Jowett (will 1734) and could be the Samuel Jowett, son of William Jowett mentioned in his will of 1679, though I can find no evidence of this in the Bradford records.
Samuel was clearly a very wealthy man and gets listed in the Bradford and District Assessment of Land 1692/3 and the Bradford and District Land Tax 1704.
Last Will and Testament
Inventory of Possessions
In the name of God Amen. The twentieth day of Aprill in the Twelfth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lady Ann by the grace of God Queen of Great Britain or Anno Domini 1713. I Samuel Jowett of Idle in the County of York, yeoman, being something infirm in body but of sound and perfect mind and memory praised be god do make and declare this my last will and testament in manner and form following, that is to say first and principally I do give and commend my soul into the hands of almighty God my merciful creator, trusting in and through the merits and intercession of my dear Redeemer Jesus Christ to obtain pardon of my sins and be made an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven. And my body I commit to the earth to be buryed in decent Christian burial. And as touching my worldly estate it is my will and mind that all my true and just debts owing by me and my funeral expenses and other charges incident about this my will be paid and discharged out of my personal estate.
And I do give and devise unto Isobell my wife one bed with the bedding thereunto belonging in the parlour of my house to use and enjoy during her natural life, but after her decease it is my will and minde that the same shall go to the use of some of my children whom she shall think fit to appoint the same to, or for want of such appointment to the oldest of my daughters living at her decease.
And I do give and devise unto my eldest son Samuel and his heirs and assigns for ever all that Messuage with the barns, lands, tenements and hereditaments whatsoever thereunto belonging with their appertainemants near Roerhill in Idle aforesaid which I purchased of Widow Harkson but nevertheless it is my will and mind that the same shall be liable to and charged with the payment of all such sum and sums of money for the portions of my younger children as are herein after appointed by me, which my personnel estate shall not extend to make up.
To my son John and two daughters Dorothy and Mary every one of them One Hundred pounds of lawfull money of Great Britain and to my eldest daughter Isabell the sum of One Hundred and Ten pounds of like money to be paid them within three months next after they shall attain their ages of one and twenty years respectively, and if any of them shall in the mean time dye, then the other share of such of them so dying to go to the survivors or supvisors of my said four younger children when they shall attain their respective ages by equal proportions.
And in the mean time it is my will and mind that they be decently educated out of the profits thereof and that my said lands be proportionally charged towards their maintenance as well as of my eldest son according to what my personal estate shall fall short of making up the same.
And I do give and devise unto my younger son John and his heirs and assigns for ever one tenemant or Longe Barn at Idle Thorpe Croft with appertainemants thereunto belonging in the possession of Abraham Thornton and also two closes called Milnholme and Carteroyd with appertainemants in my own possession and another close which was formerly John Dawson's adjoining to the High Fields Lane with appertainemants all in Idle aforesaid to my said son John and his heirs and assigns for ever.
And it is my will and mind that my said wife shall have her thirds or Dower out of my lands and tenements according to the common law of this realm, and so long as she continues my wife or widow to have equal power about the Guardianship and duration of my children and management of their affairs with my executors and trustees herein after named. But if she shall marry again after my decease to have no further power after that time.
And it is my will and mind that my personal estate which shall remain after above payment of debts funeral expenses and other charges about my will shall first be applyed towards payment of my said younger children's portions and the profits or interest what may be safely or conveniently made thereof in the meantime go towards their maintenance and education. And the residue made up out of my Lands devised to my oldest son as aforesaid for their portions and maintenance and education till they receive the same as aforesaid and if default shall be made in payment of any of the said sums of money for the portions of my youngest children which my personal estate shall not extend to pay them it is my will and mind and I do hereby give power to such of my younger children to whom the same shall not be paid within the time above limited to enter the lands tenements devised to my eldest son as aforesaid and the same to hold and receive the rents and profits thereof untill full payment made of what is devised and shall be due to them respectively as aforesaid.
And also it is my will and mind that the profits of the lands devised to my younger son during his minority above what my wife shall receive thereout for her thirds shall be applyed towards the maintenance and duration of my said younger children and for raising money to bind my younger son apprentice or instructing him in some trade or profession.
And also that my eldest son shall be educated during his minority out of the profits of the lands devisable to him and money raised for binding him apprentice or instructing him in some trade or profession which he shall fancy best.
And I do nominate and appoint my brother Nathan Jowett and my neighbour John Ward to be joint executors of this my last will and testament revoking all other wills by me formerly made. And I do appoint them Guardians and Trustees for my said Children and what belongs them during their minority but not to make sale of any Spiring Woods (?) till my oldest sone come of age or without his approbation, and that they shall have their charges and disbursements born out of my estate about this my will. And it is my mind that my said children upon receipt of their respective portions or what is above allotted to them by this my Willshall give acquittances or other sufficient discharges to my executors and trustees above named or such other person or persons as are herein concerned and shall pay the same.
In witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seal the day and year first above written.
Signed sealed published and declared in the sight of us
Samuel Jowett (his mark)
Probate granted to Nathan Jowett of Eccleshill 4 Nov 1713
This inventory has been transcribed to the best of my somewhat feeble knowledge of furniture, farming equipment and other goods and chattels from this time. Where I have been able to identify objects I have indicated in the notes. Where I am uncertain of words I have questioned them in parentheses. Any help and suggestions would be gratefully received!
June ye 5th 1713
A true and perfect Inventory of all the goods and chattels and ready moneys and debts owing to Samuel Jowett late of Idle and appraised by us whose names are hereunto subscribed as followeth.
£ |
s |
d |
Notes | ||
| Imprimo his purse and apparrell | 03 |
05 |
00 |
||
| In the house body | One Range, a fireport, one backflow, tongs, two owd irons and two pairs of racks, two pairs of briggs, two jacks, a fire, showell, a spite, four brass priggs, a (scinner?) one iron ladle, a choping knife, a (clatering?) dish | 01 |
06 |
00 |
Briggs = hanging frames |
| One cupboard and iron for smoothing with and salt pye and dripping pan, (throwne?) chairs, five (ceiles?) chairs | 00 |
14 |
06 |
||
| Fifteen Quissions, a board, a long settle, one table, a form, 3 buffits, 2 stools, three shelves | 00 |
11 |
00 |
Quisson = cushion | |
| In the Great Parlour | Two cupboards, a table, a chest, 3 boards, a range and chairs | 02 |
02 |
06 |
|
| In the North Parlour | One bed and bedding and hangings. A press, a chest, one glasscase, four boxes, a desk, a cossen, a table, a little chest, two pot plates | 02 |
00 |
00 |
Cossen = cushion |
| In the Millhouse | Eight shelves, a buffitt, twenty four Trenchers, 12 wood bowles, a cake tyn, six great butterpots, two pot plates, six glass bottles. | 00 |
10 |
00 |
|
| In the cellar | Twenty three bowles, two show tables, 3 great potts, 1 runlett | 00 |
13 |
01 |
Runlett = cask |
| In the Kitchen | Three kitts, 4 piggens, 2 bowles, 2 churnes, 2 stands, 2 tubbs, 1 barrell, three boards, 2 pollids (?), one flask, an ax, a walling hamer, a bill, a (gablewerk?) 2 harks, a pick bar, a plow (halshott?). | 01 |
02 |
00 |
Hark = chest Piggen = small wooden vessel |
| Pewter weighing thirty five pounds | 03 |
03 |
04 |
||
| A Iron pott and pan, 3 brass pots, a brass pan, one (_____?) pan, a morter and pessell | 01 |
11 |
00 |
||
| In the chamber over the house, Malt | 00 |
14 |
00 |
||
| Haver meal | 02 |
01 |
00 |
Oat meal | |
| Wheate meal | 03 |
00 |
00 |
||
| Haver meale, beef and bacon | 02 |
03 |
00 |
||
| ffower chests | 02 |
00 |
00 |
||
| One bed and bedding, a foot chest | 01 |
10 |
|||
| One kit, 2 (lenses?), 2 riddles, a stroke, a peck, a range, a knife, a weigh butt | 00 |
11 |
00 |
Riddle = sieve Stroke = iron wheel |
|
| In the chamber over ye parlour | A table, three knifes, three chests, a line wheel | 01 |
0 |
00 |
|
| In the North chamber | A bed with bedding, 4 chests, a (kimlin?), six sacks | 01 |
05 |
00 |
|
| In the North Cling(?) parlour | Eleaven sleds, thirty sled boards, a chest, three windes, a quarter of bark and with some oil (luister?), five other boards, 2 reules (?), a table, a sage and pair of lampolls | 01 |
07 |
00 |
North East parlor? |
| About four shoakes of rye | 00 |
05 |
00 |
||
| In the coale house | One trough | 00 |
02 |
00 |
|
| In the fold | A Grind stone and a swape (scrape?) | 00 |
01 |
06 |
|
| Two troughs more | 00 |
01 |
06 |
||
| One Hogg | 00 |
16 |
00 |
||
| In the Barn wet house, Two Calves | 01 |
02 |
00 |
||
| One cart, one cowp, a stone cart, a pair of wheels, 2 pairs of railes, two slees, some rales for gates, a cheese press, a load saddle, two garths, carkins | 02 |
00 |
00 |
Slee = part of a loom? | |
| In the farr barn | Some wheat. One coup, three plows, six iron forkes, two harrows, three riddles, plow irons, two teams, five yoaks, eleaven bowes, twenty four speakes, 2 hames, 12 (ffelkes?) with some oil (____?) belonging. Husbandrye, two gripes, two showells, a peere of wood and all the beasts soales | 02 |
11 |
00 |
Speakes = spokes. Teams = harness chains. |
| In the stable | One Harkway saddle, two swingle trees, 3 pairs of traces, three pairs of hames | 00 |
03 |
00 |
Equipment for horse drawn ploughs etc. |
| In the fold | Eight milk cowes | 21 |
00 |
00 |
|
| A horse and a mare | 04 |
15 |
00 |
||
| Three dozen of napkins, 2 table cloths, 2 paires of sheets, 2 Dressers 1 silver cupp | 02 |
02 |
00 |
||
| Jyst beasts from home | One fatt cow, four slott calves, four heifers when ye jyst was paid, ffower steares | 30 |
00 |
00 |
Jyst? |
| Three dayes work of Barley, 4 of wheat which growes at the towne in the closes called Millholme and Carter Royd | 10 |
00 |
00 |
||
| For seeds and plowing of twelve days work in the botham moare (?) unto Rorliffe (?) | 06 |
00 |
00 |
||
| Debts owing to the said Samuel Jowett | |||||
| William Walker | 90 |
00 |
00 |
||
| Interest for ye same due at that time | 01 |
02 |
06 |
||
| Mary and John Atkinson | 30 |
00 |
00 |
||
| Interest for ye same due at that time | 01 |
10 |
00 |
||
| Jonathan Bouth | 10 |
00 |
00 |
||
| James Bouth | 00 |
10 |
00 |
||
| Doubtful or desparate | |||||
| Richard Lee | 00 |
16 |
00 |
||
| Jeremia Illingworth | 01 |
15 |
00 |
||
| The total of ye whole appraisement | 250 |
17 |
02 |
||
Appraised by us
Copyright S D Jowitt