Appendix II – The Will of Sir Henry Morgan, Knt.

 THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF SIR HENRY MORGAN, KNT.

Liber of Wills, 6, folio 8.
Entered Sept. 14th, 1688.

Jamaica SS.

In the Name of God Amen.

I, Sr. Henry Morgan Knt being sick in body but of perfect mind & memory doe make and ordaine this my last Will and testamt hereby making voyd disannulling all and every will and Wills by mee heretofore made and published.

First I will give and bequeath my Soule into the hands of Allmighty God that gave it firmly believing in and hopeing for a pardon for and remission of all my sinns through the merritts and mediation of my Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christe.

My body I bequeath to the earth to be decently buryed at the discretion of my Executrix and trustees firmly crediting a joyfull resurrection.

As to the disposal of what worldly estate it hath pleased God to bestowe upon mee

I will and bequeath as followeth

Item. I will give and bequeath unto my very well and intirely beloved wife Dame Mary Elizabeth Morgan all my real estate lands tenements & hereditamts with the appurtenences thereunto belonging (except hereinafter bequeathed) for and during the term of her natural life with all the proffitts arising therefrom for and towards the payment of my debts without any other account to be rendered to any person or persons whatsoever And after her decease it is my will & pleasure and I doe will give and bequeath all my lands tenemts and hereditamts with apurtences (except as before excepted) to Charles Byndloss Second sonn of the late Robert Byndloss Esq dec'd and the heires males of his body lawfully to be begotten upon this express condition that the said Charles Byndloss and the heires males of his body doe alter and change the name or surname of Byndloss and take upon him & them the name of Morgan and allways goe thereby And for want of such issue it is my will and pleasure and I doe hereby give and bequeath the aforesaid reall Estate Lands tenemts and hereditamts (except as before excepted) unto the second son of Henry Archbold son and heire of the present Henry Archbold Esqre and the heires males of his and theire bodyes forever lawfully to be begotten Upon this express condition nevertheless that the said Henry Archbould and the heires males of his body doe alter and change and take upon him and them the surname of Morgan and always goe thereby and for want of such issue it is my will and pleasure and I doe hereby will devise and bequeath my said real estate lands tenemts and hereditamts with the apurtences (except as before excepted) unto the issue males of the body of Ann Maria Byndloss lawfully to be begotten and the heires males of theire bodys forever upon this express condition nevertheless that the said heires males of the body of the said Ann Maria Byndloss and theire heires males forever doe alter & change and take upon them the surname of Morgan and always goe thereby. And for want of such issue it is my will and pleasure and I do hereby will give and bequeath the aforesaid Estate lands tenemts and hereditamts with the apurtences (except as before excepted) unto the issue male of the body of Catherina Maria Byndloss and the heires males of her body forever lawfully to be begotten Upon this express condition nevertheless that the said heires males of the body of the said Catherina Maria Byndloss and theire heires males forever doe alter and change & take upon them the surname of Morgan and allways goe thereby and for want of such issue it is my will and pleasure and I doe hereby will and bequeath the aforesaid reall Estate lands tenemts & hereditamts with the apurtences (except as above excepted) unto the issue male of the body of Mary Elizabeth Byndloss and the heires males of her body forever lawfully to be begotten Upon the express condition nevertheless that the said heires males of the body of the sd Mary Elizabeth Byndloss and theire heires males forever doe alter change & take upon them the surname of Morgan and always goe thereby and for want of such issue to the right heires of the said Dame Mary Elizabeth Morgan and theire heires forever.

Item. It is my will and pleasure & I doe will give and bequeath unto Morgan Byndloss son of the said Robert Byndloss deceased and the heires males of his body lawfully to be begotten and theire heires males forever All my lands tenemts and hereditamts with the apurtences situate lyeing and being in the parish of St. Georges comonly called or known by the name of Penkarne when he shall arrive at or come to the age of 21 years and in the meantime to the said Dame Elizabeth Morgan and in case of his death without issue as aforesaid Then my will and pleasure is and I doe hereby will devise and bequeath the same to the said Dame Mary Elizabeth Morgan and her heires forever.

Item. It is my will and pleasure and I doe hereby will devise and bequeath unto Richard Elletson son and heire of Roger Elletson of the parish of St. Andrew Esqr All That my Parcell of land situate lying and being in the parish of St. Marys comonly called or known by the name of Arthurs Land.

To have and to hold to him the said Richard Elletson his heires and assignes forever.

Item. It is my will and pleasure and I doe hereby will give and bequeath for and towards the payment of my debts all that my parcell of land comonly called or knowne by the name of Dankes land situate lying and being in the parish of Clarendon to the said Dame Mary Elizabeth Morgan and her heires and assignes forever to be sold for the payment of the said debts as aforesaid.

Item. It is my will and pleasure and I doe hereby will give and bequeath unto my very Honble friend Coll Thomas Ballard my Greene saddle with the furniture thereunto belonging.

Item. It is my will and pleasure and I doe hereby will give and bequeath unto my well beloved sister Catherine Loyd £60 sterl per annum for and during her natural life and it is my will and pleasure that it be yearly payed into the hands of my ever honest Cozen Mr. Thomas Morgan of Tredegar.

Item. It is my will and pleasure and I doe hereby order & appoint my Executrix hereinafter named well and truly to pay and discharge all my just debts.

Item. It is my will and pleasure and I doe hereby will give and bequeath unto the abovementioned Morgan Byndloss at his age of 21 years Tenn able working negroes and two mules or two horses at the election of my Executrix hereinafter named or in case of her death at the Election of my trustees the devisee in my will mentioned not being then of age.

Item. I will and bequeath unto the two daughters of Robert Cook of St. Jago de la Vega Gent each of them the sume of £25 to be payed to them at theire respective ages of 21 yeares or day of marriage which shall first happen and in case of the death of either of them the whole sume shall go to the surviving legatee but if both happen to dye before the same shall become due that then the whole sume shall fall to the said Robert Cook his Exors or admors.

Item. It is my will and pleasure that after my debts and legacys are payd I doe will give and bequeath unto the parish of St. Marys the sume of £100 to be disposed of for the use of the said parish at the discretion of the then Justices Churchwardens and Vestrye.

Item. It is my will and pleasure and I doe hereby will devise and bequeath to His Grace the Duke of Albemarle and her Grace the Duchess each of them a mourning ring with my most humble desire that they would be pleased to accept the same.

Item. I will give and bequeath to the said Roger Elletson the choise of any one of my horses my blew saddle and furniture thereunto belonging together with one case of pistolls tipped with Silver.

Item. It is my will and pleasure and I doe hereby give devise and bequeath unto my two Godsons Henry Archbold and Richard Elletson and my nephew Thomas Byndloss each of them a silver hilted sword and a mourning ring and to the said Thomas Byndloss another case of pistolls tipped with Silver.

Item. It is my will and pleasure and I doe hereby will give and bequeath unto my servants Ewan Davis and Joane Potter each of them £50 with mourning and a mourning ring.

Item. I give will and bequeath unto Reece Morgan the sum of £10 and unto my late servant Roger Surinney £5.

Item. It is my will and pleasure and I doe hereby will give and bequeath unto my good friends Sr Francis Watson and his Lady Coll Thomas Ballard and Ann his wife Sr. Richard Dereham Lt Coll John Parnaby and Ann his wife Maj'r Thomas Ballard Maj'r John Peeke Capt John Phipps and Rebecca his wife Maj'r William Archbold and Mary his wife my sister Byndloss and Sister Archbold Mrs. Ann Elletson Mrs. Mary Archbold Lt Coll Robert Nowell Anthony Bowes Esq and—Beckinhead each of them mourning rings of the value of forty shillings and to any other of my friends herein omitted at the discretion of my Executrix.

Item. I will give and bequeath unto Doctor John Longworth £10 and a mourning ring and to Mr. Philip Bennett £5 and a mourning ring.

Item. I do hereby nominate constitute and apoynt Coll Thomas Ballard Coll Henry Archbold Thomas Byndloss and Roger Elletson Trustees of this my last will and testamt Hereby impowering them and every one of them in case of the death of my executrix hereinafter named before the next devisee shall arrive or come to the age of 21 yeares to manage my estate according to the use intent and purpose hereinbefore mentioned and for theire care and paines herein I give and bequeath to each of them £20 and a mourning ring of the value of forty shillings.

Item. I doe hereby constitute nominate and apoynt my dutifull and entirely beloved wife Dame Mary Elizabeth Morgan sole executrix of this my last will and testamt earnestly desiring my said trustees to be aiding and assisting in all things to my said Executrix.

IN WITNESS whereof I the said Henry Morgan have to this my last will and testamt set my hand and seal this seventeenth day of June Anno Dni 1688

Henry Morgan (LS)

SIGNED SEALED PUBLISHED AND DELIVERED by the within named Testator as and for his last will and testament

In the presence of           Henry Heminge
                                       Wm Harrington
                                       John Cooke
                                       Thomas Graves.

Memorand this fourteenth day of September 1688 personally appeared before mee Henry Heminge and John Cooke Gent and made oath that they were present and did see Sr Henry Morgan Knt dec'd signe seale publish and declare the within written instrument to be his last will and testament and that hee was then of sound mind and memory and that they did also see William Harrington since dec'd sign as witness to the same

Albemarle.