Stratford le Bow.111

Stratford le Bow.

Such single Women as were Victuallers, and the Wives of such Victuallers who were Customers to her at her Death in her Brewhouse Trade, to be invited to her Funeral: And to each a Ring of 10s. Value.

Her Executor, as soon after her Decease as conveniently, to cause the upper Part next the Roof of the Chapel of Bow, to be plaistered, seeled, or wainscotted, in a decent Manner: And a Monument to be erected over or near her Grave: And a Marble Stone erected near the same; and engraven thereon in legible Characters, an Account of the several Charities herein aftermentioned: and of the Estates by her subjected to the Payment thereof.

And besides many Legacies to private Persons, she gave to the Poor of the Hamlet of Bow 20l. to be distributed on the Day of her Interrment, or as soon as the Executor shall think fit.

To Thomas White, the present Minister of Bow, and to such Ministers as shall succeed him, and preach at the Chapel of Bow for the Time being, and be elected thereunto by the Majority of the Inhabitants of the said Hamlet, who pay to Church and Poor, and to their Successors for ever, one Annuity or Yearly Rent of 20l. to be issued out of all her Messuages, Lands, Tenements, &c. within the said Hamlet, and not otherwise disposed of in her Will, and to Stratford Langton, and her Farm in Bocking in Essex, &c. To be paid unto such Minister half yearly, for the Preaching of four Sermons in every Year in the said Chapel of Bow, on the Days following: On Friday next before Easter, commonly called Good Friday: Ascension Day, commonly called Holy Thursday: The 24th Day of August, commonly called St. Bartholomew's Day, being her Birth Day: And the 30th of January, yearly for ever.

To the Poor also of the Hamlet of Bow, another Annuity or yearly Rent of 20l. to be issuing out of the said Messuages, Lands, Tenements, &c. and to be paid to the Chapel Warden and Overseer of the Poor of the said Hamlet, to be by them distributed yearly among the Poor of the Hamlet, and have great Charges of Children to maintain, and have no Pension from the Hamlet, on the several Days beforementioned, by 5l. on each Day.

To the present Clark of the Chapel of Bow, and his Successors, Clarks of the said Chapel, for ever, one Annuity of 4l. to be issuing out of her Messuages and Lands last mentioned: And to pay him or them on the four Days beforementioned, at 20s. each Payment, free of all Taxes and Deductions. So as such Clark or Clarks do take Care to clean the Monument or Stones that shall be placed over or near her Corpse; and preserve her Bones from being taken out of the Ground where she should be interred.

To Robert Hardesty, of the Middle Temple, London, Gent. [her sole Executor] and his Assigns, during the Time of his natural Life, she gave all her said Messuages, Lands, Tenements, &c within the Hamlet of Bow, and now in Possession of Joseph Eades; upon special Trust and Confidence, that he and they do, from and after her Decease, take care they be kept in good and tenantable Repairs; and that the clear Rents and Profits of the said Premises be in the first Place applied to the Payment and Discharge of the said several Annuities charged thereupon. And that the Overplus of the said Rents and Profits be applied for the Maintenance and Support of some fitting and creditable Man and his Wife: Who will take care to teach and instruct the Children, Male and Female, of such poor Inhabitants of the said Hamlet of Bow, who shall not be of sufficient Ability to give them Learning and Education at their own Cost and Charges, in the Rudiments and Princples of the Church of England: And shall teach the Male Children to read, write, and cast Accompt, and the Female Children to read, write, and work at their Needle, or otherwise, as they find them qualified. And shall take Care to have all the said Children duly brought to Church to hear Divine Service; and to have them duly catechized, &c. The Executor to see good Orders and Rules made and set up for the Government of such Children: The Number of them not to exceed 50 at any one Time.

And for the Encouragement of such Master and his Wife, she appointed they should be allowed out of the Rents and Profits the yearly Sum of 50l. And that the Surplus of such Rents, if any were, should be applied for the placing out of such Children to some honest Trades and Employments, by the Consent of the Executor, Minister, Chapelwarden, and Inhabitants of the said Hamlet.

And to render this Charity the more serviceable for the Ends aforesaid, she left it to the Discretion of her Executor to add this her Charity to the Revenue of the Free School already erected at Bow by Sir John Jolls, Kt. and Alderman of London; or to keep and use it separate and apart from that Charity, as in his Discretion might most tend to the Benefit of the poor Children of the said Hamlet, and no other.

The Reversion of her said Messuages, Lands, &c. expectant upon the Death of the said Rob. Hardesty, she gave unto the Ministers of Stebunhithe, alias Stepney, Bromley, St. Mary Matfelon, alias Whitechapel, and of the Chapels of Bow and Poplar; and to the Churchwardens, and Overseers of the said Hamlet of Bow, for the Time being, and their Successors for ever; upon the like Trust, and to the same Intents and Purposes, as she gave them to the said Robert Hardesty and his Assigns, during the Term of his natural Life.

She gave unto the said Robert Hardesty and his Assigns, her Manour of Bocking, alias Bocking-hall, her capital Messuage called Bocking Hall, with the Rights, Members, and Appurtenances thereunto belonging: Her Messuage, Lands and Tenements, now in the Possession of Tho. Ruggle: Her Messuage, Lands, and Tenements in the present Possession of Francis Smith: And all other her Messuages and Lands in Bocking, now in Mortgage to her from Sir William Barker, Bart. for a Term of 500 Years, (except the Farm now in the Possession of Jospeh Eades) The Inheritance of which said Mortgaged Premisses was since decreed to her by the High Court of Chancery: To hold to the said Rob. Hardesty, and his Assigns, for and during so many Years of the said Term as he shall happen to live. Upon special Trust and Confidence, that he shall apply the clear Rents and Profits thereof for the Relief of poor Widows and Children of the Clergy of the Church of England: And for placing out such Children to some honest Trades and Emloyments. So as no one Clergyman's Widow be allowed more than 5l. in any one Year; or more than 10l. be allowed for the placing out of any Child to such Trade or Employment. And all the said Term of Years in the said Mortgaged Premisses, from and immediately after the Death of Rob. Hardesty, she gave and devised unto the Governours of the Charity for the Relief of poor Widows and Children of Clergymen, and their Successors for ever, upon the like Trusts, and to the same Intents and Purposes.

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