Jamaican Will of Simon Benning
_______________________
| Iam xx Ss |
| Symon Bennings |
| _____Will_____ |
|Ent. December the 17th |
|______1687_____________|
In the name of God Amen I Symon Benning of Port Royall Pewterer being sick in sound and perfect health of mind and judgmt blefsed be God therefore but considering with my selfe ye uncertainty of ye time of my death doe therefore hereby make publish, ordain & declare this tobe my last Will and Testamt in manner & forme following (viz) Imprs. I give and bequeath my soul into ye hands of Almighty God who gave it & hope through ye merits of my Redeemer Jesus Christ to be saved & I committ my body to ye dust to be decently buried by my Executer hereafter menconed & as to my earthly Estate wch God hath blefsed me wth I bequeath & dispose of ye same as followeth (viz) I give & bequeath unto my Son Symon Benning all yt my house situate lying and being on Port Royall in High Street which I now live in together wth all ye land there of out houses Cook rooms & back places yards & all ye appurtences thereunto belonging & all my tools & working instrumts Shop goods & all other goods belonging to ye said house & shop to him & his heires for ever Provided always yt he thereout pay all ye legacies herafter menconed & also discharge all my debts & also provided yt my Wife Susanna Benning have hereby power to keep ye sd house goods & appurtences before bequeathed in her owne pofsefsion during the minority of sd son or so long as she shall think meet to keep it whilst he is under age of one & Twenty Years & in case of his death wthout ifsue to shear it untill ye next hayres shall be at age Provided also yt in case my said son shall die without ifsue lawfully begotten ye yt ye sd house land & all other ye premifses before bequeathed shall descend and come unto my son Thomas Benning & my [[page 2]] Daughter Sarah Benning & to be parted between them as my Wife shall think meet and in case of her death to be equally parted shear & sheare alike and also my Will & pleasure is that my said Wife Susanna shall upon her delivering up ye aforesaid premifses to either of them yt shall pofsefs it when he or they shall come to age of One and Twenty Years or before as she shall think fitt then that he or they shall allow her thereout the sum of Fifty pounds sterl. per annum during her life time and oneroom with necefsary furniture there to the sd Fifty pounds to be paid yearly without any manner of reservacon Item I give & bequeath unto my Son Thomas Benning Two houses or Taverns adjoining on the house and land of Capt. John Waight situate lying & being on Port Royall in ye high Street, with all ye appurtences thereto belonging being all contained in One patent by itself to him & His heires for Ever together with the said patent thereof and all ye land there in menconed and contained provided that in case he die without ifsue lawfully begotten that then it shall descend & come to the next heire at law, Item I give and bequeath unto my sd son Thomas One hundred pounds sterl. to be pd him out of ye land afore bequeathed to his brother at ye time of his being at age of One and Twenty Yeares, Item I doe give & bequeathed unto my daughter Sarah Benning One parcell of land and all houses Yards and tenamts thereto belonging now let out to Mofes Cohen & adjoining to ye land, which formerly was Mr. George Humes & which is by estimacon the third of Sixty foot square be ye same more or lefs & which is paled in and to her and her heires for ever & in case she die without ifsue then that it descend & fall to the next heire at law of my name & also I doe give & bequeath unto my sd daughter ye sum of Two hundred pounds sterl. to be paid her at her day of marriage or age of Sixteen Yeares, Item I doe give & bequeath unto my Cozen Mary Benning the daughter of Tobias Benning of London deceased ye sum of Thirty pounds sterl. to be pd her in twelve months after my decease, Item I doe give & bequeath unto my loveing Wife Susanna Benning One hundred and twenty acres of land lying & being at a place called the Middle Quarters near ye black River in the parish of St. Elizabeth to her and her heires for ever to be disposed of as she shall at her death think fitt or Otherwise, I doe give and bequeath unto my said loveing Wife Susanna Benning all my other Estate both Reall and personall ye aforesaid legacies alwayes reserved out to her dureing her life and after her decease to be equally parted amongst ye surviving heires at law, Item I doe hereby ordain publish declare constitute, and appoint my said loveing Wife Susanna Benning sole Executrix of this my last Will & Testamt and also sole guardian of my children dureing their minority and untill they arrive at their severall ages aforesaid desireing her carefull management of the premifses and performance of this Will and Lastly I doe hereby make void and of none effect all other former Wills and constitute and publish this to be my onely sole and last Will and Testamt in manner as aforesaid In Witnefs whereof I the said Symon Benning have hereunto sett my hand and seale this Eight day of March Anno One thousand six hundred Eighty and three, foor.
Symon Benning
Signed sealed published, and declared in ye presence of the wards (wife) being first interlined.
John Waight [the marke “R” of] Richard Green. Richard Halloway. Thomas Jones Ser. 168 3/4.
Memorandum this 17th day of December 1687 personally appeared before one Capt. John Waight Richard Green and Richard Halloway & made Oath that they were psonally present and did see Symon Benning the Testator within menconed signe seale publish and declare ye within Written to be his last Will & Testament, and that he was then of sound mind and memory. [Ext.]
[Extur SHC & T.Bat.] Hder. Molesworth.