MRP: Henry Pearle will
Henry Pearle will
PROB 11/336 Duke 54-101 Will of Henry Pearle, Merchant, Major in the South Seas of India of Java 16 May 1671
Editorial history
03/12/11, CSG: Created page & pasted transcription to wiki
Contents
Abstract & context
Henry Pearle was a nephew of the London merchant & SVJS subscriber Thomas Pearle .[1] Henry died in Bantam, Java Major in ca. 1671. In Henry's will, which was made when being "weake of body," he mentions his uncle, "Mr. Thomas Pearle, merchant."
There is interesting detail in Henry Pearle's will as to his clothing, including a gold hat band and buttons. Mr. William Mainstorm, merchant, receives "my Creese with a Gold handle with all my Draughts and mapps as alsoe a silver head of Manilha work for a Cane."
Henry Pearle refers to "my Black Boy Peeter," whom he bequeaths "Renn R:s of Eight", with the conditon "That he shall waite upon Agent Dawes untill his return from England And then to be ffree." "The Blacks in the Backyard" receive a legacy of "Twenty R:s of Eight."
Mansell Smith, Sir George Oxenden's servant in Surat, also makes reference in his will to a slave, Jane, to whom he leaves a bequest. He writes "To my little Boyes slave Girle, by name Jane and if my Boy should dye before he goes to England Then the said Jane hath her freedome."[2]
Enslavement of local populations by Europeans was not uncommon in the East Indies in the mid-seventeenth century. Henry Gary describes the sacking of Cochin by the Dutch in a letter to Sir George Oxenden in January 1662/63, writing:
All y:e souldiers y:t weare taken w:ch they found well or slightly wounded they Intend for to transport them for Europe; y.e Black people they make slaves to theire Comp:a for 5 yeares, & suffers 19000 woemen to remaine amongst them[3]
Suggested links
See Thomas Pearle will (uncle of Henry Pearle)
See Mary Pearle will (aunt of Henry Pearle, and husband of Thomas Pearle)
See Bantam
To do
(1) Check the transcription
Transcription
This transcription has been completed, but requires checking
HENRIC. PEARLE
IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN I Henry Pearle of London Merchant att present Resident in Bantam on the Island of Java Major in the South Seas of India being weake of body yet of sound and perfect memory (Blessed be the name of Almighty God) Doe make and ordaine this my last will and Testament in manner and forme follownge
IMPRIMIS I Comend my soule into the hands of Almighty God my Gratious Creator from whose goodness I received it And my body to the Earth To be decently buried Att the discretion of my Executor:s or overseers hereafter named And as to the disposall of such Temporall Estate as it hath pleased Almighty God to bestow upon me I give and dispose thereof as followeth I will that all my debts and funerall Charges Shalbe ffirst paid and discharged
ITEM I give and bequeath unto my sister Dorothie the sume of Six hundred Pounds Sterling And to her Eldest son Edmond the sume of one hundred Pounds Sterling
ITEM I give and bequeath unto my sister Mary the sume of six hundred pounds Sterling And to her eldest daughter the sume of one hundred pounds Sterling
ITEM I give and bequeath unto my good uncle M:r Thomas Pearle of London Merchant the sume of ffifty pounds sterling And to my Aunt his wife the sume of Twenty Pounds Sterling
ITEM I give and bequeath unto my kinsman M:r Thomas Bowen of Donnington in the County of Hereford gent. My silver hilted hanger And to my kinswoman his wife Penelope Bowen the sume of Twenty pounds Sterling And to her ffower Children the sume of fforty pounds Sterling to be equally devided among them And to my kinswoman M:rs Winifred Walwin the sume of
[NEW PDF PAGE]
Twenty pounds Sterling
ITEM I give and bequeath unto my kinsman M:r Richard Pearle of the Haywood in Herefordshire the sume of ffifty pounds Sterling as also my Stxxxx Gunne
ITEM I give and bequeath unto my kinsman M:r Thomas Turnor my silver hilt for a Rapier of Manilha (sic) work And one Dyamond Ring marked T:T
ITEM I give and bequeath unto the worshp:ll Henry Dawes Esquire Agent for the hono:ble English East India Company in Bantam xxx one Gold hatband And one paire of Gold Wast Buttons for Breeches And to his Nephew M:r Jn:o Dawes One paire of Gold wast buttons for Breeches Enameled (?)
ITEM I give and bequeath unto my very loveing ffreind M:r William Mainstorm Merchant my Creese with a Gold handle with all my Draughts and mapps as alsoe a silver head of Manilha work for a Cane
ITEM I give and bequeath unto ?Jusron Gertruyd De ?Ludfde (if unmarried att the tyme of my Decease) One Gold Chayne of Sereboa fashion And one large Blew Saphyre Ring
ITEM I give and bequeath unto M:r Henry ?Thurstrosse of London Merchant One Dyamond Ring with a Silver Tobacco Box of Manilha work
ITEM I give and bequeath unto the parish of Callow in the County of Hereford where I was born the sume of one hundred Pounds Sterling To be disposed of in Land And the Rent thereof to be Annually distributed on S:t Thomas Day to the poore of the said parish for ever Alsoe to the Parish of Donnington (or Dornington) in the said County of Hereford the like sume of One hundred pounds Sterling to be disposed of in Land And the Rent thereof to be Annually distributed on S:t Thomas Day to the poore of the said parish for ever
ITEM I give and bequeath to M:r Nathaniell Briggs Minister in Bantam the sume of Twenty R.s of Eight desiring him to Preach my ffunerall sermon To M:r Charles Bostock the Chyurgeon in this Agency of Bantam the sume of Thirty R.s of Eight To M:r Jn:o English the sum of Twenty R:s of Eight To M:r Henry Blaikstocke the sume of Twenty R:s of Eight To M:r Richard Bradford the sume of Tenne R:s of Eight To William Rawlings the sume of Tenn R:s of Eight To James Carwell the sume of Tenn R.s of Eight To Jn:o Carxxx tenn R:s of Eight To the Boat Swain of this Agency Tenn R:s of Eight To Jn:o Carxxxx tenn R:s of Eight besides a forgiveness of whatsoever he now oweth me To James Lord the Cooke ffive R:s of Eight To Martin fforty R:s of Eight To Chindra fforty R:s of Eight besides her freedome To my Black Boy Peeter Tenn R:s of Eight And with the Conditon That he shall waite upon Agent Dawes untill his return from England And then to be ffree And alsoe to the Blacks in the Backyard Twenty R:s of Eight
ITEM I make and Constitute and appoint my good ffreinds M:r Thomas Pearle M:r Henry ?Thursrosse and M.r Willm ?Mainstorm To be the Joynt Executo:s of this my last will and Testament And in Token of my Thanks for their trouble therein doe give and bequeath to each of them the sume of ffifteene pounds sterling to buy each of them a Peice of Plaite (sic)
ITEM I make constitute and apppointe the aforesaid worp:ll Agent Henry Dawes Esquire & M:r William ?Mainston To be the Overseers of this my last will and Testament And in thanks for their trouble I bequeath more to each of them the sume of one hundred R:s of Eight But my Absolute will and desire is That immediately after my decease my aforesaid good ffreind M:r William ?Mainstone Doe take into his sole Custody All my Books Papers and writeings whatsoever and dispose of them as he thinketh good That all frivolous and superfluous Papers may be burnt and prevented from Publique view
[NEW PDF PAGE]
And my further desire is That the Two small Ivory Boxes sealed up in a Paper under my seale conteyning Dyamonds As alsoe all the Muske that now is in the hands of Sign William Pidell at Batavia for my Acco:tt or that shall be found in my Custody shalbe sent unto England in Specie To my aforesaid Executo:s To be disposed of to the best advantage there
ITEM All the rest and Residue of my Personall Estate goods and Chattells whatsoever not before bequeathed I doe give and bequeath to my sisters Dorothee and Mary and their Children to be devided and distributed among them att the discretion of my aforesaid Executo:s And doe hereby Revoake disanull and make void All former wills and Testaments whatsoever made by me heretofore
IN WITNES of all which promisses I the said Henry Pearle have sett my hand and seale to this my last will and Testament in the English ffactory att Bantam aforesaid & xx the Two and Twentieth And XXXX [blank in original] In the yeare of our Soveraigne Lord Charles the Second King of Great Brittaine ffrance and Ireland One Thousand Six hundred and Seaventy
Henry Pearle
Signed sealed declared and Published in the presence of
MEMORANDUM that the abovesaid words (M:r William ?Mainstone) were interlined before the signing and sealing hereof
Hamon Gibbon Nathaniell Briggs Minister John Dawes Henry Blackstocke
PROBATUM FUIT Testamentum suprascriptum apud ades Exon scituate in Le Strand in Com Midd Coram ven:bli vivo Ricahrdo Lloyd Legum Dotori Surrogate ven:blis et egregi vivi Domini Leolini Jenkins Militis Legum etam Doctoris Curia Prerogative Caute Magri Custod xxx Comissary Litimo Constitute Deceimo Sexto die Mensis May Anno Domini Millimo Septentesimo Septuagesimo Primo Juramente Thoma Pearle xxius Ex:torum un humoi testo notate Cui Comissa fuit Administrato Omnium et Singularum bonorum Jurixxx et Creditor dicto defuncti de bene et fideliter Administrand ead:m Ad Sancta Dei Evangelia Jurate Reservata potestate sinxxxx Comissorem eadem petitur xxx Henrico Thursxxx xxx Execute demortuo
THERE IS A FURTHER MARGINAL LATIN STATEMENT ON LH SIDE
Probat in Londin coram xxx vivo Due Rich Lloyd xxx Legum Dxxx Surrxx xxx xxx in mensis May Anno Dui 1677 Juryyy Willimi Mainstone alterxxx Execut:xx & XXXX Jurat
Notes
Possible primary sources
TNA
