Mathew Craddock freighter of the Abraham
Page for a profile of Mathew Craddock, freighter of the Abraham
Material contributed by Colin Greenstreet and Charlie Wilson
Primary Sources
E 214/506 Parties: Sir William Cokayne, kt. and alderman of London, and Mathew Craddock, his late servant. Sir George Hyde of Kingston Lisle co. Berks, AND Sir John Herrers of Tanworth Castle co. Warwick, Walter Ferrers of Yoxall co. Staffs, esq., Thomas Precye of Newbury co. Berks, gent., Thomas Henchman, gent. and William Morse,citizen and skinner of London. Place or Subject: Assignment of lands in Kingston Lisle, Palking and Fawler, or in Uffinghton co. Berks, in trust for Sir William Cockayne and Matthew Craddock. Berks. 2 Feb 1618
E 367/317 Cokayne, William Cradock, Mathew: A half-part of a capital messuage called the Place House, a tenement called the Old Swanne and lands in West Lynn; lands in North Lynn; lands in Clench Wharton.1631
PROB 11/186/245 Will of Mathew Cradock, Merchant of Saint Swithin, City of London 04 June 1641
Matthew Craddock's will
Note: This will (PROB 11/186/245) has been transcribed from the copy held by the National Archives. There is a transcription of Matthew Cradock's will in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register v. 9, no. 2, p. 122 (1855), in an article entitled Notes on the Cradock Family (communicated by W.H. Whitmore).
The NEHGR transcription appears to be based on a copy of the will entered into the register of the Medford, MA probate courts, as Craddock owned property there. It ends "Entered and recorded the 12th of February 1642 by Thomas Danforth, Recorder".
However, this widely replicated transcription includes many errors, miss-spellings, and omissions and it is not clear whether these are due to editing by the 19th century publishers, or differences between the copy of the will that was entered in the PCC books, and that which made it to America a year later.
I Mathew Cradock of London, merchant, being
in perfect memorie and bodily health thanks be given to God therefore
doe hereby make and ordayne this my last will and testament in manner
and forme following (that is to say) First I bequeath my soule into the hands
of the Almighty God, trusting by the merits of the death and passion of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ only to obtaine remission and pardon of all my sinnes; My body when
it shall please God to seperate it from my soule, I recomend to the Earth in assured confidence
of a glorious resurrection att the great and dreadfull day of Judgement. As for my
outward estate wherewith God of his goodness hath endowed me, I have ever accounted
myself butt a steward thereof, and therefore humblie intreate the Almighty to
inable mee soe to demeane my selfe in the disposeing thereof as that I may through
his mercie in the merits of Christ bee alwayes prepared to give a comfortable
accompt of my stewardshipp; I do hereby order in the first place that all such
debts as are any manner of way by mee iustlie due and oweing to any person
whatsoever bee truely and fully satisfyed and payd. And whereas by Accompt
made upp lately with the widow of Stephen Benister late of London
clothworker deceased, there appeareth by the said Bennisters Booke by the acquitances
for monyes paid in his life tyme and to his widdow since his death, that there is att this
present due to the said widdow aswell for cloth bought of her late husband of his own
clothes, and also of John Butler, Thomas Webb, Edward Webb and Thomas Jarvis
there makeing in all the sume of Twoe hundred Seaventie and five poundes and
one shillinge; I doe hereby order, That uppon sufficient discharge from the said
Billes against the widdow and my self in the Court of Requests, the said Sume
of Two hundred seaventie five poundes and one Shillinge bee paid And further-
more affex a full and generall release sealed, signed and as her deede [deliXed]
by the said widdow to the rest of my Executors or Administrators, I doe order
Fifty poundes more to be paid and given to the said widdow Being her Alsoe [XXherXXs]
Henry Colthurst sonne of Thomas Colthurst deceased pr?ends monies to be due to him
and his mother from mee wherein abyett? I would never bee satisfyed of the trieth
and witness thereof; I desire Mr William Pennoyer who is best acquainted with
all and every amount that any way concernes the said Colthurst and mee, that hee
should examine and perfect the same accompts and if ought bee in my handes in [slXy]
due to the said Henry Colthurst or his mother, or both, that it bee fully satisfyed with
consideration for the tyme it hath beene in my handes untill it shallbe paid and
saitsfyed. The debtes I owe to all and every person whatsoever swiftly and truely
to be proved being first paide and satisfyed, The remaynder of my estate I give
and bequeath as followeth First I give to the poore of the parish of St. Peters
the poore in Broad Streete London where I served my apprenticeship Forty pounds
Item to the poore of the prish of Saint Swithins where I now dwell one hundred
poundes, the said severall sumes to be imployed in the said severall parishes as a stocke
for the use of the poore, the benefitt whereof I will to be distributed once every
yeare to the poore of the said severall parishes att the discretion of the Inhabitants
of every parish att a meeting in the severall vestries, or the greater number then
present, This to be taken out of the thirde part of my estate which by the
custome of the Cittie of London is at my disposeing, One third part of my whole
nett or cleare estate (my debtes being first paid and sattisfyed) I give and bequeath
according to the laudable and ancient custome of the Cittie of London, to my
deere??ous and loveing wife Rebecca Cradocke, One other thirde parte of my
said estate, according to the ancient custome of the Cittie of London, I do give to
my daughter Damaris and to such other childe or children as it shall please God here-
after to give mee by my said wife Rebecca. Moreover I doe give and bequeath
to my said deare and loveing wife all my household stuffe and plate, att my house in
London where I dwell, and att a house I hould att Rumford in Essex as also the
lease of my dwelling house in London, onely out of my plate and household stuffe aforesaidI give to my said daughter Damaris to the value of fifty poundes in such particulars as my
said wife shall order and appointe the same Moreover I doe give unto my loveing wife afore-
said to be by her enioyed during her naturall life the One halfe of all the estate I now have
or shall have in New England in America att the tyme of my decease, and after the
decease of my wife aforesaid, I doe give and bequeath the moity of my moveables and
immoveables hereby intended to be enioyed by my wife during her naturall life unto my
brother Samuell Cradocke and his heires male, and for the other moity of my estate
in New England aforesaid, I doe hereby give and bequeath the same to my daughter
Damaris and the yssue of her body to be lawfully begotten, and for want of such yssue to my
said brother Samuell and his heires male aforesaid, And my will is that when my wife
shall marry, That in such case her then intended husband before their marriage shall
become bounde to my said brother and his heires in Twoe Thousand poundes of lawfull
money of England not to sell away or alienate any parte of the mMoity of my lande
hereby intended and bequeathed to my wife and consequently to him during her naturall
life and that hee shall leave at the tyme of her decease in personall estate there-
for my brother and his heires to enioy after the decease of my said wife att least for the
full value of Five hundred pounds Starlinge in moveable goods. and whosoever shall marry
with my said daughter Damaris, I doe hereby will and order that before Marriage, hee likewise
shall enter into the like bonde with the like Covenants and conditions. In case my said daughter
departe this life without yssue, and for each of the parties aforementioned, both or eyther
of them hereby inioyned to seale the said severall bonds which shall refuse or neglect to
doe the same and to deliver the said bond or bonds to my said brother or his heire then being
in legall and lawfull manner; I doe hereby declare; That immediately from and after
such marryage respectively, the Moity of the estate hereby intended to the partie so
marryeing and not giveing bonde as aforesaid shalbe, and I doe hereby bequeath the
same, to my said brother Samuell and his heires. Any thinge before mentioned to
the contrary notwithstanding. Moreover I do give to my brother Samuel
Cradocke and to my sister his wife Five hundred pounds, and to every one of the
Children of my said brother, I doe give One hundred pounds. Moreover to his sonne
Samuel now Student in Emanuell Colledge in Cambridge, I doe give for his
maynetennce for Three yeares, Forty poundes per Annum and to his sonne Mathew for
his better preferment whereby to place him with an able Merchant, Two hundred
poundes And I doe give Twenty poundes yearly to my said brother Samuell
towards the maynetennce of my brother and Sister Sawyer, And to my sister Dorothie
Sawyer if she live after the decease of her husband, I doe give Twoe hundred
poundes. Item to Dorothy Sawyer daughter to my said Sister Sawyer I give for
her better preferment in Case shee wilbe advised by my wife in her Marriage Twoe
hundred pounds. To the rest of my Sister Sawyer's children I do give to every of
them Fifty poundes. Alsoe to my cosine Hannah Jorden now dwelling with mee
I doe give One hundred poundes To my maid servants Five pounds to every of
them. I doe give to Thomas Hodiline and Edward Lewes, to either of them
for every of their One Eight part of the profitt of my Island trade untill
such tyme as the Accompts for all shipt out shalbe perfected And to the ende
they shall doe their best indeavors to effect the perfectinge and cleareing thereof
the sume of Six hundred poundes to each of them, yf they declare them selves
to accept of this my Offer within three monethes after publishing of this my
will and testament, Or else to have their severall equall One eight parte
of the cleare profitt by the trade aforesaid from the tyme I promised the
same untill the Accomptes for the same shalbe perfected, which is to be done
by their helpe and indeavors, Item I do desire and intreate Mr William
Cokayne to assist my wife aforesaid whom I make sole Executrix of this
my last will and testament, to gett in my estate, to see my debtes paide and
my will performed. Given as my last will and testament this Nynth day of November
One thousand Six hundred and forty. Mathew Cradock. Witnesses hereunto Edward
Buds, William Alvey, Richard Hovell.
Secondary Sources
Wikipedia entry: Matthew CraddockDictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Cradock, Matthew
Cradock, Matthew (c. 1590–1641), Troy O. Bickham, https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/6562
