Bequests
The local church (or the church where they had been
baotised) was often remembered in
peoples wills, religion having an important place in
their lives.
John Goseborne was one who did not forget his
church when he died in 1410 for he bequeathed money to St
Mary Matfelon, Whitechapel.
John Hawke
of Hackney in 1409/10 leased pasture called le Quabbe and
another called Chalfpyghtell, as well as land at Le
Dolune, Waywell, Cartersdoune, Longeland, and Eldebury
from the Bishop of London. He is probably the same John Hawke of Hackney who died in 1415 and
left his wife wheat, barley, oats, peas, beans, cows,
calves, sheep, swine, 3 horses, a cart, a stack of hay,
fodder and straw. He left wheat and rye to John Ponder,
William Vernege, his wife Matilda Attebrigge and Thomas Adam, his neighbours. Apart from all
this he also left more horse, harness, grain and hay to
his executors.
John Soner bequeathed money to St Mary,
Matfelon in 1428 as did Robert Mason in 1437, for the
nave.
John Botirfield, left bequests to Sladeburn and
Clapham, Yorkshire and for executor he chose Richard Brown from Giggleswick,
Yorkshire. He would hardly have done all this had he not
some connection with the county.
Thomas Mott, a brewer, lived in Stepney around 1450 and
he was named as executor in the wills of Catherine Swynford, John Buntyng, Joan Boner.
Nicholas Fakys of
Whitechapel left a legacy of bricks when he died in 1454
as well as money for St Mary Matfellon, Whitechapel .
John Pekker had
been born at Hatfield Broadoak, Essex and was a vintner
and when he died in 1457, a parishioner of Hackney. He
left money to both Hackney and Hatfield Broadoak churches
as well as to the Vintners' Company. He had interests in
Hackney, Shoreditch and Stepney.
In 1460 John Lowell left money to St
Mary Matfellon, Whitechapel and in 1463 Thomas Chyld, a baker of
London, left money for the new belfry of St Mary at Bow. Richard Robyn, who had been
churchwarden, also left money for the same purpose.
A Stratford at Bow baker, John of York (or John York) died in 1473 and
was buried in Stratford Chapel. After bequests to the
high altar, the building of a steeple, two religious
fraternities, and a Mile End lazar house (lazar: one
afflicted with a loathsome and pestilential disease like
Lazarus, the beggar) he remembers his cousin, Agnes who
was to have rooms in his Wanstead house, his daughter
Agnes, brother Thomas and son John, all of whom received
money. His wife, Joan and Richard Bromehall of St James,
Garlickhythe and Thomas Austyn, a baker of Stratford at Bow were
his executors. The will was witnessed by a priest, Richard Cave, a scrivener, William Lettres and a Thomas Penrith.
John Layland had a carpenter's workshop at
Stratford at Bow when he died in 1482 in which he had
stored a quantity of timber. He also owned a house at
Walthamstow near the Essex forest where he probably got
his timber. Amongst his bequests was timber to the
church.
Margaret
Browne, a widow of
Limehouse, left directions in her will for 20 pounds to
be used for the poor of Stepney, and 10 pounds to
Limehouse and 10 pounds to the other three hamlets. Her
executors Thomas Read and Thomas Richardson carried out her wishes on 7 July 1610.
(Many of these details
have been extracted from Medieval London Suburbs
by Kevin McDonnell.)
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