in the name of god amen 28.7.1722 I Geo Cressener citizen and grocer of London being weak in body but of sound and disposing mind and memory praise be to god do therefore make this my last will and testament in manner and form following and first and principally I commend my soul to god that gave it my body I commit to the earth whence it was first framed and which I desire may be interred in my vault in the parish church of Earls Colne in the county of Essex at the discretion of my executrix hereinafter named not doubting the joyful resurrection to life eternal through the alone merits of jesus christ my merciful saviour and redeemer and as to such worldly estate as it has pleased god to bestow upon me and entrust me with withal will desire bequeath give and dispose thereof as followeth whereas I stand seised to me and my heirs of all that my Mount Beuers (Buers ad Montem) in the county of Essex I do hereby give and devise the same with the rights members and appurtenances thereunto belonging and also all that messuage farm and lands called Munt Hall in Munt Buers in the said county of Essex with appurtenances now in the possession of Robt Newman or assigns or undertenants unto my son Edw Cressener his heirs and assigns forever and whereas I have settled my manor of Great Tey with the messuages farms lands tenements woods and hereditaments in Much Tey in the said county of Essex upon my loving wife Maria Anna Cressener I will that the same shall be held and enjoyed by her according to the said settlement item I give and devise unto my said loving wife and her heirs and assigns forever all my freehold estate situate and being in Golden Lane in the county of Middlesex by which I lately purchased of mr Xoph Wragg subject nevertheless and I do hereby charge the same with the payment of the several annual sum hereinafter mentioned that is to say the yearly sum of 3li to the churchwardens of the parish church of Earls Colne aforesaid for the time being forever for the maintaining and keeping in repair of my said vault and monument intended to be set up in the said church and also the yearly sum of 40s to be paid to the minister and overseers of the poor of Earls Colne aforesaid for the time being forever to be laid out by them and mr Thos Sewell of Earls Colne aforesaid in bread given by them to such poor people of the said parish and at such times as they shall think fit and whereas by virtue of the custom of the city of London which I am a freeman my personal estate which I shall die possessed of after payment of my debts and funeral charges which I will may not exceed the sum of 300li is to be equally divided in three equal parts or shares one third part whereof is in my own dispose one other third part whereof of right belongs to my said wife together with her paraphernalia and widow's chamber and the remaining third part whereof is to be equally divided amongst my unadvanced children and whereas I have advanced Eliz my eldest daughter in marriage with Sam Tufnell esq her present husband and also advanced my said son Edw Cressener and notwithstanding I have not advanced Geo Cressener my second son yet considering the large sums I have laid out and been at in and for his maintenance education and support at home and beyond the seas of and from all which sums I do hereby release and discharge him and considering that he will be entitled to a proportion of the third part of my personal estate which belongs to my unadvanced children I do hereby give and bequeath my said personal estate in manner following that is to say one third part thereof and which by the said custom is in my own dispose I give and bequeath unto my said loving wife Maria Anna Cressener her executors administrators and assigns she or they thereout paying the legacies hereinafter given and bequeathed one other third part thereof and which by the said custom of rights belongs to my said wife together with her paraphernalia and widow's chamber I give and bequeath unto my said wife the remaining third part thereof in which by virtue of said custom belongs to my unadvanced children I give and bequeath unto my said son Geo Cressener unto my sons Payler and Nath Cressener and to my daughter Maria Anna Cressener who are all unadvanced by me to be equally divided between them item I give and bequeath unto my son in law the said Sam Tufnel and the said Eliz his wife 100li for mourning item I give and bequeath each of their three children Jn Jolliffe Tufnel Geo Tufnel and Eliz Tufnel 100li capital stock in the south sea company the dividends and profits accruing thereon to be received by my said executrix and improved by her for their benefit the said stock and improvements to be transferred and paid them at their respective ages of 21yr and in case of any of their deaths before they shall have attained their respective ages of 21yr and in case of any of these deaths before they have attained their respective ages of 21yr that then the legacy of him and them so dying should go and be paid unto the survivor or survivors share and share alike at their ages of 21yr item I give and bequeath my honoured mother in law mrs Eliz Payler 50li for mourning I give and bequeath to my brother in law Nath Payler esq 20guineas for mourning I give and bequeath to my loving sister mrs Mary Pointer 20guineas for mourning item I give and bequeath unto Xoph Wragg and mr Thos Shiply 20li apiece for mourning item I give and bequeath unto the governors of St Thomas Hospital 100li for the use of the said hospital item I give and bequeath my said executrix 100li to be by her given to such ten or more dissenting ministers as she shall think have most occasion for it item I give and bequeath unto the rev Jn Nesbit 20guineas item I give and bequeath to mr Edw Colman 20li for mourning and I hereby make constitute and appoint my said loving wife Maria Anna Cressener sole executrix of this my last will and testament and I hereby revoke annul and make void all former and other wills by me at any time heretofore made in witness whereof I the said Geo Cressener to this my last will and testament contained in this and two preceding sheets of paper have to the two preceding sheets and to this part of a sheet of paper set my hand and seal the day and year first above written Geo Cressener signed sealed published and declared by Geo Cressener the testator as before his last will and testament in the presence of us whose names are subscribed as witnesses Rebecca Tufnel Antho Holbrook Wm Hatton