Yeovil's Virtual Museum

1719 Will of John Saunders

Gentleman

 

This John Saunders, or Sanders, left much of his estate to his eldest son William. William wrote his will in 1746 and, presumably, died shortly thereafter. The estate then passed to John's second son, also John. It appears, however, that neither William nor John Junior had offspring, consequently in John Junior's will of 1751, he left the estate to his two sisters, both of whom had children. Susanna married Richard Wright and had at least four children, Rebecca married William Leigh and had at least six children.

In their wills, John the Elder and John the Younger both mention several plots of land but there is some confusion with, for example, two Yeovil fields called Marle Close. See the notes on field names at the end of this page.

 

In the Name of God I John Saunders of Yeovill in the County of Somersett Gent[leman] being of Sound Mind and understanding and Knowing the certainty of Death and the uncertainty of the time of Death do make and declare this to be my last Will and Testament in manner following First I recommend my Soul into the hands of Almighty God and my body I desire may have decent and Christian burial And as for all my Messuages Lands Tenements and Hereditaments and all my personal Estate I give and dispose thereof as follows that is to say I give devise and bequeath unto my loveing Wife all that my now Dwelling House with all Outhouses Gardens Appurtenances and also all those two Grounds at Brightmoor Hill and threecorner Close and my Severall Closes called Marle Close and Thomas Cross And also all that my Messuages Tenement and Lands and Hereditaments at Marsh containing by Estimation Twenty four acres be the same more or less And also all those my three Closes of Land and Pasture containing by Estimation Tenn Acres lying at or near and called Perrythorne All which Lands & premises are Scituate within the Parishes of Yeovill and Pitney or one of them in the said County of Somersett To Hold unto my said Wife and her Assignes dureing  the terme of her natural Life and from and after her Decease I give devise and bequeath unto my s[ai]d Son Henry and his Assigns all that my Messuages Tenement and Lands at Marsh within the said parish of Yeovill containing Twenty Four acres be the same more or less also I give and Devise unto my said Son Henry and his Assigns (after the decease of my said Wife) all those my s[ai]d three Closes called Perry Thorn all lying att or near Perry Thorne containing by estimation tenn Acres To hold the said Messuages Tenement Lands & premises at Marsh and Perry Thorne unto my said Henry and his Assigns (from and after the decease of my said Wife) for and dureing the Term or time of his natural Life and from and after the respective Deaths of my s[ai]d Wife and Sonn Henry I give and bequeath my s[ai]d Tenements and Lands at Marsh and Perry Thorn unto the First second third and all other Sonn and Sonns of my said Son Henry lawfully to be begotten and to the Heirs of the body of such Son and Sons the elder of such Sons and the Heirs of his body being always to be preferred before the younger of such Son and Sons of my s[ai]d Sonn Henry the said Messuages and Tenement and Lands at Marsh and Perry Thorn unto all and every of the Daughter and Daughters of my said Son Henry and for the Heirs of the body of such Daughter and Daughters And in Default of Issue by my Son Henry and after the respective deaths of my s[ai]d Wife and Son Henry I give and devise my said Tenement and Lands at Marsh and Perry Thorn unto my Son John Saunders for life and to the first Son of my said Son John Saunders and to the Heires of the body of such Son lawfully to be begotten and for default of such Issue to the Second Third and all other Sons of my s[ai]d Son John and to the Heires of the body of such Son and Sons the elder of such Son and Sons and the Heires of his body being always to be preferred and take place before the younger of such Son and Sons and the Heires of his body and for the want of such Issue to the use of all and every of the Daughter and Daughters and to the Heirs of the body of such Daughter and Daughters Also I give unto my said Son John All that my Messuage wherein I now live and the Garden Orchard outhouses thereunto belonging To Hold the said last mentioned Messuage Garden Orchard Outhouses unto my said Son John his Heirs and Assigns for ever Also I give unto my Sonn William and to his Heirs and Assigns all those my two Grounds att Brightmore Hill called Brightmore Hill and three corner Close and also all those my three Closes called or commonly known by the name or names of Drakes Closes and Beachamps two Grounds with the appurtenances lying within the Parish of Yeovill in the County of Somersett from and after the decease of my said Wife To hold to my said Sonn William his Heirs and Assigns for ever Also I give and bequeath unto my Daughter Susanna and to her Heirs and Assigns for ever all those my said two Closes called Marle Close and Thomas Cross with the appurtenances lying within the said Parish of Yeovill To Hold to my said Daughter Susanna her Heirs and Assigns for ever Also I give unto my said Daughter Susanna the Sume of two Hundred pounds in lawful money to be paid unto her by my Executrix hereinafter named. I have already given my Son John a Stock in his Trade and I do give unto my said Son John All that my Copyhold Estate at Sherborn in the County of Dorsett from and after my Wifes Widdows Estate therein. Also I give unto my Daughter Rebecca three hundred pounds in lawful money to be paid unto her by my Executrix All the rest and residue of my Goods Chattells mony Mortgages I give and bequeath unto my loving Wife Shee paying my Legacies as aforesaid And I doe hereby nominate and appoint my said Wife Sole Executrix of this my last Will and Testament and I do hereby revoke all former Wills by me heretofore made and I do hereby Declare that what I have given unto my said Wife I intend Shall be in full Satisfaction for all her Dower and Thirds and in full Satisfaction of all and every Obligation or Agreement entred into by me before my intermarriage with her to any person or persons whatsoever to make of Settle any thing to her or to her use or in Trust for her In Witness whereof I have hereunto Set unto my hand and seale this Twenty ninth Day of February Anno D[omi]ni 1719. And in the Sixth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King George

John Sanders

Signed Seale Published and Declared by the said John Sanders to be his last Will and Testament in the presence of us

John Prowse     Henry Dampier     William Sweet

 

Proved at London, 1720

 

 

Transcribed by Bob Osborn

 

Notes on field names
For more information, maps, etc. click on the relative highlighted name below.
For details on historic land measurement (ie acres, roods and perches) click here.

In their wills of 1719 and 1751, both John Saunders the Elder and his son John Sanders the Younger mention several plots of land but there is some confusion with, for example, two Yeovil fields called Marle Close. Since John Snr mentions "... all those two Grounds at Brightmoor Hill and threecorner Close and my Severall Closes called Marle Close and Thomas Cross...". On first impressions it is tempting to link this Marle Close with Thomas Cross, however I believe this is not the case.

One field called Marle Close (later Parcel 1424 - 10 acres) was near the junction of today's Stiby Road and Ilchester Road. The field called Three Corner Close, or Three Corner Ground, (later Parcel 1425 - 4a 0r 30p) was on the actual corner of today's Stiby Road and Ilchester Road, and was adjacent to Marle Close (1424). In his will of 1719, John Saunders the Elder left Marle Close and "threecorner Close" to his eldest son William. It appears that Marle Close and Three Corner Close did not pass to John Sanders the Younger and it is likely that William Sanders sold off both Marle Close and Three Corner Close to John Game almost immediately since, in his will dated 1725, Edward Boucher (1) bequeathed "... Closes of pasture which I formerly purchased of John Game called  Marle Close and Three Corner Close..." to his nephew Edward Boucher (2). In 1846, both parcels were owned by John Glyde and occupied by William Harrison. It is suggested that this Marle Close and Three Corner Close, or Three Corner Ground, were the parcels originally held by the Saunders family.

The other field called Marle-Close (later Parcels 998 and 998a - 1a 3r 4p (998) and 2a 2r 0p (998a)), was to the north of today's Grass Royal. It is suggested that this was not held by the Saunders/Sanders family.

The field called Thomas Cross, or St Thomas' Cross (later Parcel 989 - 1a 0r 28p), was due south of this second Marle Close but abutted the London Road (today's Sherborne Road) some distance away. It now contains the houses and road called St Thomas Cross.

Brightmoor Hill also known as Brightmore Hill and Briseham Hill (later Parcel 946), was referred to in the wills of both father and son. Today it is the site of Bucklers Mead Adacemy. In his will of 1751, John Sanders wrote "... my Lands called Bright Moorhill contained in five closes and about thirty Acres..." being a substantially greater acreage than the 4a 3r 30p recorded in the 1846 Tithe Apportionment and therefore must have included several parcels which by 1846 had acquired new names.

Perrythorne was a large field, (later subdivided into Parcels 1447, 1448, 1449 and 1450), running along the eastern side of Larkhill Lane (today's Larkhill Road). John Snr wrote "... all those my three Closes of Land and Pasture containing by Estimation Tenn Acres lying at or near and called Perrythorne...".