Edward was the Founder of Wallingford Brewery
WILL OF EDWARD WELLS OF
WALLINGFORD 1750
In the name of God Amen. I EDWARD
WELLS THE ELDER of Wallingford in
the Co. of Berks, fellmonger being
somewhat misdisposed in bodily
health but of sound and perfect
memory and understanding, thanks
be given to almighty God for the
same, calling(?) to whence the
uncertainty of life and the certainty of
death do make and ordain this my
last will and testament in writing
manner following.
ITEM I give devise and bequeath unto
my eldest son EDWARD WELLS all
that my messuages or tenament and
premises with the apportaments
situate, lying and being in
Crowmarsh Gifford in the C
o. of Oxford, to hold unto my said son
Edward Wells his heirs and assigns
forever, from and immediately after
my decease.
ITEM I give and bequeath to my
youngest son JOB WELLS all that my
common for one horse or cow, for
food and pasture in the common or
moorcalled the East Moor in Cholsey
in the said Co. of Berks, to hold unto
my said son, his heirs and assigns
forever, from and immediately after my death.
ITEM I give and bequeath unto my
daughter ANNE WELLS the legacy or
sum of £600 of lawful money of Great
Britain to be paid to her by my executor hereinafter named, at three
payments. That is to say £200 part
thereof to be paid within one year of
my decease, £200 part within two years of
my decease and the remaining £200 within three years next to my decease.
ITEM I give and bequeath unto
mysons EDWARD WELLS and JOHN
WELLS and my daughter SARAH
PAYNE the legacy or sum of £300
pounds a piece. That is to say £100
pounds a piece within one year after
my decease, £100 within two years of
my decease and the remaining £100
within three years after my decease.
ITEM I do hereby order and direct my
executor hereinafter named within
three months after my decease to give
bond unto my two sons EDWARD and JOHN WELLS of the
sum of £300 with condition to pay
unto my daughter MARY WELLS
during her natural life an annuity of a
yearly sum of £15 of lawful money to
be paid in equal quarterly amounts.
The first payment to begin and be
made at the end of three months
after my decease. And after her decease to divide and pay the £300
unto and amongst my children
equally that is to say, EDWARD,
JOHN, JOB, ANNE, and SARAH.
Which said annuity I accordingly give
and order to be paid to to my said
daughter as aforesaid and after her
death I give and order the said £300
to be divided amongst my children
as aforesaid.
ITEM I give and bequeathe to my
granddaughters ANNE and SARAH,
the daughters of my said son
EDWARD WELLS, the legacy or sum
of £50 a piece and to my grandson
FRANCIS, son of my daughter
SARAH the legacy or sum of £50 of
lawful money. Allthe said legacies to
be paid to my grandchildren when
they attain the age of 21 years. But in case any or other of my said
grandchildren die before reaching the
said age, I do hereby order the said
legacy of him, her or them so dying
to be paid and divided to all the
surviving brothers and sisters when
they attain the age of 21 years. And in case
any of my said grandchildren
shall die before they attain the age of
21 years and leave no brothers and
sisters , I do direct that the legacy
does then revert to the estate and to
my executor hereinafter named.
ITEM I give and bequeath to my
nephew EDWARD WELLS son of my
brother RALPH WELLS and unto
RICHARD BRASIER the younger, the
legacy or sum of one and twenty shillings a piece of lawful momey to
be paid to them separately by my
executor hereinafter named within
three months next after my decease.
ITEM All the rest and residue of my
goods, cattle, chattels, ready money,
debts owing, leasehold premises and
personal effects whatsoever , nt here
mentioned by me , given and dispode
of my debts, legacies, funeral and
testament expenses being first paid
and and ordain full and sole executor
of this my last will and testament ,
revoking all and other wills made b
y me in either word or writing.
Whereby I the said EDWARD WELLS
the Elder have hereunto set my hand
and seal 8/4/1747 in the reign of
George II.
Witnesses Edward Weston, William
Martin, R Rooney
Proved 1750
I do give and bequeath to my said son
JOB WELLS who I do hereby make
../deane/deane.html, notes as
follows: 'The pedigree of WELLS of
Wallingford prepared by Major H R E
RUDKIN [HR], that is at SoG, says the
Edward WELLS who died in 1749, will
proved 1750, was son of John
WELLS who mar. 19 Sept 1683
Susannah WEST, [see ID 1 at *1650
WELLS of Wantage at 3.2 below] whose son Edward was bapt 19 April
1685 [IGI]. But this cannot be so,
because the Wallingford Borough
Minutes at Berkshire Record Office,
reference W/ACa 2, says on f. 203
that on 28 September 1703 "Att a
Common Councell ... a fine of foure
pounds was then agreed to be sett
upon ----- WELLS fellmonger for
exercising the said trade of a fellmonger within this Borough upon
payt, of such fine, it is ordered he
shall be made a freeman." On f. 205,
At a Common Councell held for the
said Borough the fifteenth day of
Dec' Anno Dom' 1703 then Edward
WELLES was sworne a Freeman of
this Borough for Exercising the trade
of a Fellmonger only and paid into
the hands of the Chamberlain foure
pounds for his Fyne, Rich
BLACKALL, Mayor."
Michael j. Wood Notes;
Our ancestor who died in 1749
described himself as fellmonger in
his will, so is this man. The freedom
of a Borough was granted only at age
21 or later, either by patrimony, that
is, as the son of a freeman, by
apprenticeship, usually after seven
years, or, as in this case, by redemption, that is, payment of an
entry fee ("fine") when a man who
moved to the borough had to
become a freeman so that he could
lawfully do business within the
borough. Therefore our ancestor was
born in or before 1682.His surname
was common in Berkshire and
Oxfordshire, and although I have
not been able to prove it, I think our
ancestor might be the Edward son of
Edward and Elizabeth WELLS who
was baptised 23 Feb 1678/9 at
Goring, Oxon. He had several
brothers and sisters, but although
that of a brother Ralph is not
recorded this could be because of a
gap from 1686 to 1689. However,
Ralph and Mary WELLS had nine
children bapt at Goring 1716 to 1733.
Against this attribution is that the
register [SoG OX/R217] says
Elizabeth wife of Edward WELLS was
buried there 25 Sept 1728, and
Edward WELLS "from the Almshouses" 21 Jan 1739/40. Would
the successful fellmonger at Wallingford have let his father die in
an almshouse?'
Sources
Edward Wells View Tree Sex Male
Christening 23 February 1679 Goring, Oxford, England PARENTS Father
Edward Wells Mother Elizabeth
CITING THIS RECORD The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
"International Genealogical Index
(IGI)," database, FamilySearch
