Edward Wells (1679 - 1749)

 times.

Biography

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

 (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2

:1:9V1H-NCN : accessed 2017-10-01),

 entry for Edward Wells.