John Washbourne

     John was born circa 1467 in Worchestershire, England. He was the son of Father Washbourne. John married Emme (?) in England. John settled at Bengeworth, a few miles from Little Washbourne, probably at the time of his father's death in 1517. John made his will on 27 December 1546.

In the name of God Amen the xxvii day of December the yere of our lord mcccccxlvi, & in the xxxviii yere of the Rayne of our Souaygne lord Henry the viii by the grace of God Kynge of Englande fraunce & Ireland Defender of the faythe and in erthe of the churche of England & also of Irelande the supreme head. I John Wassheburne husbandman dwellynge in the parish of bengeworthe within the dioces of Worcester beynge sike in body nevertheless of good & perfect mynd & memorie thanks be to God therefore do ordeyne & make this my testament & last will in forme & manner following – first I bequeath my soule unto Almyghty God, & my body to be buryed within the eccoiasticall sepulture of my parish churche of bengeworth aforenamed & soche temporall goods as my lord god hathe lente me & to be orderyd & disposed as herafter folowethe to the true execution wherof I do constitute & make Eme my wife my sole Executrice & Thomas Shreve of Hampton & William Wassheburne my sonne supervisors or overseers to the same. Item I will my body be honestly brought unto the sepulture with solenpne dirige & mass for my soule & all Christian soules. Item I bequeath unto my parish churche of bengeworthe aforesayde ii strike of whete & ii strike of barley. Item I bequeath unto William my sone my bigger sestarne a carte bridle & a mattocke. Item I bequeath unto John my sone my lesser sestarne, an ewtinge fatte, a carte bridle & a mattock. Item I bequeath unto the ii children of Willaim my sone & to the ii children of John my sone every one of them iis. Item I bequeath unto the iii children of Robert Marten my sone in lawe every one of them like wisse iis. The Residue of my goods in this testament not bequeathed I give & bequeath unto Eme my wife and Executrix above named with all my houses lands & grounds durying her natural life & after her decease I will John my sone shall inherite & have unto him & his eyre male for life all my foresaid howses lands & grownds & he or his eyres to pay unto Willaim my sone so long as the sayd William shall lyve out of the sayd grownde yerely vi s. viii d. & sayde William my sone shall pay for the same yerely to Alice Marten my daughter duryngs theyer ii lives to gether ii strike of whete to be delivered one strike at Christmas & another at Aster and John my son shall pay unto Katherine Hide my other daughter yerly during her natural life too strike of whete to be delivered in like manner & in case that eyther of my sons aforenamed happen to die my ii daughters Aloise & Katheryn being alive then will I that the lenger lyver of my seyd ii sons shall pay unto my ii daughters the hole some of whete aforenamed of iff both my sones decease then they to have the aforesayde whete during theyre lifes out of my grounde aforenamed and if it happen that John my son have no eyer male then I will that after his decease William my sone & his eyre male if he have any shall inherite the sayde howses lands & grownds for life & in case that neyther of my sones John nor William have any eyer male then will I that the eldest daughter of John my sone shall inherite the sayd howses lands & grownds afore specified to pay out of the same to the eldest daughter of William my sone during her natural life the rent of the same which is viiis. vjd. And then the forsayde howses lands & grownds to remayne to the eyer generally for life. This is my full testament & last will written the day & yere above specified. These being witnesse Thomas Shreve Thomas Marten William Clente & Thomas Trewelove with other.^2,3

John departed this life in Bengeworth, Wickenford Parish. He was buried there in the churchyard of St. Peter on Thursday, 8 January 1548.⁴ The inventory of John's estate was taken and appraised at 27 pounds 8 shilling and 8 pence.