Page 60 - 3rdPub1

The Blaker Society © Selmeston parish , 7 miles east of Lewes, lay in Danehill Horsted
SELMESTON

William Blaker

1
hundred of Pevensey rape. In the fairly comprehensive list of householders in
2
the 1524 lay subsidy there is a return for Danehill Horsted hundred, not
differentiating between the parishes of which it was comprised (Horsted
Keynes, Selmeston and Tarring Neville alias East Tarring): no Blaker or variant
is recorded.
However, in 1544 we have one of the earliest surviving Blaker wills,
3
4
that of William Blacar of Selmeston, dated 4 March 1543(/4) , directing his
body to be buried in Selmeston churchyard. Selmeston burial registers do not
6
survive earlier than 1607 . He says:
5

Selmyston

th
In the name of god ame’ the iiij day of the mo’the of marche & in the 35 Yere of the Reign’
a
r
r
of o sou agn’ lord Kyng Henry the eight & in y yere of o lord god 1543 I wyll m blacar of
r
e
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e
a
y pishe of Selmyston seke in body bott hole good & of pfet reme’br nce doo make my test’
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& last will in man & forme foloyng / Fyrst I bequethe my sawle to almyghty god my sauyour
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redem & maker / & to the blessyd virgyn o lady st Mary & to all the blessyd co’pany of
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hevyn & my body to be buried w in the churche yerd of Selmyston’ It’ I doo make Joh’n &
t
a
will m my ij sons my executors & my wiff to be as fare at my good as my ij sons if she doo
s
li’
t
abyde w them / It’ if she goo from them’ then my ij sons to pay her iiij of lawfull mony of
s
d
li’
Englond / It’ I gyff to my iij dowghters iiij etche of them xxvj ’ viij ’ a pese. and thay to be
t
payd at the tyme of their mariage / It’ if ony of my dowght s depart then y pt to be devydyd
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to my ij sons / It’ I gyff to the hye alter of selmyston xij ’ / It’ I gyff to the lyght afore the
d
s
Rode xij ’ / It’ it is my wyll to haue at my burying iij prest & at my mo’thes mynd iij p st &
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r
s
s
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at my yer mynd iij p st / It’ I make my supvisors Joh’n stert & Robert sterte to se that my
wyll be fulfillyd & kept / wytnes hereof s Edward fell curat Joh’n stert & Robert sterte w
t
oth moo. / It’ I gyff to will m my son my best kowe more then any of my chyldren
r
a
Sm Inventorij [blank]
8
a

1 Selmeston old church, which had by then been pulled down, was discussed in an article in The Antiquary xxxi
of 1895, in which four views of the original structure are published. The name Selmeston sometimes appears
corrupted to Sim(p)son.
2 PRO E 179/164: printed Sussex Record Society lvi p. 131
3 assuming the will is dated Old Style
4 Lewes Archdeaconry Book A 1, f. 53v
5 Bishop’s Transcripts: the original registers survive from 1660 onwards.
6 West Sussex Record Office
7 Old Style = 4 March 1544
8 For some reason, Renshaw’s transcript differs considerably, perhaps being based on an early and inaccurate
th
copy: Item I doo make John and Willyam my twoe sonnes myn executors. My wyef to abyde w my twoe sonnes
and bee keep’d by them butt yf shee goe from them thenn they are to paie her £4. I doo gyve to my doughteres
d
£4 eche of them and 26.8 a pese when they become 21. Item. Yf anye of my doughteres departe thys lyfe then
s
ytt ys to bee delyver’d to my twoe sonnes. Item. I gyf to the Hye Aulter of Selmeston 1/ and to the Lyghte
s
befoore the Roode 1/ . Item. Yt is my wyll to have att my buruynge thre prestes and att my obitys thre Prestes.
Item. I gyf the Parsonne my best Kowe.
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