Dummer Probate Material 1681-1701

Testamentary material that has survived from this period includes seven wills and six inventories from two yeoman, a tailor, a gentleman and his widow and two other widows. Those of William and Amy Soper of The Grange, Dummer, are of particular interest describing details of the house and possession of extensive land in several parishes.

These transcriptions have been made from copies of original probate documents supplied by Hampshire Record Office and The National Archives. Words and place names have been modernized and punctuation added to make reading easier but names have been transcribed as written. Words in italics indicate omissions in the original document which have been added to make sense of the text. Words in square brackets indicate that they have been transcribed as seen but where the meaning is unclear. 

Links to the transcriptions are below. The wills of Dummer rectors are published in a separate section of Explore.

A glossary is attached of unusual words.

• Elizabeth Wake, widow (Will and Inventory), 1683
• John Simpson, yeoman (Will and Inventory), 1684
• Ralph Phillips, tailor (Will and Inventory), 1686
• Martha Wells, widow (Will and Inventory), 1687
• Thomas Withers/Wither, yeoman (Will and Inventory), 1687
• William Soper, gentleman (Will and Inventory), 1688
• Amy Soper, widow (Will and Inventory), 1701