Will and inventory of Jerome Abrey/Abreye, yeoman, 1557

Abrey’s will is from Philip and Mary’s reign, so Catholic in tone. He left the customary 2d to the cathedral, but a generous 6s 8d to the parish church. Each of his six children received a specific bequest and the residue for his wife. His goods included 67 cheeses and the equipment for cheese-making, and the cattle outnumber the sheep, so it is likely he lived in the north of the parish on the claylands. One of the witnesses was Giles Paulet, Lord, so this yeoman farmer had social status.