Will of Barnard Wakefeild, Ordinary Yeoman of King's Chamber, 1613

Wakefeild styled himself ‘ordinary yeoman of the king’s chamber’ – presumably a source of pride. He expressed his wish to be buried in Basing and left 10s. to the church and 40s. for the poor. His widow Margaret and eldest son William were joint heirs and executors, with interesting provisos - in case Margaret remarried, William was to have the leases of the parsonage - which implied that the glebe was not farmed by the incumbent but leased out to Wakefeild - paying Margaret £10 a year. If he did not, Margaret was to have the household goods. William was to have the free lands outright and this was to descend to his younger brother Barnard if he had no heir, and to his daughter’s son etc. The younger son was left £100 when he reached 30 and his married daughter 5s. as she would already have received her dowry on marriage and her son was to have £5 when he was 21. He also remembered the daughter of a friend and his servant. The three overseers were rewarded with 10s. each.