Will and Inventory of Richard Butler woollen draper 1671

Butler was a very wealthy and important draper with shops in Basingstoke and Alton whose inventory totalled £1,420 and included long detailed lists of fabrics he sold. He left £5 to the poor of Basingstoke and £150 to each of his four daughters, but he modestly directed that if his assets were insufficient to cover these bequests his property known as the Bell Inn in Basingstoke should be sold. His son was to inherit everything else.

Although the document is now badly damaged and faded with some illegible lines it lists very detailed items in the premises, even some stored in the chamber over his Basingstoke shop. The glossary attached explains many of the fabric terms. Not all of the arithmetical calculations are correct but have been typed as seen.