Medieval & Tudor Kent Wills at Lambeth - Book 21  Page 58

William BRUGES,  Will 26 February 1449 

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WILLIAM BRUGES, 1449. In the name of the fader Son and holy gost iij persones in the Trinite and on sole god y William Bruges otherwise clepid Garter Kyng of Armes in my right and in my fressh mynde thurgh the enspiracion of the holy gost the Thursday the xxvj day of Feuerer The yere of oure Lord god xlix and the yere of the Reigne of the Kyng Henry the Sixte the xxviij I make this my present testament and last will as for furst and formest y bequethe my soule to the gret mercy of oure lord god ihu that suffred peyne and passion of his gret mercy to bring my wreched soule from the carnall peyne and dampnacion to the eternall blysse and redempcion and to that gret mercy y to be brought y beseche our blessed lady mayden and wyf that she of her gret grace and godnesse like and please to be meane and immediatrice. And also y beseche al the glorious seyntes and sayntesses in heven that they for thaire glorious martirdoms and goodnesses pray to almyghty god that so y may fynde and haue. 
Also yf it be possible my body to be brought and buryed in the chirch of Seynt George wt in Staunford thereto be buryed in the myddes of the quere of the said chirch To the which said chirch y bequethe a gret halywater stoppe of syluer wt a staf benature. The said benature and staf weying xx^ti nobles in plate and more. It. to the said chirch y bequethe a peyre of censours of syluer wt a ship of syluer for frank encense that j spone in the same ship of syluer. Itm y bequethe to the said chirch a litle hand bell of syluer of the gretnesse of a sacryng bell. It. y bequethe to the same chirch a litle round cofyn of syluer closed to put in syngyng bred and not the hoste. It. y bequethe to the said chirch for ther solempne fest dayes to stande vpon the high awter ij grete basyns of syluer and ij high candelstykkes of syluer. Itm y bequethe to the said chirch j coupe of syluer in the which is j litel box of yvory to put in the blessed sacrament and to hang ouer the high auter whan the chancell is redy closed and (blank) round about. It. y bequethe to the said chirch a gret chalice ouergilt of the wight of C^s to serve for thaire solempne festes. Itm. y bequethe to the said chirch an hole sute of vestmyntes of Russet Veluet j coope chesible diacones for decones (sic) wt the awbes and parures and ij case corporasses of the same sute of vestmyntes. It y bequethe an othr hole sute to the said chirch of Seynt George of blak veluet j chesible diacones for decones orfres of white clothe of gold powdred wt Garters and ij case corporasses. 
It. y bequethe and ordeyne at the gret framed that y haue liyng in the gret berne in my place at Kentisshton that it be sold to the most value and the money rising thereof to be bestowed vpon the complisshyng and endyng of the said chirch of Staunford that is to be vndertand in coueryng wt lede glasyng and makyng of pleyn desques of a pleyn Rodeleft and in puyng of the said chirch nouzt curiously but pleynly and in pavyng of al the hole chirch body and quere wt brode holand Tyle. To the said chirch a solempnite of Array for the fest of corpus xpi con partie wrought in the plate of syluer and ouergilt and that other in tymbre to be born bitwen the Decon and subdecon. The Tymber is peynted and ouergilt wt fyne gold and for euery signe of the passion an aungell beryng the signe of the crosse and of the crowne of thorn another aungell beryng the pillour and the scorges another aungell beryng the spere and the sponges an other aungell beryng the remnaunt of the signes of the passion And in the middell of the feretorye a gret round blok corven and j peynted wt gold and asure and peynted wt sterres of gold. In the myddel of that round blok for a gret coupe of syluer and ouergilt to stand vpon a pynne of tre and in the sad coupe a litle box of syluer and ouergilt to put in the sacrament. This gret coupe and the litle togeder first to be set vpon the gret blok of tre a gret croun of syluer and ouergilt garnysshed wt stones cleped dubletts rede blewe grene and yelowe and the said croun garnished wt counterfete perules made of syluer. This Crown of the weight of Cs. This Croun first to be set vpon the gret round blok of tre and thanne vpon the pynne standying in the said blok to be set the next gret coupe of syluer and ouergilt. The said coupe to be crouned wt out wt a smale croune ordeyned redy therfore. 
It y bequethe to the said feretorye a tabernacle wele y wrought of syluer and ouergilt of the weight of V marcs or there aboutes goyng wt a byll to be set an high vpon the coupe and aboue vpon the poynt of the said tabernacle a litle crosse of syluer and ouergilt goyng also by avyce. Al this plate that longeth to the fest That is to say of Corpus Xpi yf myn executours semyn that it shuld be in more sure garde of the parysshons of the chirch of oure lady of Staunford y wold it shuld rest and abide in the garde of hem and wt in thaire tresoire And atte day of the fest of corpus xpi hit to felowe the sacrement of the said chirche of our lady yf it plese the parysshons of the said chirche of oure lady onlesse thanne they wol have it serve for both. 
Itm y ordeyne and bequethe that the two chappelles of our lady and seynt George wt in the said chirch of Seynt George be closed wt estrich borde and clere storyed after such quantite as the closure of pleyn borde there now contenyneth. And to the said chapell of oure lady y bequeth ij ymages of oure lady and seynt George beyng in peynted stone and in my chapell in Kentisshton And to the same chapell of oure lady of Staunford y bequethe iiij grete Candelstykkes of laton that standen in my chapell of Kentisshton. It y bequethe to the said chirch of Seynt George of Staunford the ymage of the Trinitie of Stoon standying in my chapell at Kentisshton wt the braunche of laton for iij lightes accordyng there to it to be sett vpon a foot of stone ouer the awter of the chapell of oure lady. The fote of the said Trinite and it may be to staund a foote highter thanne the hedes of the ymages of oure lady and Seynt George. It y bequethe the seide smale caundelstikkes standyng in my chapell at Kentisshton to the new chapell of oure lady now in makyng in the same towne. And as for the saide iij ymages of Stone that is to say the ymages of the Trinite oure lady and seynt George y wol haue made for eiche of theym a gret cofyn of elmyn borde the seide ymages to be nayled inyfast shiffed wt hey and so caryed at my cost vnto Staunford And set vp in ye said chirch of Seynt George. It the ij lesse candelstikkes to be set vpon the awter of oure lady in the said towne of Staunford and there to serue brennyny from the bigynnyng of the Gospell vnto the tyme that the prest have vsed vpon my cost as my good wol suffice to contynue it euery taper of half a pound wight. And euery day a masse to the saied of oure lady. Itm y ordeyne and wol that the ij greter Candelstykkes beyng in my said chapell at Staunford and that they serve in the chapell of oure lady of Staunford that on the stand vpon the ground afore the ymage of oure lady and that other afore the ymage of Seynt George in the same chapell. And for eche of these Candelstikkes to be ordeyned a taper of wex of j^li wight And to served (sic) to be lighted atte dyuyne seruyse atte pryncipal fest dayes and at other solempne festes As at matyns pryme masse and the ij Evensongs. Itm y bequethe and ordeyne to the said chirch of Seynt George of Staunford a litle coffre standyng bounden wt plate of yren ful of vestyments except on vestyment yf it be peryn and that is of blak satyn ground figured wt redeveluet. The orfreyes wrought wt the nedel wt ymages the which said vestyment y wol it serve for oure lady chapell in Staunford only. Item y ordeyne and bequethe to the chapell of oure lady in Seynt Mary chirch at Sandewich an half long goun of purpell veluet furred wt martrons of that to be made a chesible wt the parures and wt the furre to be bouzt and ordeyned the Orfreyes lyke to the Orfreyes of the sengle vestyment of blak satyn lyned wt rede veluet And yf the said furre of martrouns wol not suffice to ordeyne the said orfreyes myn executors to put to such mony as they may haue of myn to the percomplisshyng of the seide orfreyes and so ended to be delyuered to the said chirch. 
Itm y bequethe to the said chapell of our lady in Seynt Mary Chirch of Sandewich [ Sandwich ] the chalice of syluer and ouergilt that my wyf hath And myn executors to make for the same chalice ij smale cruetts of syluer and ouergilt of the pryce of xx^tis. And panne my wyf to send it to the said chirch. The residue of al my goodes after my dettes payed y geve and bequethe to Anneys my wyf And of this my testament y make and ordeyne the same Anneys my wyf principal executrice Thomas Haddon her brother co executor to her and Maystar Clement Denston clerk ouerseer of the same my testament that they ordeyne and dispose for my soule as they shall seme best to the plesire of god and to the proffite of my soule. Yeuen at London the day and yere abouesaid. 
Proved at Lamehith 12 March 1449 by the executors named and on 12 April 1450 they were given acquittance. (186b Stafford).

(NOTE: although there is only a small bequest to a Kent church this will is of such exceptional interest as to justify its inclusion verbatim. It was first printed in Francis Perk’s History of Stamford in 1727 (Book XIV pp 24 to 27).

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