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I Richard Bowman LLB, an unworthy Minister if Jesus Christ, and by [th]e providence of God Vicar of Potterne in [th]e County of Wilts, and Prebendary of [th]e Prebend of Uffculme founded in [th]e Cathedrall Church of Salsbury; being by an habituall distemper of body brought very weak but (by [th]e great mercy of God) w[i]thout any decay of understanding, do make [thi]s my Will & Testament (written all w[i]th my own hand) revoking all former Wills by Me heretofore made, if any such shall be found. First I commend my Soul into [th]e hands of Almighty God, as of a faithfull Creator, which I humbly beseech him mercifully to accept, looking upon it, not as it is in it self (infinitely pol- luted w[i]th sin) but as it is redeemed & purged w[i]th [th]e precious blood of his only beloved Son, & my most sweet Saviour Jesus Christ, in confidence of whose merits & mediation alone it is, [tha]t as I have lived, so I desire, and (by [th]e grace of God) resolve to dye in [th]e Communion of [th]e Catholick Church of Christ, and a true Son of [th]e Church of England, which, as it stands by Law established, I do firmly believe, to be both in Doctrine & Worship agreeable to [th]e word of God, & conformable to [th]e faith & practice of [th]e Churches of Christ in [th]e primitive & purer times.As for my corruptible body I bequeath it to [th]e Earth whence it was taken, to be decently buried in [th]e Parish Church of Potterne under [th]e Seat where my Wife and Familie sit, & [tha]t w[i]th as little noise & charge as may be, w[i]thout [th]e invitation of many persons, only some few of my Relations, some few of [th]e neighbouring Ministers, & some few of the Inhabitants of Potterne w[i]thout [th]e unnecessary expence of Rings, Gloves, Ribons &c, & w[i]thout any Mour- ning, other [tha]n a Pulpit & Hearse=Cloth, this manner of burial, altho' I cannot but foresee it will prove unsatisfactory to severall of my nearest Friends & Relations, and be apt to be censured by others, as an evidence of my too much parsimony & narrowness of mind, as being altogether unusuall, & not according to the mode of [th]e times; yet it is agreeable to [th]e sense of my heart, & I do very much desire my Will may be carefully observed herein, hoping it may become exemplary to some other, at least however testifying at my death, (w[ha]t I have so often & earnestly professed in my life time) my utter dislike of [th]e great Expences laid out in the Funerall Solemnities & Entertainments, w[i]th very little benefit to any, but for [th]e most part th [th]e great detriment of [th]e nearest surviving Relatives, and sometimes to [th]e Publick good. The Temporall Estate w[hi]ch God hath been pleased to bestow upon Me I thus dispose and give Viz: To my daughter Ann Gaisford [th]e sum of five shillings. To my daughter Susanna and my three Sons Francis, Richard & Whitaker five p[oun]ds to be paid to [the]m severally when they shall accomplish [th]e age of twinty & one Years. All [th]e rest of my Goods, Chattels Fee-farm Rents & Hereditaments ww[ha]tsoever, I give unto my most dearly Belov'd & truly faithfull & obedient Wife Susanna, whom I do constitute my full & sole Executrix of [thi]s my last Will and Testa ment, not doubting but that She will, (as soon as may be) discharge my Funerall Expences and Debts. To this my last Will and Testament, I the said Richard Bowman have set my Hand and Seal, this thirtieth Day of December, in [th]e year of our Lord One thousand six hundred and ninety and one Signed Sealed and Published as the last Will and Testament of [th]e said Richard Bowman in the Presence of Isaac Walton Avery Thompson Richard Bowman Tho: Biggs Jan 3[r]d 1691/2 This I added as a Codicil, to my last Will & Testament, written also w[i]th my own hand on [th]e other side of this Paper do hereby ordain and appoint my worthy Friends Walter Grubbe Esq[uire] of Potterne and Jonathan Rogers of Chippenham in [th]e County of Wilts Gent: Overseers of [thi]s my last Will & Testament, humbly desiring [the]m to be aiding and assisting to my s[ai]d Wife in such matters as may relate to [thi]s her Executorship or otherwise Signed, Sealed & publishedRi Bowman in the presence of Isaac Walton Tho: Biggs
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