@materialwills
The Material Culture of Wills, England 1540-1790: a Leverhulme Trust project using digital tech & volunteers to transcribe 25,000 wills. Visit our website: https://sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcultureofwills/
🎉 Our last post marked TWO YEARS of the 'Will of the Month' series! 🎉
📜 We've now written about the wills of 25 people who lived and died between 1540-1790. You can find out more about some of them here: 👇
#History #Skystorians #EarlyModern #Tudors @leverhulme.ac.uk @zooniverse.bsky.social
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A photograph of an ornamental carved wooden swan, white with an orange beak, which is on a green ornamental wall bracket. The wall bracket is attached to the sandy coloured wall of a historic building, and flanked by two sash windows. The swan faces away from the wall, looking out towards the street. Image Credit: A Grade II Listed sixteenth-century swan. A carved wooden swan on an ornamental cast-iron bracket, 11 Sadler Street, Wells, Somerset. Image credit: Tony Cooper / Art UK, (CC BY-NC) https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/swan-281128
📢 In Case You Missed It: Our latest 'Will of the Month' post is live on our blog! 📢
📜 It explores the will of a Tudor landowner who left several interesting bequests, including of a nest of swans 🪹🦢🦢🦢
@uoearchhist.bsky.social @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social
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sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
The 'Will of the Month' series on the @materialwills.bsky.social blog has now been running for TWO YEARS - since February 2024 📆
📜 Our site now features 25 of these transcribed wills: testators who died between 1540-1790, across England and also overseas, and who made a wide range of bequests 👇
📜 Catch up on all 25 of our 'Will of the Month' posts here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
@leverhulme.ac.uk @uoearchhist.bsky.social @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social @transkribus.bsky.social @zooniverse.bsky.social
#history #skystorians #EarlyModern 🧵7/7
And John Tylney (d. 1552), a Suffolk 'Scrivener', who mentioned his second-best trousers 👖
Tylney's will inspired a song by Chris Hoban! 🪗
We have added the song's lyrics to the end of the blog post, and to every post that inspired a Chris Hoban song 📜
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult... 🧵6/7
Mary Young (d. 1786): A Yorkshire widow who made a 'Living Will', setting out her wishes in the event that she lost mental or physical capacity 📜
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult... 🧵5/7
John Pooke (d.1608): An ex-convict who examined his conscience at the end of his life, and left charitable bequests to the debtors' prisons ⚖️
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult... 🧵4/7
Elizabeth Thomlinson (d.1720): A widow of Calcutta who had been married to an East India Company Chaplain. Her will mentioned books, silverware, and an enslaved woman named Nanny.
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult... 🧵3/7
Our featured testators include:
John Huggens (d. 1544) : A Gloucester cap-maker who made bequeathed many of his own hats to friends and family 🎩👒🎓
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult... 🧵2/7
🎉 February's blog post marks TWO YEARS of the 'Will of the Month' series! 🎉
We've now written about the lives of 25 of our testators 📜
For each blog post we've also transcribed the featured will, so there are now 25 will transcriptions available on our blog: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult... 🧵1/7
You can also catch up with our 'Eyre of Swannys' #palaeography discussion here 👇
🦢🪹
#Skystorians #EarlyModern #History 🧵3/3
As well as swans, this post explores the life of a Tudor landowner from Cheshire whose will mentions:
- a stone monument depicting him, his 2 wives & 9 children🪦
- crossbows & swords 🏹⚔️
- 2nd-best beds 🛏️
- a 'ruet' horn 📯
- 1/2 a horse 🐎
@uoearchhist.bsky.social @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social
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A photograph of an ornamental carved wooden swan, white with an orange beak, which is on a green ornamental wall bracket. The wall bracket is attached to the sandy coloured wall of a historic building, and flanked by two sash windows. The swan faces away from the wall, looking out towards the street. Image Credit: A Grade II Listed sixteenth-century swan. A carved wooden swan on an ornamental cast-iron bracket, 11 Sadler Street, Wells, Somerset. Image credit: Tony Cooper / Art UK, (CC BY-NC) https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/swan-281128
📢 NEW Will of the Month Post! 📢
This is for everyone who followed our 'Eyrie of Swans' discussion last week, and with particular thanks to @hnewsome-chandler.bsky.social , @lostplayhouse.bsky.social and @tracelarkhall.bsky.social who helped us identify it! 🦢 1/3🧵
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
@lsangha.bsky.social has pointed out that an eyrie is a raptor's nest, but otherwise we're a bit baffled...
It's from the will of John Spurstowe 4 February 1540, PROB 11/26/288 - which we're hoping to feature as our next @materialwills.bsky.social 'Will of the Month' blog post
Thanks #SkyStorians!
An image of an extract of PROB 11/26/288 Will of John Spurstowe of Spurstowe, Cheshire 04 February 1540 - black sixteenth century writing on a white background. We are asking for help to decipher a sentence that we think says 'Also I geve and bequeth to my Cosyn Hughe Aldersaye of chester an Eyrye of Sivannys yn prest lande poole'.
Looking for a sense check, or indeed some #palaeography help for this Tudor will: I read this as 'Also I geve and bequeth to my Cosyn Hughe Aldersaye of chester an Eyrye of Sivannys yn prest lande poole'.
'Priestland' is a name - but can anyone help with 'Eyrye of Sivannys'? What could this be?
📢 In Case You Missed It! 📢
Our new blog post reports on project Creative Fellow Chris Hoban's recent sold out gig at Topsham Folk Club, where he and the excellently-named band 'The Executors' performed music inspired by our wills 📜
🎶🎻🪗🪕
@leverhulme.ac.uk @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social #skystorians
We are also thrilled to bring you the news that Chris has been recording his wills songs!
If you would like an email to let you know when the album is released, follow the link here 👇
📢NEW POST: a report on Chris Hoban's recent performance of music inspired by our wills at a sold gig for Topsham Folk Club 📢
📜🎶🎻🪗🪕
@leverhulme.ac.uk @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social @uoearchhist.bsky.social @cemsexeter.bsky.social
Photo of Chris Hoban on stage playing the accordian, he looks over at Paul Downes who is also playing an instrument.
Sneak Peak ...
... of a little treat coming tomorrow - a full review of Chris Hoban's wills performance in Topsham last month!
And a very exciting related announcement ...
#EarlyModern 🗃️
📷 Photo courtesy of Tom Hurley, Devon Digital.
A photograph of an ornate eighteenth-century silver punch ladle. It is positioned at an angle, with the ladle in the bottom left and the handle pointing towards the top right, positioned against a white background. Image caption: Cast, chased and engraved silver punch ladle; London hallmarks for 1738-39, mark of Paul de Lamerie, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2025, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O156415/ladle-lamerie-paul-de/
📢 In Case You Missed It! 📢
January's 'Will of the Month' blog post is now live 📜
Read all about a Yorkshire widow's 'Living Will', as well as her ownership of 'global goods': tea, coffee, china, and a ladle for serving punch (made with sugar & spices) ☕🫖
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
A photograph of Church Lane, Catwick, Yorkshire, including the church where this month's testator hoped to be buried. On the left of the photograph is a row of white houses, in the middle, towards the back of the composition, is a grey stone parish church, and on the right of the photograph is a grey road leading towards the church, bordered by green grass and hedges. The sky at the top of the photograph contains grey-white clouds. Photograph: Church Lane, Catwick, with the churchyard in the background where Mary Young hoped to be buried next to James Young Church Lane, Catwick. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Church_Lane,_Catwick_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1816304.jpg
📢 NEW Will of the Month Post 📢
January's post looks at the wishes of a Yorkshire widow who made a 'Living Will'📜
She not only divided up her material wealth, but also expressed hopes for later life, pre-empting any future incapacity.
Read about her wishes here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Did medieval people buy each other Christmas gifts? New Year's Day was the main gifting day, but little is known about everyday people's present giving. Our project on London's customs records has uncovered a wealth of affordable items imported around this time: gloves and hats to toys and rattles🧵
Glad you enjoyed - thank you for sharing!
A black and white printed frontispiece from an early modern book. The text in the centre reads 'Four Choice Carols for Christmas Holidays.' Carol I. On Christmas Day. Carol II. On St. Stephen's Day. Carol III. On St. John's-Day. Carol IV. On Innocent's Day. Being very necessary and proper to be had in all Christian Families. There are three woodcut images underneath - of St Matthew on the left, the Virgin and child in the centre, and St John on the right. Detail from FOUR Choice CAROLS for CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS (London, 1700-1).
🎄A FESTIVE TREAT: BONUS CHRISTMAS BLOG POST🎄
🎁As we approach the holidays, @lsangha.bsky.social has collected some of the best 'Christmassy' names in The National Archives' will registers.
🎅Featuring Mr Christmas, Christopher Pudding, John Turkey & many more 👇
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
Woodcut showing three men. Two are dressed in 17th century clothesm the one in the centre is in a long robe with a fun hat. The man on the left says 'Keep out, you come not here', the one on the right says 'Old Christmas welcome, no not fear'. The man in the centre says 'O Sir I bring good cheere'.
🎄CHRISTMAS BLOG POST!🎄
A silly gift for you all: I dug through The National Archive wills looking for Christmassy names. There were a lot, inc:
Mr 🎅
Christopher 🍮
❄️ Green
Thomas 🦃
Theophilia 🛷
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
📜 #EarlyModern 🗃️ @leverhulme.ac.uk @uoearchhist.bsky.social
Thank you!
We're very excited - thank you!
Photograph of Georgian buildings in Bath, in the centre is Elton House, owned by the Landmark Trust. It is a three story building with regular windows top to bottom. It's frontage has not been blast cleaned so is shades of darker brown.
Photo of the dining room at Elton House. A long wooden table with lit candlesticks in the centre, pale blue walls and a fireplace with a mirror over it.
🚨FAB PROJECT NEWS🚨
We are delighted to report that we have been awarded a free study break at a Landmark Trust property as part of their Landmark Futures scheme!
The whole team will spend a week in Bath at the handsome Georgian building, Elton House.
More here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
A seventeenth-painting of a red parrot, with some blue and yellow feathers, against a brown rocky landscape. The parrot is on a brown perch, and is facing towards the left side of the painting. The file is: Parrot or Ara rouge sur son perchoir, seventeenth century, attributed to Tommaso Salini, File:Exposition Phantasma (Le Voyage à Nantes 2014) (14792256749).jpg
📢 NOW LIVE: December's 'Will of the Month' post! 📢
Read on to find out about the life of a Ragusan merchant who found himself in Stuart London, sick of 'the Disease of the Stone' 👇
He left bequests of: 1 parrot 🦜, 300 pairs of stockings 🧦, & 360 jars of wine 🍾
sites.exeter.ac.uk/materialcult...
That's fabulous, thank you for sharing. Yes. absolutely - the range of different directions that could be taken just with 1-2 objects as a starting point.