This is the transcribed will of Edmund Buckner of Hanborough, Oxfordshire, England, 1586 (Oxfordshire Record Office 3/2/17)
Unlike many other Oxfordshire wills of this period, this one was drawn up with the advice of a knowledgeable professional, which makes it easy to read though less entertaining than some. That Edmund had a sense of humor is clear from his legacy to the Redbeard siblings. Many of these people are mentioned in the 1579 will of Walter Buckner of Combe and the 1591 will of Christopher Buckner of Combe, especially John Redbeard, whose name appears in all three. It's not clear if the Redbeards were related, but the Buckners seem to have been very free about lending them money. Walter also left a legacy to "Edward Buckner of Hanborough". Given that Walter's will is a wild mess of bizarre spellings that change from line to line, it seems likely that he was getting the names mixed up and was referring to the present Edmund. I don't know how they were related. That the term "cousin" was not used in Walter's will suggests to me that Edmund was a fairly remote cousin to the Buckners of Combe, though the overlap of their friends, relatives, and acquaintances suggests to me that they kept in touch. This is also a "census will," naming no less than 20 different people. It's estimated that only one person in 10 left a will at this time, but these long lists of kith and kin in some offer a surprisingly wide coverage of the people living nearby.
I've tried to preserve the line arrangement so anyone who wants can compare this to the original image. I don't claim perfection, and there are some things that can be interpreted different ways. The notation {ER} and such indicates a superscript abbreviation. These are common in period documents, though sometimes they can be a little idiosyncratic. I also tend to use modern u/v and i/j , but keep in mind that these were essentially the same letters during this period, so "verily" is really indistinguishable from "uerily" and "Jesus" from "Iesvs", though I do use the terminal j when it appears in the MS, especially in numerals where it is often essential for clarity.
Date of will: 17 June 1586
Probate: 16 July 1586.
People named in the will:
In the name of god Amen: The xvii daye of June in the xxviijth yeare of the Raigne of our soveraigne
Ladye Elizabeth by the grace of god of England France & Irelande Queene defender of the
faith et {cetera?} as also in the yeare of our Lord god 1586 I Edmunde Buckner of the p{ar}ishe
of Hanborowghe in the comtie of Oxon Labourer beinge sicke in bodye but of A good &
p{er}fecte mynd & Remembrance laud & thankes be unto Almightie god the father the Sonne
& the holye ghoste in whose name I was baptised doe constitute ordaine & make this my
p{re}sent Testament herein containinge my last will in maner & forme followinge I first R[?]
comende & bequeath my soule unto Almightie god my creat{or} & Christ Jesu my Redeemer & the
holye ghost my comfort{er} three p{er}sons & one god onlye in whom & by the meryte death and
passion of my lord & Saviour Jesus Christe I Am in full hope & beleeve to be saved and to be
brought to those everlastynge Joyes wch hid great goodness hath bought mee & my bodye
to bee buryed in the p{ar}ishe church yearde of St Peter in Hanborowghe aforesayde:.
Item I will & bequeath unto the cathedrall church of this dioce 0-ijd Item I will & bequeath
towarde the maintenance of the church of hanborowghe 0-vjs viij d Item I will [&]
bequeath & deliver unto John Gibson & Thom"s Lymborowe 0-xls of lawfull monye of
england to be destributed & geven to & amonge the poore people of the p{ar}ishe of
Hanborowghe p{re}sentlye after my decease by the discretion of my sup{er}vis{ors}: Item
I will & bequeath unto Richarde Ferberde my cosen 0-iijli of lawfull monye of Englande
Item I will & bequeath unto Thomas Ferberde my cosen 0-iijli of lawfull englishe
monye Item I will & bequeath unto Margaret Ferberde my cosen 0-iiijli
of lawfull monye of englande: provided alwayes & it is my verye will mynd & entent
that the Above named 0-xli shall be paide to they Aforenamed Legatours or to theire
assignes the firste daye of June next & Immediatelye ensuinge after my decease:
Item I will & bequeath unto Ales Redbayrdde Syster unto the Reddbayrde 0-xxs of
lawfull englishe monye to be paide unto her or her Assignes out of the monye that her
brother doth owe unto mee Item I will & bequeath unto John Reddbayrde 0-xs of lawfull
englishe monye to be paide to hym or his Assignes out of the monye that his brother
doth owe mee Item I will & bequeath unto Mychaell Reddbayrde 0-xs of lawfull monye
of englande & hee to paye hymselfe out of the same money he doth owe mee: Item
I will & bequeath unto John West my godsone 0-xl s of lawfull monye of englande
wch 0-xl s his Father doth owe mee Item I will & bequeath unto Annes Gybsy 0-vjd
Item I will & bequeath unto William Keene 0-vid Item I will & bequeath unto
Thoms~ Lodyes children 0-vs to be equallye devyded amonge them Item I will
& bequeath unto Thom~s Lymborowes children 0-vid A peice Item I will & bequeath
unto John Gybsy mayde 0-iiijd Item I will & bequeath unto mother Maunsell 0-vid
I will & bequeath 0-v s to be bestowed at the tyme of my buryall by the discretion
of my sup{er}vis{ors} Item I will & bequeath unto Thomas Harte my lether doublet
& A payre of Rounde hose Item I will & bequeath unto Francis Marshall my frysse
coote Item I will & bequeath unto James Mabbat my lether Jurkinge Item
I will & bequeath unto Thomas Weaner A shyrte Ietem I will & bequeath unto
Joone Dorwell A shyrte The Residue of all my goodes unbequeathed both moveable and
unmoveable after my debtes paide & my funerall expences dyscharged & thesse my legat{ies}
contayned in this my p{re}sent Testament fulfylled I wholly geve and bequeath unto
William Ferberde my cosen whom I doe constytute ordayne & Appoynte to bee my
full & sole executor of this my last will & testament whom I doe put in truste to
see all thinges herein Aforenamed in this my p{re}sent testament to bee well and trueleye
p{er}formed & executed Accordinge to my true meanynge & trust in him resposed And thus
I doe request & desyre John Gybson & Thom"s Lymborowe these to be my sup{er}visers of
this my last will & testament whom I doe Also put in truste to see all thinges
herein Above named in this my p{re}sent Testament to bee trueley Justlye & faythfullye
p{er}formed & executed so farre forth as in them lyeth accordynge to my true meanynge
& trust in them reposed & them to have for theire faythfull paynes in this behalfe
vjs viijd A peice :: And these beinge witnesses that this is my last Will & Testamente
whose names followinge; that is to saye Thomas Turner Thomas Lodye wth other moe~
Probat Coram T.[?] Glasur[?] vi~ xvjo die Julij 1586
p{er} Executorem jurat [?]
