This is the transcribed will of Gerrard Bucknor merchant taylor of London, 1662 (UK Public Record Office Catalogue Ref: PROB 11/309/106)
Gerrard Bucknor was the son of John Buckner of Dromore Ireland. One interesting thing to observe is that he says he's in perfect health in April and is dead in September. It makes you wonder why he was writing a will if his health was so good. Did he expect to meet an untimely end by some other circumstance? He was apparently not much older than 30, if that. His executors noted that he "died suddenly and left a troublesome estate" according to a letter they sent to the court of Accomack County, VA in 1664. (J.R. McKey, Accomack County, Virginia, Court Order Abstracts HeritageBooks, (1996), Vol. 1, p. 103).
Gerrard is notable for being one of the earliest Buckners to have documented business interests in Virginia (William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 1. (Jul., 1874), pp. 13-18). It's unclear whether he personally went there, but there are extensive records of the proceedings of his estate in Accomack Co., VA (see McKey, p.1 ff.), and Thomas Buckner and Ralph Allen, his executors, seem to have carried on business on the Eastern Shore of Virginia as well, though this was perhaps only in the context of executing the estate. They seem to have conducted the affairs through their attorneys, and Col. Edmund Scarburgh claimed never to have heard of Gerrard Buckner before the arrival of the ship Vincent with Buckner's goods, "Buckner dying before its departure." (McKey, p. 110). According to Scarburgh, Gerrard Buckner and Thomas Webb had appropriated Scarburgh's tobacco from the Golden Faulcon in London on false pretexts and sold it at a low price to an alleged confederate of theirs, one Mr. Bogs. The Vincent carried Buckner's shipment to Virginia, despite his decease, and when it arrived, the goods were apparently subject to numerous claims.
Records of the Merchant Taylors of London indicate that "Garrott Bucknor" was admitted to his freedom on 27 June 1655 after an apprenticeship with Humphrey Kirby and the "assigns of Thomas Mallory" (this may mean that Kirby/Kilby had taken over Mallory's apprentices). Interestingly, a John Buckner was also admitted a Merchant Taylor in 1601 after apprenticing with Nicholas Davidge, though their relationship if any is not known. This John Buckner and Davidge appear to have lived in St. James Parish in Clerkenwell, and it is probably the same John Buckner who married there in 1608 and then again in 1609.
This is a sketch of the family relationships going back to Thomas Buckner, of Whitley, Berkshire, England (to the best of my knowledge as of this writing):
The legacy of the "herball books" to his cousin Thomas Bucknor is particularly interesting in that Thomas' father (Gerrard's uncle) Leonard Bucknor was a prominent apothecary and amateur botanist, who collaborated with Thomas Johnson, a fellow apothecary and botanist who compiled one of the most influential herbals of the period.
I've tried to preserved 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.
Date of will: 17 Apr 1662 in London
Probate: 13 Sep 1662 in London
People named in the will:
In the name of God Amen I,
Gerrard Bucknor of London, Marchant and taylor being in perfect health & memory
(blessed bee God) and sensible of human frailty and mortality having regard unto a
sacred precept to sett our house in order, doo by these presents desire to signifie to
the world in generall and the conserned (hereafter mentioned) in particular, this writing
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Of my own hand to be my last will and Testament renouncing all former acts or
words leading or induceinge any person in the world to beleive anything contrary
to these presents, First I declare (though I have lived a life of sinn) that I have
lived in the faith and doctrine of the Catholick protestant Church of England
in the Discipline of Episcopacy) which governance in the church God confirmed?
as long as the Sunn and Moon edureth; 2 I committ my Soule to God that
gave it mee in afull and assured hopes (through the plenary satisfaction of
my blessed Saviours death and passion upon the Cross for my sinns) to live in
glory forever 3 I committ my body (a corrupt and earthy Substance) to the grave
which together wth. my Soule, by God's Allmighty power belived? shall appeare in
incorruptible substance att the day of Judegement, and through faith in Christ my
redeemer to enjoy that bliss which my penn cannott expresse; 4 I Freely forgive
all the world all the injuries and wrongs that ever I sustained from them, directly
or indirectly and begg of God to forgive them also 5. I begg of all the world a
forgiveness of any injury or wrong that I have done them willfully or ignorantly
which I have also beg'd of god in my Quotidian prayer 6 For the dispose and
distribution of my temporall estate which God hath imbued within this world, itt
is first my desire that my Executors who shall be hereafter mentioned will
take care to pay all my Debts with as much speed as may bee 7 If I should
to dye in England or Holland that my executors take care that I may bee
decently buryed and that those funeral charges be first discharged before
any Legacy hereafter mentioned, 8 I give unto my mother tenn pounds
already paid her by Esq{e} Fitzgerald and sixe pounds in money and a
mourning Ring of tenn shillings, Item I give unto my Sister Mary Bucknor
the portion and estates that my father left mee in his will to be paid by my mother
and my Bro{ther} Jno. and tenn pounds in money for a mourninge Gowne and Ring of 10 s.
Item I give unto the eldest sonne of my Bro{ther} Jno. to be paid to the
father within tweleve mo{s} after my decease, Item I give unto every brother
and sister I have besides that are not mentioned 4�0s0d and Rings of tenn shillings
0s0d 9 I give unto my honored Aunt Frances Nedham tenn pounds for a
mourninge Gowne and a Ring of 10 s.and if she chance to dye before me how
-ever to be pd. toward her funeral charges,, Item I give unto Ann Needham her
eldest daughter one hundred pounds to be carefully paid her att 12 mos. after
my decease and tenn pounds for mourninge Gowne and a Ring of 20 s.
Item I give unto Mary Nedham her Sister fifty pounds to be paid as aforesaid
sixe pounds for a mourninge Gowne and a Ring of tenn s. 10 I give unto my
loving frriends by name Thomas Wimberly of London Marcht. and Jno.
Rigbey of Londo. Marchant-taylor each of them a Ring of Twenty shillings a
peece, Item I give unto John Johnson Anthony Wingfeild Jno. Boyes, Tho.
Greene each of them a Ring of tenn s. Item I gve unto Richard Hill, Fra. More
Lenard and Wm. Bucknor each of them a Ring of 10 s. Item I give unto my
Master Tho. Mallory and his wife and Hum: Kilbey and his wife each of them a
Ring of 20 s. ?? And for the inst[?] and honest performance of the p{ro}misses I
doo hereby appoint, request, ordeyne and constitute my lovinge freinds and kinsmen
Ralph Allen of Londo. Marchant and Thomas Bucknor of the post office London
Gent to be my lawfull executors and impower them to receive and pay my debts
possess themselves of all my Bookes of Accompts, writings and goods whatsoever
whereby to advantage their true inspection into my estate, and accordingly to
accomplish itt, and for their pains and fidelity herein I give them 10 L apeece
and each of them a Ring of 20 s, And incase any person mentioned herein shall
not live to enjoy the said Largesse then I give and bequeath them all unto Ann
Nedham incase she shall survive and to her heirs forever, and whatsoevermore my
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Estate thus divided shall be advanced to more; I will and bequeath the 1/3 to my Mother
and her family equally divided, and Third to Anne and Mary Nedham the other
Third to my Executors And for my Garments, Lynnen, Wardingclothes and
Utensills together with all manner of Household goods remayneinge and being in
the House situate in Bush Lane. I leave them to the sake and dispose & distribution
of my aunt Nedham excepting only a Clocke in an Ebony frame to my oldest
Brother, and the Herball Books unto sd. Tho. Bucknor, In my first Article of
funerall charge; I have proportioned fifty pounds besides any Legacy for
mourning, Item I give and bequeath unto Richard Eades my Ring wth. an Ama-
thist in itt and five pounds in mony for a Beaver Hatt to whom I comend the
Registering of my will, Dated in Londo. the seventeenth day of April one
thousand six hundred sixty two [17 Apr 1662].
Probatum fuit testamentum suprascriptum apud London coram ven[erabil]li viro
Jacobo Master legum doctore Surro[gato] ven[erabil]is viri Ino. Guilielmi Mericke? militis legum etiam
Doctoris Curiae prerogativae Cantuariensis magistri Custodis legitime constituti
decimo tertio die mensis Septembris anno dom. millesimo sexcentesimo sexagesimo
secundo [13 Sep 1662] Iuramentis Radulphi Allen et Thomas Bucknor executorum dicti defuncti
in eodem testamento ? quibus comissa fuit adminisitracio omnium et singulorum
bonorum jurium et creditorum dicti defuncti de bene et fideliter administrando eadem ad sancta
dei evangelia jurat [= probated 13 Sep 1662- nothing else particular interesting]