Where there's a will...

Today's research snippet. This is a will of Henry II written at Waltham in 1182. He didn't die until 1189, so there will be later versions knocking about, but here's this one.

‘Henry, King of England, duke of Normandy and Guienne and count of Anjou to Henry the King, Richard, Geoffrey, and John his sons; to all Archbishops, Bishops, abbots, Earls, barons, justices, and bailiffs, throughout the whole extent of his dominions, health and greeting.

‘I make known to you that at Waltham in the presence of Richard, Bishop of Winchester, John, Bishop of Norwich, Geoffrey the chancellor, my son, Master Walter de Constantiis, archdeacon of Oxford, and Godfrey De Lucy archdeacon of derby, Ralph De Glanville, Roger the son of Remfrid, Hugh of Morewic, Ralph the son of Stephen the Chamberlain and William Rufus, I have made my will as to the disposal of a certain portion of my money, according to the manner following.

‘To the military house of the temple at Jerusalem I give 5000 marks of silver; to the house of the hospital at Jerusalem, 5000 marks of silver; for the common defence of the holy land, 5000 marks of silver; to be received by the hand, and in the presence of the masters of the temple and the hospital at Jerusalem, except that money which I had before entrusted to be kept by the aforesaid houses, namely of the temple and hospital, which I give, in like manner, for the defence of the land of Jerusalem itself, unless I shall wish to revoke the same in my lifetime.

‘And to the other religious houses of the whole of the land of Jerusalem, to that of the lepers and of the anchorites and of the hermits, in the same land, I give 5000 marks of silver to be divided by the hand, and in the presence of the patriarch of Jerusalem, and of the Bishops of the holy land, and of the masters of the temple and of the hospital.

‘To the religious houses of England, of monks, canons, nuns, lepers, and anchorites, and hermits of the same land, 5000 marks of silver, to be divided by the hand and in the presence of Richard Archbishop of Canterbury, Richard Bishop of Winchester, Baldwin of Worcester, Geoffrey of Ely and John of Norwich, and of Ralph De Glanville, chief justice of England.  To the religious houses of Normandy, of monks, canons, nuns and anchorites, and hermits of the same land, 3000 marks of silver, to be divided by the hand, and in the presence of the Archbishop of Rouen, and of the Bishops of Bayeux, Avranches, Seez, and Evereux.

‘To the houses of the lepers of the same land 300 marks of silver to be divided by the hand and in the presence of the parties before named.  To the nuns of Mortagne, 100 marks of silver.  The nuns of Veileres outside Falaise, 100 marks of silver.

‘To the religious houses of the territory of the count of Anjou, my father, except the nuns of the order of Fontevraud, 1000 marks of silver to be divided by the hands of the bishops of Le Mans and Anjou; but to the nuns themselves of Fontevraud, and to the houses of the order, 2000 marks of silver to be divided by the hand and in the presence of the abbess of Fontevraud.

‘To the nuns of Saint Sulpicius in Brittany 100 marks of silver.

‘To the house and order of Grammont, 3000 marks of silver.

‘To the house and whole order of the Carthusians, 2000 marks of silver.

‘To the house of the Cistercians and to all houses of that order, except in the houses of the same order which are in my own land to which I have given a portion, 2000 marks of silver, to be distributed by the hand and in the person of the abbot of Citeaux and Clairveaux.

‘To the house of the Cluniacs, 1000 marks of silver besides that which I have lent to that house which I fully give to it, Unless I should wish to revoke that gift in my lifetime.

‘To the house of Marmontier, I entirely give 1000 marks of silver, which I lent to it, unless I should wish to require them again in my lifetime.

‘To the nuns near Camac,  100 marks of silver.

‘To the house of Premontre, and the whole order except the houses of the same order which are in my own territory, 200 marks of silver.

‘To the house of Aroes and to the whole order except the houses of the same order in my own land, 100 marks of silver.

‘Towards the marriage of poor and free women of England who want assistance, 300 marks of gold, to be distributed by the hand and in the presence of Richard Bishop of Winchester, Richard of Worcester, Geoffrey of Ely, and John of Norwich, and Ralph De Glanville.

‘For the marriage portions of poor and free women of Normandy who want assistance, 100 marks of gold, to be divided by the hand and in the presence of the Archbishop of Rouen, and the Bishops of Bayeux, Avranches, Seez and  Evereux.

‘For the marriage of poor and free women of the territory of the county of Anjou, which belonged to my father, 100 marks of gold, to be distributed by the hand and in the presence of the Bishops of Le Mans and Anjou.

‘Moreover I had made this will in the aforesaid place in the year of the incarnation of our lord 1182; which I command you, my sons, to cause to be firmly and inviolately kept, by the faith which you owe to me, and by the oath you have thereupon sworn to me, and that you will lay no hand upon those who have made the will, or who shall be the executors.  And whoever shall have presumed to contravene this let them incur the indignation and anger of almighty God, and the curse of God himself and mine.

‘But to you Archbishops and Bishops, I command, by the oath which you have sworn to me, and the faith which you owe to God and to myself, that, having solemnly lighted candles in your synods, you excommunicate, and cause to be excommunicated all those who shall have presumed to violate this my will; and know that our lord the pope has confirmed this my will by his hand and seal, under a threat of anathema.  The sum, 46,000 marks of silver, and 500 marks of gold.’

today's photo.  Manorbier Castle, home of Gerald of Wales who is the written source of this particular will.