The will of John Nutter of Bull Hole Farm, 1617
John Nutter of Bull Hole Farm was a yeoman farmer whose name appears in The Wonderful Discovery of Witches in the County of Lancaster (1613).
His will was made out on August 17th 1617 and inventory was taken on the 30th of August. The registers of Newchurch in Pendle show John Nutter was buried that year.
His will was made out on August 17th 1617 and inventory was taken on the 30th of August. The registers of Newchurch in Pendle show John Nutter was buried that year.
John Nutter in The Wonderful Discovery of Witches in the County of Lancaster
She [Alizon Device] sayth, that one Iohn Nutter of the Bulhole in Pendle, had a Cow which was sicke, & requested her Grand-mother [Demdike] to amend the Cow; and her Graund-mother said she would, and so her Graund-mother about ten of the clocke in the night, desired her to lead her foorth; which she did, being then blind: and her Graund-mother did remaine about halfe an houre foorth: and her sister [Jennet Device] did fetch her in againe; but what she did when she was so foorth, she cannot tell. But the next morning she heard that the Cow was dead. And she verily thinketh, that her Graund-mother did bewitch the Cow to death.
And she further saith, That about sixe yeares agoe, a daughter of Anne Chattox, called Elizabeth, hauing been at the house of Iohn Nutter of the Bull-hole, to begge or get a dish full of milke, which she had, and brought to her mother, who was about a fields breadth of Nutters house, which her mother Anne Chattox tooke and put into a Kan, and did charne [charm] the same with two stickes acrosse in the same field: whereupon Iohn Nutters sonne came vnto her, Chattox, and misliking her doings, put the Kan and milke ouer with his foot; and the morning next after, a Cow of the Iohn Nutters fell sicke, and so languished three or foure dayes, and then died.
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| Bull Hole Farm Image shared from Pictures of England |
The will of John Nutter, 1617
In the name of God Amen, the 17th daie of August in the Fyfteenth yere of the Raigne of our dread soverigne Lord James, by the grace of God Kinge of England, France & Ireland, defender of the Faith etc And of Scotland the Fiftie one etc Anno domini.
I John Nutter of the Bullhole in Goldshaieboth in Pendle in the Countie of Lancaster yeoman sicke in Bodie but of good and perfecte Remembrance laud and praise be to Allmightie God therefore knowing that death ys to all persons most sure yet the hower thereof uncertaine. Considering allsoe that manie do sodenlie departe this lyffe noe will disposicion of their goodes being made whereby oftentymes it Falleth out that the debetes are unpaid and manie and great inconveniences doe arise. For the avoidinge whereof I doe constitue ordaine and pronounce my laste will and testament concernynge the disposicion of all my goodes Cattels and Chattels aswell reall as personall whatsoever in such manner and Forme as is hereafter expressed & declared in wrytiinge.
Firste & principallie, I geve and bequeth my soulle into the handes of Allmightie God, my Creator trustinge throughe the merites of Jesus Christe his sone and my alone saviour to be saved And my bodie to Xpian burial at the discrection of my executrix hereafter named.
Item After my debets are discharged & paide I devid all my goodes Chattels & Cattels into three equall partes one whereof I geve & bequeth to Agnes [see notes] my wife in manner and Forme of her reasonable parte or porporte of all my goodes & Chattels and Cattels according to the Custom of the Countie.
Item I geve and bequeth unto Roberte Nutter my youngest sone an other parte of all my goodes Chattels and Cattels for his filiall porcion of all my said goodes Chattels and Cattels.
Item The last & third parte I take to my sellffe to brynge me forth withall accordinge to the use of the Countie att the discrecion of my Friendes. I geve and bequeth unto John Nutter my sone and heire and unto John Nutter his sone one bulle, all oxen geare and all furniture theirto belonginge to be heirelomsse.
Item After my funerall expences discharge I geve and bequeth unto Jenet Croke whom I am grandfather unto £3. 6s. 8d.
Item The residue of all my goodes Cattles and Chattels I geve and bequeth unto Richard Nutter and Henrie Nutter sones of the foresaid John Nutter equallie to be devided between them and fynallie I doe ordaine constitue and make the foresaid Agnes my wiffe my true and lawfull Executrix to fulfill this my laste will and testament according to the truste I repose in her. These beinge witnesses: John Croke of Dimpanlie his marke John Hargreaves his marke John Stephenson.
Notes
Agnes Nutter was buried at St Mary's in 1623 and left a will
Agnes Nutter was buried at St Mary's in 1623 and left a will
Inventory
A trew Inventarie of all and singuller the goodes Chattles and Cattells of John Nutter latte of Bullholle in Goldshaieboth in Pendle in the Countie of Lancaster yeoman deceased Mad the 30th daie of August Anno regni Regis Jacobi dei gratia Anglie Francie et Hibernie fidei defensoris etc decimo et Scotie Ij [translation - in the tenth year of the reign of King James by the grace of God of England France and Ireland defender of the faith etc and of Scotland the 55th] Anno domini 1617 By William Nutter, Lawrence Stephenson, Richard Nutter and John Stephenson of Goldshaboth as Followethe.
In primis [1] in hay, corn and barley £14. 10s.
Item three oxen, one twinter [21] stot [25], and one heifer [12] £15. 13s. 4d.
Item wheels, wains [28], rathes [19], axeltrees [3], 1 coupé [7], 1 sled, yokes [33], teams [26], ploughs, coulter [6], shares [23] and oxen soles 45s.
Item in picks, wedges [29], gavelock [10], rakes, spades, shovels, hames [26], ropes and traces [27] 20s. 4d.
Item four kyne [15] and one calf £9.
Item one mare 13s. 4d.
Item one swine 13s. 4d.
Item one table 4s.
Item in arks [2], beds, chests, sagine [34], boards & cheese press 40s.
Item 1 axe, chisel, wimbles [30] & other husbandry tools with one turf spade [20] and one scythe 7s.
Item in meal, flesh, malt, salt, with swine meat 14s.
Item in bedding with his apparel £3 13s. 4d.
Item in pewter doublers [8a] & pans with one frying pan 30s. 8d.
Item in sacks, sieves, windowcloths [31] and beans 16s.
Item in wooden vessel and two ends [8b] with stone cups and two forms [9] 16s.
Item in timber, 1 grindlestone[11] and stone troughs 4s.
Item the lease of the corn tithe 63s. 4d.
Item in cheese 14s.
Item in bacon 4s.
Item one harrow [22] 2s.
Item pincers, hammer, shear with one whetstone 8d.
Item in pullane [18] 8d.
Item one poke [17], wheels, cards [5], mandes [16], wiskets [32], backstone [4], bag, bread, cushions, chairs, stools, 1 chimney with three sties [24] and all other husslements [14] husband stuff [13] whatsover 22s. 6d.
Debts owing to Robert Nutter his son 13s. 4d.
Total value of inventory: £60 0s. 9d.
Glossary
£ - Pounds s - Shillings d - Pence
[1] In primis - first and principally
[2] Ark - large chest or box used to hold meal, flour or grain
[3] Axeltree - bar or beam of wood or iron, connecting the opposite wheels of a carriage
[4] Backstone - flat piece of stone or iron used for baking
[5] Card - toothed instrument for disentangling wool/hemp fibres
[6] Coulter - vertically mounted component of a plow
[7] Coupé - four wheeled closed horse drawn carriage
[8a] Doubler - large dish, plate or bowl
[8b] End/Ends - end table
[9] Form - long seat without a back
[10] Gavelock - iron crow or lever
[11] Grindlestone - grindstone
[12] Heifer - young female cow that has not produced offspring
[13] Husband stuff - farming equipment
[14] Husslements - collection of small household items with no specific individual value
[15] Kyne - cows
[16] Mandes - possibly maund/maunds, a wicker basket
[17] Poke - bag or small sack
[18] Pullane - poultry
[19] Rathes - cart ladders
[20] Turf/Turves - see The turf spade
[21] Twinter - animal that is two years old, especially sheep and cattle
[22] Harrow - piece of farm equipment consisting of a row of blades fixed to a heavy frame
[23] Share - component of a plough
[24] Sties - pigsties
[25] Stot - inferior horse or an ox or bull
[26] Team/Hame - various straps or a harness
[27] Traces - pair of ropes, chains or leather straps connecting the collar of a draught animal to a swingtree
[28] Wain - wagon; four wheeled cart for hauling loads, usually pulled by horses or oxen
[29] Wedge - triangular shaped tool
[30] Wimble - instrument for boring holes
[31] Windowcloth - cloth used instead of glass for filling a window
[32] Wisket - basket
[33] Yoke - device for joining together a pair of draught animals, especially oxen
[34*] Sagine - ?
Further reading
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