90 THE WEDGWOODS. 



I now for the first time make public is dated June 26th, 

 1739, and was proved at Lichfield, the 25th of October in 

 the same year. It shows him to have been possessed of 

 landed property, and to have been a man far above the 

 station of a " poor potter.-" The following is a copy of this 

 interesting document. 



" In the Name of God, Amen. I, Thomas "Wedgwood, of Burslem 

 churchyard side, make this my last Will and Testament, in manner 

 & form following : Imp 8 I give and bequeath to my Son Thomas, 

 All my Heal Estate, chargeable & to be enter' d on as hereafter 

 mentioned, viz., my Will is that the produce of that part of my 

 Real Estate which is not settled on my Wife, shall be laid out by 

 my Exec rs - hereafter mentioned, in the bringing up of my younger 

 children, & in raising the sum of Six score pounds, which I hereby 

 charge my real estate with. And my Will is that the said sum be 

 equally divided among my six younger children, viz., Margaret, 

 John, Aaron, Richard, Katherine, & Josiah ; and tbat in paying the 

 said sums, the elder shall be still preferred before the younger. My 

 Will likewise is that my Ex ors - shall have power to mortgage any 

 part of the said Estate not settled, or the whole thereof, in order to 

 raise the Six score pounds or any part thereof. And my will further 

 is that my Son Thomas shall enter on the Estate not settled on 

 my wife, when the said several sums are paid as above, and not 

 sooner. And that if my Wife shall die before the payment of the 

 money to my children as above, then my Son Thomas shall enter 

 on the other part of my Real Estate, and pay of it twenty pounds 

 apiece to all & each of my younger children above mentioned, that 

 snail then be unpaid ; & the said Sums he shall pay them as they 

 shall severally arrive at the age of twenty years ; my mind, how- 

 ever, in this is, that if my younger children are all twenty years 

 of age when my Wife shall die, my Son Thomas shall enter on the 

 whole Estate paying as above. But if any one then under the age, 

 then he shall only enter on that w ch is my Wife's Jointure, & 

 make up to my said younger children twenty pounds apiece as they 

 arrive at the aforesaid age, reckoning first what is raised by my 

 Exe ors - towards it. I likewise give my said Son Thomas that 

 Leas d tenement now in the holding of Jn- Warburton, lying in 

 the parish of Burslem. Item, my will is that my debts, except on 

 mortgage & fun 1 expenses be paid out of the rest of my personal 

 Estate, except my household goods, w ch I leave to my Wife to use 



