This is the last Will and Testament of me William 
Prowting of Chawton in the County of 
Southampton esquire whereby I commend my 
soul to God and dispose of my worldly estate in 
manner following that is to say first I will and 
direct that all my just debts and funeral expences 
be first paid and satisfied by my exors hereinafter 
named out of my Personal Estate also I give to the 
poor of the parish of Chawton the sum of ten 
pounds to be paid to the Church Wardens of the 
said Parish for the time being to be laid out in 
Bread and distributed amongst the Poor of the said 
Parish within one month after my decease at the 
discretion of the Churchwardens for the time also I 
give and bequeath unto my beloved wife 
Elizabeth Prowting the sum of one hundred 
pounds of lawful money of Great Britain to enable 
her to put herself and my three daughters in 
decent Mourning and for present purposes also I 
give and bequeath unto my sons in law Richard 
Edwards Nathaniel Lee and Benjamin Clement 
the sum of twenty pounds apiece for Mourning also 
I give and bequeath unto and amongst my 
Children who shall be ... at my decease all my 
Books to be divided between them in such 
Proportions and in such manner as my wife shall in 
her discretion think proper also I give and 
bequeath unto my said wife all my household 
Goods Plate linen china and other furniture of 
every sort and kind for her own use and benefit 
also I give and bequeath unto my said Wife all my 
Liquors of every kind Provisions and fuel for her 
use and benefit And whereas I have nominated my 
said Wife as a life in certain Copyhold now 
remaining my Property held of the Manor of 
Chawton thereby intending that she my wife shall 
have a beneficial estate for life in the said 
Copyhold estates respectively Now I do hereby 
ratify corroborate and confirm give and devise all 
and singular the said copyhold estates now 
remaining my Property in Chawton to my said wife 
for her life in addition thereto I give and bequeath 
unto my said wife one annuity or yearly sum of 
two hundred and fifty pounds of lawful money of 
Great Britain to be paid to her for and during the 
Term of her natural life by four equal quarterly 
Payments from the day of my death and in order 
to secure the payment thereof I will and direct that 
a sufficient sum of money be placed or continued 
out in some or one of the Public Stocks or funds of 
this Kingdom in the Names of my trustees and 
executors hereinafter named to enable them by 
the interest or Dividends thereof to answer and 
pay the accruing Payments of the said annuity of 
two hundred and fifty pounds to my said Wife as 
aforesaid And whereas on the coming of age of my 
three daughters Elizabeth Catherine Ann and 
Ann Mary I gave and transferred to them 
respectively certain stock annuities of the Bank of 
England and I consider that I made them equal 
gifts of such at such their coming of age 
respectively And whereas on the marriage of my 
said daughter Elizabeth with the aforesaid Richard 
Edward Nathaniel Lee I gave her eight hundred 
pounds sterling to purchase furniture and I also 
gave her on her said marriage two thousand five 
hundred pounds stock four per cent Bank annuities 
of the Bank of England which is vested in the 
names of Trustees settled to and upon the trusts 
for the benefit of the said Richard Edwd Nathaniel 
Lee and my said daughter Elizabeth and the 
Children of the said marriage particularly 
mentioned in the Deed of Settlement made 
previous to the said marriage of my said daughter 
Elizabeth which settlement bears date on or about 
the twenty third day of October one thousand eight 
hundred and one and is made between me the said 
William Prowting  and my said daughter Elizabeth 
of the first part the said Richard Edward Nathaniel 
Lee of the second part and Thomas Clement 
John Hawkins and Jonathan Radleigh of the 
third part  And whereas on the marriage of my 
said daughter Ann Mary with Captain Clement of 
the Royal Navy I gave my said daughter Ann Mary 
eight hundred pounds sterling and Two thousand 
pounds stock five per cent annuities of the Bank of 
England to be vested in trustees and settled and 
upon the trusts for the benefit of my said daughter 
Ann Mary and Benjamin Clement and the Children 
of the said marriage and in manner Particularly 
...... in the Deed of Settlement made previous to 
the said marriage of my said daugr Ann Mary 
which settlement bears date the fourth day of 
October last past and is made between myself of 
the first part Thomas Clement and Jane his Wife of 
the second part the said Benjamin Clement of the 
third part and Henry Clement William Clement 
Richard Edward Nathaniel Lee and Jonathan 
Rashleigh of the fourth part Now I do give and 
bequeath unto my daughter Catherine Ann the like 
sum of eight hundred pounds sterling and also two 
thousand Pounds stock five per cent annuities of 
the Bank of England to make her equal with her 
sisters Elizabeth and Ann Mary but in case I shall 
not at my decease have sufficient of the stock to 
pay or transfer the whole of the said five per cent 
annuities now given to my said daughter Catherine 
Ann then and in such case I give unto my said 
daughter Catherine Ann the sum of two thousand 
pounds sterling in lieu of the said two thousand 
Pounds five per cent as aforesaid which I consider 
equal to her married sisters on their said 
marriages respectively Also I make nominate 
constitute and appoint my good friends John 
Hawkins of Thursley esquire and Thomas 
Clement of Alton in the County of 
Southampton Gentleman executors & Trustees 
of this my Will to whom I give fifty pounds apiece 
for their trouble also I give devise and bequeath 
unto the said John Hawkins & Thomas Clement all 
my estates situate in East Worldham Chawton & 
elsewhere in the Kingdom of Great Britain (subject 
nevertheless to the estate for life of my said wife 
in the Copyholds in Chawton as aforesaid) and also 
all my monies securities for money and other my 
Personal estate whatsoever To hold to them the 
said John Hawkins & Thomas Clement their heirs 
executors administrators and assigns upon trust 
that they the said John Hawkins & Thomas 
Clement or the survivor of them or the heirs 
executors administrators and assigns of such 
survivor do and shall make sale of my said real 
estates (subject nevertheless to the estate for life 
of my said wife in the Copyholds as aforesaid) 
when and as soon in such Parts and Parcels as 
they in their discretion shall think proper and see 
expedient and I will and direct that all the monies 
arising by sale of my estates and every part 
thereof and also all my personal estate not 
otherwise disposed of shall be equally divided 
between all my aforesaid three children share and 
share alike but I will order and direct that the 
shares of my effects hereby by me given to my 
Daurs Elizabeth and Ann Mary respectively shall 
not be paid to my said daughters Elizabeth and 
Ann Mary but shal be paid to their said trustees of 
the respective Settlements made previous to the 
marriages of my said daughters Elizabeth and Ann 
Mary respectively or to such other persons as shall 
be trustees of the said respectively Settlements for 
the time being whose receipts alone shall be 
discharges for the same respectively and I direct 
that the said respective trustees of the said 
respective Settlements for the time being shall 
stand possessed of and interested in the said 
shares of my effects of my said daughter Elizabeth 
and my said daughter Ann Mary so to be received 
by or to be transferred to them respectively on 
their said respective marriages and I will and direct 
that after the decease of my said wife the sum to 
be placed out to secure her annuity of two hundred 
and fifty pounds for her life as aforesaid shall be 
equally divided between my said children in the 
same manner in every respect as my other 
personal estate is hereinbefore to be directed 
between them and that the respective shares of 
my said daughters Elizabeth and Ann Mary shall be 
paid to and vested in the said trustees of their 
respective marriage Settlements or the trusts of 
their said marriage settlements as aforesaid and I 
further will and direct that until sale of my estates 
the net rents and profits thereof respectively 
(except my Copyhold at Chawton given to my wife 
for her life as aforesaid) after payment of Taxes 
and repairs and other outgoings shall be equally 
divided between all my children share & share 
alike and I further will and desire that in case 
either of my executors and Trustees shall happen 
to die before the Trusts of this my Will are fully 
performed one or more now Trustee or Trustees 
shall be chosen by the survivor of my trustees with 
the consent of my wife during her life and after her 
decease with the consent of my Children interested 
therein and that when such trustee or trustees 
shall be chosen as aforesaid and all the trust 
monies estate and effects relating to the trusts so 
unperformed shall be immediately transferred 
assigned converted or vested in the names of the 
new trustee or trustees and of the old surviving 
trustee on the trusts aforesaid and so as often as 
by the death of a trustee there shall happen to be 
only one surviving trustee as aforesaid and I 
declare that the receipt and receipts of my said 
trustees or any or either of them or the heirs 
executors administrators or assigns of them or the 
survivor of them shall from time to time be a good 
and sufficient discharge or discharges to the 
purchaser and purchasers of my said estate and 
each and every of them for so much money as in 
such receipt and receipt shall be expressed to be 
received without such purchaser or purchasers 
concerning himself herself or themselves with the 
application misapplication or nonapplication of the 
purchase money and I also declare that my said 
trustees respectively shall not be answerable or 
accountable for any loss or losses that may happen 
to the said trust monies by bad securities or 
otherwise without their wilful and apparent neglect 
or default and that the one of them shall not be 
answerable or accountable for the acts receipts or 
defaults of the other but each of them for his own 
acts receipts or defaults only in the execution of 
this my Will and of the trusts hereby in them 
reposed and I also declare that my said trustees 
and each of them shall be at liberty to deduct and 
retain to their and his own use out of the money 
that shall come to their hands all their and each 
and every of their reasonable expences touching 
the execution of this my Will and the trusts hereby 
in them reposed and also that each of my said 
Trustees shall be at liberty to allow to his Co-
trustee his reasonable disbursements and 
expences touching the said trusts and I hereby 
revoke all former Wills by me at any time 
heretofore made In Witness whereof I the said 
William Prowting the Testator have to this my last 
Will and Testament contained in this and the three 
preceeding Sheets of paper set my hand and seal 
this ninth day of November in the Year of our Lord 
one thousand eight hundred and eleven Wm 
Prowting 
(Attestation Clause)
Martha Clement Alton _ Jno Trimming Geo 
Trimming Clerks to Mr Clement Solr Alton
(Codicil revoking absolute gift of household goods 
etc to wife and leaving them to her for her lifetime 
only dated 1 December 1814)
Proved at London 5 December 1821
PCC Prob11/1651