Printed with permission of the Cheshire Record Office where the records are deposited Copyright is reserved to the owner/ depositor
This is the last will and testament of me Peter Featherstone of Macclesfield in the county of Chester Butcher made the twenty seventh day of February in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty one I will order and direct that all my just debts funeral and testamentary expenses be paid as soon as conveniently may be after my decease by my executors hereinafter named [except the sum of five hundred pounds owing by me on mortgage of my Freehold Estate situate in Heathcote and Biggon in the County of Derby to Mrs Ann Oldfield of Carsington near Wirksworth in the said county of Derby] and subject thereto I devise give and bequeath unto my said executors their heirs executors administrators and assigns All that my said freehold estate with the appurtenances thereunto belonging And also all those my nine leasehold houses with their appurtenances situate in Lowe [Lorne] Street in Sutton in the said county of Chester Together with all my household furniture stock in trade and all other my real and personal estate wheresoever and whatsoever that I may die possessed of or entitled to Upon trust that my said Trustees and executors do and shall permit and suffer my wife Elizabeth to have the use of all my household furniture for her life and for her to carry on my trade during her life or so long as she shall think proper for the benefit of my said wife and my children Martha Eliza and Peter or any future child or children I may have by my said wife until they respectively attain the age of twenty one years but in case my said wife shall decline to carry on my said trade then I direct my said trustees and executors to sell and dispose of the same in the best manner they can and the money arising from such sale to invest on freehold leasehold or Government Security the interest arising therefrom together with the rents and animal proceeds arising from my said freehold estate and leasehold houses and all other my estate and effects wheresoever and whatsoever I direct my said trustees and executors to permit and suffer my said wife to receive and get in for the benefit of herself and my said children and after the death of my said wife then I direct my said trustees and executors to sell the whole of my said household furniture and stock in trade if not before disposed of and the money arising therefrom to be placed out at interest as before directed which interest together with all other my estate and effects I direct my said trustees and executors to receive and get in and to apply the same towards the maintenance support and education of all my said children until they shall respectively attain the age of twenty one years and the lawful issue of such of them so dying under that age such issue taking only their deceased parents share and as soon as conveniently may be after my youngest or youngest surviving child shall attain the age of twenty one years I direct my said trustees and executors or the survivor of them their heirs executors or administrators to sell and dispose of the whole of my said freehold estate and leasehold houses and get in all my said personal estate and the money arising therefrom to be equally divided amongst all my children then living and the issue of such of them as shall be dead leaving issue such issue taking only their deceased parents share In case all my said children shall die without leaving lawful issue or leaving such issue and all such issue shall happen to die without leaving lawful issue then I direct that the whole of the said trust monies shall be divided into four equal parts or shares One fourth part or share thereof to go to and be divided equally amongst all the children then living of William Bowers of Wilmslow grocer one other fourth part or share thereof to go to and be divided equally amongst all the children then living of Jane late the wife of George Watts of Stockport butcher one fourth part or share thereof to Ralph Crowder of Sutton aforesaid butcher and the remaining fourth part or share thereof to the children then living of Ann the wife of Joseph Clarke of Macclesfield aforesaid cattle dealer And for facilitating the sale of my said freehold and leasehold hereditaments and premises I declare that the receipt or receipts of my said trustees or the survivor of them his heirs executors or administrators shall be a good and sufficient discharge or good and sufficient discharges to the purchase or purchasers thereof or any part thereof for the money therein expressed to be received and that such purchaser or purchasers shall not afterwards be accountable for the misapplication or nonapplication of such purchase money or be obliged to see to the application thereof And I nominate and appoint my said wife the said William Bowers and the said Ralph Crowder executors of this my will and guardian of my children and direct that they shall have a reasonable allowance out of my estate for their loss of time and trouble and expenses incurred in the execution of the trusts of this my will and direct that they shall not be accountable for unavoidable losses and each only for herself and himself and her and his own respective acts and revoking all other wills I declare this to be my last In witness whereof I the said testator Peter Featherstone have hereunto set my hand the day and year first above written
Signed by the said Testator Peter Featherstone as and for his last will and testament in the presence of us present at the same time who at his request in his presence and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses
Peter Featherstone Peter Burgess John Wilson
Dated 27th February 1851
Will of Mr Peter Featherstone
Ninth day of June 1853
Elizth Featherstone Wm Bowery [in the will called Bowers] and Ralph Crowder Exsr in this will named were sworn in common form and they further made oath that the testators personal estate and effects within the diocese of Chester at the time of his death were under the value of ffour hundred and fifty pounds before me £450 Chwon Pratt surrogate
The testator died the 16th day of May 1853 Prs;ispurd Dated 15th June 1853