In the Name of God Amen I James Compton of Old Stratford in the County of Northampton Blacksmith being at this time ill in health but of sound mind memory and understanding and considering the uncertainty of this life to make and published this my last Will and Testament contained in these three sheets of paper the two first of which I have signed my name and seal And I hereby revoke all former Will all Wills by me made at any time before made and Anne declare this to be my last and Testament It is my request that I may be decently buried in the burying ground of the independent Chapel of Stony Stratford in the county of Buckingham And as to my worldly estate of which God of his goodness has been pleased to bestow  upon me I give as follows (that is to say I give and bequeath unto my dear Wife Mary Compton for money Mary Underwood All my stock in trade furniture goods chattels stuffs and effects book debts bills bonds and securities for money and all other my Personal Estate whatsoever I am at the time of my decease possessed of for her own absolute use and benefit and at her free will and disposal and subject only to the payment of all my just debts and the expences of an attendant the proving this my will attendant thereon And as to my real estate which I am possessed of situate at Denshanger in the parish of Passenham and elsewhere in Great Britain I give devise and bequeath the same and every part there of unto my Executors and Trustees here in after named upon trust In the first place that they my said Executors and Trustees should permit and suffer my said Wife Mary Compton to enjoy the rents issues and profits of the whole of my said estates for and during the term of her natural life without impeachment of waste or of any other interruption by my said Executors and Trustees And immediately after the decease of my said Wife then I direct my Executors and Trustees to make immediate sale thereof the whole of my said real estate either by public auction or private contract as they may deem best And I direct that they do retain all costs charges and expences attendant upon such sale or otherwise with the sale thereof But as to the Proving this my Will and the testamentary expenses attending the same together with all charges and expences I direct may be paid out of my personal estate out of the first monies that can be received out of the same And I give and bequeath the following legacies which I direct may be paid out of my real estate within twelve months next after the decease of my said Wife as follows I give and bequeath unto Sarah Gayton now living with Mr French of Warwick Ironmonger thirty pounds I give and bequeath unto James Gayton now apprenticed to and residing with me the sum of thirty pounds I give and bequeath unto William Gayton of Stony Stratford Masons Labourer the sum of ten pounds I give and bequeath unto Sarah Giles Wife of James Giles of Castle Throp Northamptonshire [Buckinghamshire] Labourer the sum of nineteen pounds I give and bequeath unto Rebecca Ayres Wife of Henry Ayres of Leicester Shopkeeper the sum of nineteen pounds I give and bequeath unto Samuel Caladine Son of John Caladine of Stony Stratford Shoemaker the sum of nineteen pounds And as to all the rest and residue that may be remaining out of the residue of my said real estate and after payment of the aforesaid legacies as aforesaid I give and bequeath the same unto Walter Underwood Junior son of Walter Underwood Senior now residing at Brighton in the county of Sussex postmaster And in case the said Walter Underwood Junior should die before the event of such legacies becoming payable then I give such residue as aforesaid to the said Walter Underwood Senior And in case of any of such other legatees so dying before such their legacy should become payable then in such case such legasee should go to the said legatee the said Walter Underwood And it is my request that either of my said Executors and Trustees should only be responsible for that money that he may receive and not the one for the other unless by their wilful default the same may be lost And the purchaser or purchasers of my said real estate shall not be bound or required to see the application of the purchase money or monies respectively And the receipt or receipts of my said Executors and Trustees shall be sufficient for them for or his discharge for the same And I give to my friend Mr William Johnson of Old Stratford aforesaid as a token of friendship the sum of five pounds to buy him a mourning ring And I also give to his Wife Mary Johnson the like sum of five pounds to buy her a mourning ring And I also give to William and Sarah Johnson the two children of the said William Johnson the like sum of five pounds each to be applied to the use of the said two children as their Father William Johnson should deem our best for their use And in case of either of them the said Mary Johnson William and Sarah Johnson so dying before the event of such a legacy becoming payable then and in that case I give the same to the survivor And it is my wish that such legacies may be paid immediately after my decease out of my personal estate and in case they should not be sufficient to pay the said legacies out of my said personal estate then I direct the same to be paid out of my real estate to be paid after the death of my said Wife And I hereby appoint my friends Mr William Johnson of Old Stratford in the county of Northampton Farmer and Cattle Dealer and Mr Edward [Edwin]f Revill of Stony Stratford in the county of Buckingham Ironmonger my Trustees and Executors of this my last Will and Testament And for their trouble in undertaking upon himself or themselves the trusts of my Will I give and bequeath to them each the sum of fifteen pounds which together with the expenses attending upon by proving this my Will and the testamentary expences attending the same with all other expences I direct my said Executors and Trustees may retain the same out of the first monies that may come to their hands out of my personal estate In Witness thereof I the said James Compton the testator have hereunto set my hand and seal this Twenty second day of July one thousand eight hundred and forty three The Mark of James X Compton Signed sealed published and declared by the said James Compton the testator in the presence of us who in his presence and at his request and in the presence and bequest of each other have here unto subscribed our names as witnesses here to G. Ventris Field Solicitor Finchley Middlesex G. Underwood Farmer Shenley Bucks

I James Compton of Old Stratford in the County of Northampton Blacksmith do make publish and declare this present writing as and for and to be taken as a Codicil to my last Will and Testament in writing duly made and executed by me and bearing date the twenty second day of July last And I direct the same to be annexed their two and be taken as part thereof Whereas in my said Will I gave to Sarah Gayton who was then living with Mr French of Warwick Ironmonger the sum of thirty pounds Now I do hereby revoke and make void the said bequest and legacy of thirty pounds to the said Sarah Gayton and it is my will and request that the said sum of thirty pounds so revoked by me made by my Executors be carried to the general residue of my estate and be applied and disposed of in the manner in my said Will mentioned concerning the same And I do hereby ratify and confirm my said Will in all respects save and except so far as the same is hereby revoked altered or varied In witness whereof I the said James Compton and have to this Codicil set my hand this seventeenth day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty three The Mark of James X Compton Signed published and declared by the said testator James Compton as and for a Codicil to be annexed to his last Will and Testament and be taken as part thereof in the presence of both of us George Dickins Baker Old Stratford John Wilson Old Stratford

In the Goods of James Compton deceased

Appeared Personally John Wilson of Old Stratford in the County of Northampton Sadler and made Oath that he is one of the subscribed witnesses to the Codicil to the last Will and Testament of James Compton late of Old Stratford in the County of Northampton deceased the said Codicil bearing the date the seventeenth day of November one thousand eight hundred and forty three now here unto annexed And further made Oath that the said testator on the seventeenth day of November aforesaid duly executed the said Codicil by subscribing his mark at the foot or and thereof in the presence of this deponent and of George Dickins the other subscribed witness thereto both of whom were present at the same time And this deponent and the said George Dickins thereupon attested and subscribed the said Codicil in the presence of the said testator and of each other John Wilson The tenth day of April 1844 the said John Wilson was sworn to the truth hereof Before me Donald Macduff Mackintosh Commissioner

Proved at London with a Codicil 7^th of June, 1844 by four the judge by the oaths of William Johnson and Edwin (in the Will written Edward) Revill the Executors to whom administration was granted having been first sworn by Commission duly to administer

Probate: 07 June 1844