The will of Elizabeth Groombridge widow Browne of Withyham, 1683

date written: 7th January 1683
place: Withiham in County of Sussex
executor: son William Browne
presence of : Thomas Maynard
mark of: Anne Devanish

The maintenance and bringing up of her son Richard Browne

The sum of twenty pounds is to be put out to 'such person, persons as my loving friends Thomas Maynard of Hamsell and Henry Weller of Eridge Green see fit', to provide interest with which to provide for the maintenance of son Richard Browne.
After the death of Richard, any remainder is to be divided equally among her sons William and Ralph Browne and her daughter Joan Packham. Meanwhile the interest amounting to twenty shillings a year is to be paid to Richard Browne on the feast days of ' St Michael the Archangel' and of the 'Annunciation of the blessed Virgin Maria'.
Richard is to receive as well ' my border chest, featherbed …… curtains, vallance, blanketts, pillows, bolsters, all that belongs thereunto, and three pairs of sheets marked with the letter R.'
Elizabeth's daughter Joane Packham is to bring Richard up. If Richard survives Joane, then his brother William Browne will take over the responsibility.

Legacies

Son William Browne: five shillings each to his four children
Son Thomas Browne: five shillings to him, and five shillings each to his two children
Daughter Joan Packham: fourteen pounds six months after the death of her mother and five shillings each to her four children
Daughter Sara Fidge: the wife of Richard Fidge. She is to receive twenty pounds which represents the remainder of the fifty pounds for when she married. This should be paid when her father-in-law has paid the one hundred and twenty pounds estate he vouched for their marriage.
Grandchild Ann Greenwood: five pounds on her marriage day
Daughters Joan Packham and Sara Fidge are to receive too: 'two best suites of wearing apparell, woollen and linnen'. All the rest of the apparell is to be divided among daughters Joan Packham and Sara Fidge and daughter-in-law Katherine, the wife of son William Browne, and Ann Greenwood, grandchild and daughter of Richard Greenwood.
Son Ralph: twenty pounds in two portions i.e. ten pounds after three months from the testatrix's death and another ten pounds two years after. He is also to receive 'my great iron pott with the brand iron thereto belonging, brewing tubb and my……tubb; two of my drinking vessells and my two keelers(?), brass furnace; iron potte, ………two paires of my lowe sheets and one paire of my……sheets and two tableclothes and two towells, my table and foreme and my joynd chest and my boarder box and my iron ……and three pieces of pewter.