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Robert ALDOUS [Parents] was born about 1479 in of Fressingfield, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom. He was buried on 20 Jan 1559/1560 in Fressingfield, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom. Robert married Elizabeth ALDOUS.
Robert had a will on 4 Apr 1558 in Fressingfield, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom. His will was probated on 13 Dec 1560 in Fressingfield, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom.
From records in the posession of Tim Farr.
ROBERT and ELIZABETH ALDOUS
The earliest known record of Robert Aldous, born about 1479, is dated 1500, when he was apparently of age and named, with his father, William Aldous, in a deed by which they received property from his grandfather, Thomas Warner, property in Fressingfield, Suffolk, England, where they already resided. In 1502 another gift-deed includes Robert's mother Johan (Joan). There is also a 1518 deed about Robert and his parents deeding property to Robert's brother Thomas.
Robert, his father, and brothers Thomas and Richard appear on a tax list (subsidy) of 1524. In 1528 Robert and his daughter Johan (Joan) are named in Robert's father's will.
Robert and his wife Elizabeth became the parents of at least seven children; that number grew to adulthood, and there could have been others who died young.
Robert's will is dated 4 April 1558, and he calls himself “Robert Aldous thelder of Fresingfelde.” He had fairly extensive land holdings, and lived comfortably.
In his will his first concern is for his wife. “I will and geve to Elisabethe my wiffe all my lands and Tenements bothe Free and bonde/--Except onlye my Tenement wt the lands belonginge therunto called Gorhffrs together wt all my milche keene horses mares geldyings & Colts wt all my howsholde stuffe Come & other movables from the Feaste of Seynt Michaell tharchangell next after my decease unto thend and terme of thre yeres.” This bequest has one condition, which is “that my sayd wiffe do not Labour traveyle go or ryde out of the sayd towne of Fresingfelde.” The will continues, “And after the sayd terme of thre yeres expired then I will that my sayd wiffe shall have the parlor and the chamber over the parlour in the sayd howse for terme of her naturall liffe together and the Browerne w~ the soller over the same! And to have the easment of the chymney in the olde hall and the easment of the Oven in the backhowse when and as ofte as she will duringe hir liffe/: And also I will that Elisa- bethe my wiffe shall have halfe the Frute growytige of and upon the Tenement and lands the whiche I have geven unto my sonne Will!!! together wt the goynge or pasture and sufficient wynter meate for foure mylche keene in the lands whiche I shall geve hereafter heryn to my sonne Willm with my sayd howse/.” Additionally, Robert requests that Elizabeth, since she will have the family home, accept the responsibility of “keping therwithe hospitalitye and sufferinge my sonnes suche as be singlemen to have the newe chamber in the howse wherin I nowe dwell duringe the tyme that they be single and unmaryed.” Later in the will Robert mentions that sons William, John, and Robert are the unmarried ones and adds that they should have their chamber “so longe as they or anye of them shalbe unmaryed.” Also, Elizabeth is to have “all her Apparrell ornaments & Jowells belongynge to her bodye.”
Robert stipulates that after the said term of three years his son William is to receive for his own "my Tenement wherin I nowe dwell called Bournys wt all suche lands as be nexte adioyninge and belongynge . . . And also my horse mylle wt the stones and other Apprtenncs therunto belonginge Except the sayd parlor and Chamber for terme of my wyves liffe!: And after the decease I will the same parlour and Chamber shall remayne to my sayd sonne Willm.” In addition to “Bournys” William is, after the three years, to receive “my Close called Bardenes in Fresingfeld aforesayd and all that my Tenement sometyme buylded called Cotwyns wt all the lands therunto belonginge . . . Except twoo pecs percell of the same hereafter . geven . . . to my other sonnes/.”
For the privilege of inheriting the specified lands, Robert requests certain obligations of William, all after he comes into possession. The first obligation is that he shall pay his mother an “Annuytie or yerlye Rente” of thirty-three shillings three pence. The second is that he shall, “duringe the naturall liffe of my sayd wiffe delyver or cause to be delyvered . . . foure Combes of good wheate and fyve Combes of good malte readye grounde in good pure meale to bake and brewe! The sayd meale to be delivred evrye weeke A quantytye therof as my sayd wiffe shall have nede to have and occupye therof/.” Also he should "wtin thre monethes next after the sayd terme of thre yeres expyred and ended make or cause to be made in the tresens betwene the hall and the parlor in the howse wherin I nowe dwell, for A quyetnes betwene my sayd wiffe and my sayd sonne A payre of Steyres wt A dore goynge out of the sayd hall up into the Chamber over the sayd hall!.”
Son Thomas is already married, and to him his father gives “Imedyatlye after my decease all that my Tenement called Gorhms wt all the lands belongynge therunto lyenge and beynge in wetinghm [a hamlet in Fressingfield]! . . . Also . . . at thend of the terme of the sayd thre yeres the greater parte or pcell of my Closse called
Bellysuale Closse as it ys devyded and severed wt an hedge lyeinge next unto Gochis Closse Fyndinge halfe the deade Fence devydinge the same Close!.”
To son John, Robert bequeaths “at thend of the sayd thre yeres all that my medowe called Chepenhale grene medowe withe thapprtenncs conteynynge by estyma~on two Acres be yt more or lesse! And the two gardyn plotts next adioyninge to the sayd medowe, parcell of the whiche sayd medowe was and ys pcell of the sayd tenement Cotwyns before excepted And my medowe conteynynge by estymaron halfe an Acre be yt more or lesse wt thappttenffcs as yt lyethe next the medowe of my brother Thomas Aldous thelder called the Brydge medowe! And also all that my Close lyenge nexte the olde parke conteynynge by estymacon fyve Acres be yt more or lesse/ . . . all that my parte of the woode called Bellisuale woode conteynynge xxtie Acres together wt the sponge lyenge up to Bellisuale Closse lyenge next unto the pightells of John Owles Fyndynge teother halfe of deade Fence devydinge this his parte from the foresayd parte before geven to my sayd sonne Thomas!.”
Son Robert is to have “at thende of the sayd terme of thre yeres all my Closse called Carlowe wt thapprtenffcs and all that my Closse wt th apprtenncs called Androcks fylde with A litle medowe therunto adioynynge called grenes medowe conteynynge by estymacyon one Acre be yt more or lesse whiche sayd medowe was and ys thother parte or pece belongynge to the Tenement Cotwyns before excepted and halfe an Acre of land called Wallys slade and also one Acre of land lyenge in the parke Closse in Fresingfylde.”
There were three daughters in the family. Two of them were married before Robert made his will; they, Agnes Barbor and Johan Foxe, are bequeathed four marks each. The unmarried daughter, Alice, is to receive twenty marks “to be payd to her at the daye of her marryage or elles when she shalbe of thage of xxxtie yeres At whiche of the sayd tymes shall happen soneste!.” Three years following her father's decease Alice is to receive “foure mylche keene.”
After the same three years John and Robert are required to pay annuities to their mother Elizabeth. John's amount is twenty shillings, and Robert's is thirteen shillings four pence.
If the sons fail to live up to the requirements their father makes of them their mother can “entre into all my lands and tenements and everye pcell therof . . . and there . . . leade, dryve carye awaye with her or her assigneis to deteyne and kepe untill my sayd wiffe or her Assigneis shalbe of the sayd Anuyties or yerelye Rents and the sayd wheat and malte and everye parte of them and th arrerrages of the same yf anye shalbe fullye contented satisfyed and payd/.”
At the end of the three years, when Elizabeth is to give up the property, Robert provides that she should have “my graye mare and foure of the beste of my keene to be then taken at her choyse!.” At the same time daughter Alice and sons William, Thomas, John, and Robert are to each receive “foure mylche keene.” Additionally, William is to have “my baye mare,” John “my blacke Colte,” and Robert “my graye balde Colte.” Then, too, half of the “houshold stuffe” that Elizabeth has been using is “to be taken and parted indifferentlie.” The “other halfe of my howsholde stuffe” is to be “parted and devyded evenlye amongeste” sons William, John, and Robert, and “doughter” Alice.
Robert concludes with, “The resydue of all my goods Cattells moneye plate come and movables not afore geven & bequethed I putt them to the disposycon of my Executors whom I ordeyne & appoynte my wiffe Willm and John my sonnes they to paye my debts and performe therwith this my laste will and Testament and honestlye to burye me!.”
After Robert's will was written, his and Elizabeth's daughter Agnes, in 1558 the widow of Robert Barbor, prepared her will in which she names her brothers Thomas “Alldowes” and John “Aldowes,” as well as her children.
Two and a half years after preparing his will Robert died. He was buried 20 January 1559/60. Undoubtedly his wishes were carried out, with mother, daughter, and sons living at Bourneys and carrying on the farm tasks much as before. After two years daughter Alice died, and after three years the sons came into their possessions. William probably built, as directed, the stairway from the hall (the main room of the house) up to the hall chamber (the room above the hall). Apparently the already existing stairway was in the parlor (large bedroom and living room combined) and went up to the parlor chamber (another bedroom). These two rooms became exclusively Elizabeth's. The sons, still all three unmarried, used the hall (or main room of the house) and hall chamber. Or, since Robert lived more than two years after preparing his will, there is the possibility that he finished the stairway to the chamber above the hall, which chamber was new at the date of the will. Elizabeth likely received her wheat and malt from William, and the annuities from him, John, and Robert.
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