Excerpts from a medieval Onge will

My "Ong Origins" talk from this past August at the Ong Mini-Reunion quoted a line from the 26 Feb 1439 (Old Style) will of Adam Onge of Barningham.  We are once again fortunate in our origins in that one of the earliest registers of wills by ordinary people to have survived is from western Suffolk, covering the Archdeaconry of Sudbury.  The full text, translated from the original Latin, can be found in "Wills of the Archdeaconry of Sudbury, 1439-1474: Wills from the Register "Baldwyne", Part I", Peter Northeast, ed., Suffolk Records Society, 2001.  I don't have permission to reproduce the text here, but it can be seen on Ancestry.com.   (You can also buy the book on Amazon.)

But I will share a few excerpts to illustrate how different were the concerns of our pre-Reformation ancestors!  The first bequests in the will are:

"To the fabric of Barningham tower beyond what is in the testament 23s 4d.

"To the Friars of Babwell to say and celebrate a trental (mass to be said on day falling 30 days after death -Ed) of St Gregory the pope for my soul and for the souls of my parents and friends 10s.

"To the Friars Preachers of Thetford 3s 4d.

"To the Austin Friars of the same town 3s 4d.

"A hundred masses to be said and celebrated at my seventh day for the health of my soul.

"A man to go to the Roman curia to visit the court of the apostles Peter and Paul there."

Then the will details Adam Onge's various land holdings (over 40 acres) in Barningham to be held by his wife Margaret for the term of her life provided she stays unmarried.  Adam did have a son, William, but he was not so generously treated as a beneficiary to my reading:

"If Margaret my wife do not marry and remains good and chaste then no part of the said tenement to be sold, but to remain whole for her lifetime. After her decease, the land and tenement to be sold and the £40 distributed, and what of the lands and tenement remains unsold to remain to the use of William ONGE my son, to hold to him and his heirs of the chief lords (etc) for ever on condition that he conduct himself well and provide two men to go to the Roman curia and visit the court of the apostles Peter and Paul. If he do not behave well towards his mother he is to have nothing."

Ouch!  But the terms of this will did not uproot the family from the parish since members of the Onge family continued to live in Barningham for another two centuries.

Update (Aug 2018): My cousin and English correspondent, Les Ong, has transcribed the text from the original document.  This text is able to be shared publically and is reproduced below:

Adam ONGE, Barningham, Suffolk.

Will made    31 Jan 1439/40.

Will proven 26 Feb 1439/40.

Archdeaconry of Sudbury.

Testament

To be buried in the parish churchyard of St Andrew the Apostle of Barningham.

A cow of dun colour to go before me on my burial day as a mortuary.

To the fabric of Barningham tower 3s 4d.

To the parish clerk 6d.

To each of my godsons a ewe.

To the nuns of Thetford 4 bushels of wheat.

To the church of All Saints of Stanton 6s 8d and to the church St John the Baptist there 6s 8d.

Residue of all my goods to disposition of executors: Margaret my wife, Bartholomew DRAPER of Thetford and John NONNE of Rougham, with Adam [CAYWEYN?] as recorder.

Will (of same date)

To the fabric of Barningham tower beyond what is in the testament 23s 4d.

To the Friars of Babwell to say and celebrate a trental of St Gregory the pope for my soul and for the souls of my parents and friends 10s.

To the Friars Preachers of Thetford 3s 4d.

To the Austin Friars of the same town 3s 4d.

A hundred masses to be said and celebrated at my seventh day for the health of my soul.

A man to go to the Roman curia to visit the court of the apostles Peter and Paul there.

To each of my executors for his labour 5s.

To Adam [CAYWEN?] 12d.

To Margaret the daughter of John NUNNE and Isabel his wife a tenement called Robynes in Barningham, after the decease of Margaret my wife, to hold to her and her heirs of the chief lords (etc) in perpetuity.

To Margaret my wife all my lands and tenements, pasture (etc) in Barningham for term of her life, committing no waste (etc) provided she remains unmarried. If she marry, as much land and tenements (etc) to be sold as will come to £40, the money to be expended in pious uses for the health of my soul and the souls of my parents and friends, viz. an enclosure of 3 acres 1 rood of land lying under Barningham rectory on the west; an enclosure containing 7 acres of land lately purchased of William WODEWARD at Fustymer; a piece of land of 8^1/2 acres at le Sevenackres; an enclosure containing 1 acre 3 roods of land at Wolsike; 2^1/2 acres of meadow and pasture at Smethemere; 5 acres  1 rood of land and pasture in two pieces in the field called Bellond; ^½ acre of land in a furlong called Baldryes halfakre; 1 acre 3 roods of land in two pieces at Alferismer; one head abutting on the close of Thomas MELLER called Ingham; 12 acres 1^½ roods of land in three pieces in the field called Southfield of which 7 acres is called Longhege; 3 acres 1^½ roods at Petakre and 3 acres at Stanton Way; a piece of land of 1^½ acres at Welleclos; 1 acre 1 rood of land under Aldebrege lately purchased of William WODEWARD; a tenement with the croft lately purchased of Simon {DALYMER?] reckoned at 1 acre 3 roods of land and an enclosure called Southcroft reckoned at 1 acre 3 roods of land. These all to be sold after the death of Margaret my wife and disposed as above.

To Margaret the daughter of John NUNNE 20 ewes, after my death.

If Margaret my wife do not marry and remains good and chaste then no part of the said tenement to be sold, but to remain whole for her lifetime. After her decease, the land and tenement to be sold and the £40 distributed, and what of the lands and tenement remains unsold to remain to the use of William ONGE my son, to hold to him and his heirs of the chief lords (etc) for ever on condition that he conduct himself well and provide two men to go to the Roman curia and visit the court of the apostles Peter and Paul. If he do not behave well towards his mother he is to have nothing.

All my feoffees to [deliver estate?] to my executors.

Seal appended.

Proved in Ixworth parish church 26 February 1439. Admon to Margaret and John executors. Power reserved to Bartholomew DRAPER the other executor when he comes.