#NextGenDyers

This is the will of Thomas Reede (or Rede), citizen and dyer of London, dated 9 June 1492, in the 7th year of the reign of Henry VII.

Thomas Reede was a London dyer and member of The Dyers’ Company and lived in the parish of St Benet, Paul’s Wharf in London. Although ill, he says he is whole of mind and in good memory and therefore able to make a valid will.

Like most medieval wills, it begins with a prayer. He commends his soul to God, the Virgin Mary, and all the saints, requests burial in his parish church (St Benet, beside Paul’s Wharf), leaves 6s 8d to the high altar for unpaid tithes, 10s toward church works and 40s to be distributed to the poor on the day of his death.

He requests that six men of the Dyers’ craft who carry his body each receive a silver spoon and that The Dyers’ Company receives a gilt covered cup decorated with marguerites (ox-eye daisies), to remain with the guild so that they will “have my soul the more tenderly in remembrance”.

Family

His family comprises his wife, Letice (Lettice) Reede and daughter Johanne (Joan) Colyns who is married, his granddaughter Letice Colyns, his son Robert Rede and his deceased daughter Agnes, who had married Robert Lytton. This son-in-law was an esquire connected with royal financial administration.

Property

Thomas Reede owned property in Southwark (known as “Stews Side”) and orders his wife Letice to sell them, giving £20 to daughter Johanne and £20 to granddaughter Letice (at age 21 or upon marriage). Should the granddaughter die young, the money should pass back to her mother or her mother’s other children. The remainder of the sale money is to be used for clothing the poor (with waistcoats, stockings, shoes) and repairing highways where most needed.

Thomas also owned three tenements in Thames Street, formerly called “The Spore” (likely to be an inn, perhaps “The Spur”). Since his co-owners have died, he now holds full ownership. He leaves life interest to his wife Letice (she must keep them in good repair), and after her death to his son Robert Rede (it is not known whether he is alive). If Robert is dead, the three tenements should be divided between Thomas Lytton, George Lytton and his granddaughter, Letice Colyns.

Thomas Reede also owns property in West Ham (Essex), including a house called “Cristendomes”, a dovecote, 11 day-works (the amount of land one man could plough in a day) of enclosed land, additional marshland and another house in Church Street with 3 acres. Of these properties, he gives life interest to his wife, then to his son Robert and if Robert is dead, then to William Lytton, his grandson and heir. The Church Street property goes to granddaughter Letice if she reaches 21 or marries, otherwise to her mother.

Gifts to Servants & Apprentices

He leaves 20 shillings each to former apprentice Thomas Huntman, Richard Hatton (former apprentice) and several servants (Margery Mattoke, Robert Hatton, etc.) He also gives 20s to Richard Lytton (of the King’s Exchequer) and Nicholas Radich. These payments are explicitly to encourage them to help his widow with legal matters.

Debts Forgiven

He forgives various debts owed to him, either fully or partially. One man must still pay £10 to his wife.

Final Arrangements

Thomas’s wife Letice is sole executrix, with Robert Lytton appointed overseer/supervisor of the will and any remaining goods go entirely to his wife. The will is sealed in the presence of witnesses.

This will tells us that Thomas Reede was a prosperous London craftsman, well-integrated into guild and parish life, a property owner in both London and Essex and financially secure enough to own multiple tenements, lend substantial sums of money, leave silver and gilt plate and provide significant charitable gifts. His will shows strong concern for orderly inheritance, careful legal structuring using trustees, deep religious concern typical of late medieval England and protection of female heirs through trusteeship arrangements.

This copy is for The Dyers Company by way of thanks for their help in providing some biographical detail about the testator.

PROB 11 -9-175 Doggett Scans 137 – 139 folios 682 – 69r    

Scan 137 [fol.68r]

Passio domini nostri Jh[es]u Cristi p[er]ducat nos ad gaudia p[ar]a

disi amen And in the name of god amen The ix^th day of Junij the yere of

oure lord god MCCCCLxxxxij And the vij^th yere of the Reigne of Kyng Henry the vij^th

I Thomas Reede Citezen and Dier¹ of london though I be visited with Sykenes nev[er]

theles being hole of mynde and in good memory Laude and praising be unto my

lord god understonding that nothing is so certaygne as is deth And nothing more

uncertaygne than the hou[re] therof not willing by the grace of god to dep[ar]te oute

of this mortall lif intestate make and ordeigne this my p[rese]nt testament conteynyng

therin my Last will of my Landes and tenement[es] here undre wryten in the ma/

ner and fo[ur]me folowing that is to wite First I bequeth and Recommend my soule to all

myghty god my maker and my redem[er] And to the most glorious virgine his modre ou[r]

Lady saint mary And to all the holy College of saint[es] And my body tobe buried

in the p[ar]issh church of saint Benett besides Powlys Warf² of London that is to

wite in a Convenient place ther[e]aftre the discrecion of Letice my wif And aftre

my body be so buried thanne I woll that all the dueties which I owe of right or of

conscience to any maner of p[er]sonne or p[er]sonnes be first and formost and before all

other thinges wele and truly paied or set in a sure way tobe paid And aftre that

donne than I bequeith to the high Aulter of the said p[ar]issh church of saint Benet

for my thithes and oblacions witholden or forgoten if any so be in discharge of my

soule vj s viij d Item I bequeth to the Werkes of the body pf the same p[ar]issh church

for my saide sepulture tobe hadde therin x s Item I bequeth tobe disposed the day

of my decesse amonge poure people for my soule and tobe distributed amonge them

aftre the discrecion of Letice my wif xl s Item I bequeth to the vj p[er]sonnes of my

Craft of Dyers that shall bere my body dede to the church and so to my buring

vj of my spones of silv[er] aftre the discrecion of Letice my wif that is to ev[er]ich of them

one spone Item I bequeth to the Wardins and feliship of my craft of Diers to do them

Worship with all at such recreations as they shall use to make to ………to remayne

amonge them as longe as it may endure to thentent that woll like them to have my

soule the more tenderly in Remembra[u]nce amonge them my gilt Cup covered

pounsede with margarites Item I woll that mi \ij/ tenement[es] set at stewes side³ be

sold assone as they may goodly aftre my decesse by the saide Letice my wif at as

good price as she shall selle them And I woll that the p[er]sonnes that beth my feoffes

or my coefeoffes of and in the same make a sufficiant astate in the Lawe whane

they shalbe required therto by my saide letice my wif unto that p[er]sonne or thoo

p[er]sonnes to whome the said sale by the said Letice my wif so shalbe made of

and in the saide ij tenement[es] set at the said stewes side to have and to hold unto

them in fee simple And of the money com[m]yng of the same sale I woll that

 Johanne Colyns⁴ my doughter have xx li to hire owne use of my gift And

I woll that Letice Colyns hir suster⁵ have other xx li therof my gift tobe

delyvered unto hir whan she shall come to hir Laufull age of xxj yeres or els

Whane she shalbe mariede And I woll that the same xx li remayne in the

keping of the said Letice my wif tyll the said Letice Colyns come to hir said

Scan 138 [fol. 68v]

Age or mariage if the same Letice my wif live so longe And if she dey in the meane

tyme Thanne I will that the worshipfull p[ar]sonne Robert Lytton squier my sonne in

Lawe⁶ have the custodie of the same xxli till the said Letice Colyns come to hir saide age

of xxj yeres or els to hir saide mariage . And thanne tobe delyvered unto hir And if

the saide Letice Colyns happen to dey before she come to hir said age or mariage

thanne I woll the saide xx li by me assignede to the said Letice Colyns Immediatly

aftre the decesse of the same Letice Colyns be delyvered unto the said Johan[n]e Colyns

my doughter hir modre she to have it to hir owne propre use if she ov[er]live hir saide

dought[er] And if she dey before hir said doughter thanne I woll that the same xxli re

mayne to sume other childe of my same dought[er] such as it shall seame best tobe done

aftre the discrecion of the saide Letice my wif And els of the saide Robert Lytton

if any such child of hirs be than[n] alyve ….if not Than[n] the saide xx li tobe given to

such a p[er]sonne as shalbe next of the Kynred of the said Johanne my dought[er] And

the Residue of the money commyng of the same sale of the saide ij tenementes

at the stewes side I woll it be deposed by my saide wif that is to say part therof

in pety Cotes⁷ hosyn⁸ and shonne⁹ amonge people And namely poure people of the

Contrey And in other p[ar]te therof in amending of high wayes where most ned

shalbe thought tobe donne by the discrecion of my saide wif where as I the saide

Thomas Rede And other certayne p[er]sonnes at my den…. being my cofeoffes

Late were Laufully seaside in our Demesne as of Fee of and in iij tenementes of old

tyme called the Spore¹⁰ sett and being in Thamestrete in the said p[ar]issh of saint Benett[es]

beside Powlys wharf of London afore ageinst the church ther[e] of the same saint Benett

Hit is so that all my saide cofeoffes of and in the same iij tenementes beth passed

to god And I have overlyved them all and so by survyvon and by right of ovreli

ving I am sole seased of and in the same tenement[es] with their appurten[au]nc[es]

the day of the date of this my p[rese]nt testament in my demesne as of Fee and ther

fore I being seased yeve and bequeth the same iij tenement[es] of old tyme called the

Spore with thappurten[au]nces to the said Letice my wif to have and to hold to her and

to her assignes terme of her lif And I woll that she kepe due Rep[ar]acion of theim

terme of her lif as that for Lack of due Rep[ar]acion they fall not in decay I woll and

bequeth by this my p[rese]nt testament that Immediatly aftre my said wife decesse the said

iij tenement[es] of old tyme called the Spore with thappurten[au]nces shall Remayne to Robert

Rede my sonne if he can be founde on live to have unto hym and to heires for ev[er]more

And if the saide Robert be thanne dede than[ne] I woll and bequeith by this my present

testament that the said iij tenement[es] of old tyme called the spore with thappurte

naunces shall Immediatly aftre my said Wife decesse remayne to the iij children

here undrewriten that is to say one tenement therof standing next atenement

ther[e] Late callid the sign of the George¹¹ shall remayne to Thomas Lytton

nowe on[e] of the sonnes of the said Robert Lytton to have unto hym and to his hey

res for ev[er]mor And the Middill tenement of the said tre tenement[es] shall remayn

to George Lytton brother to the said Thomas to have to hym and to his heires

for ev[er]more And the thirde tenement of the said iij Tenement[es] Wherin Richa[r]d

Radich now dwellith shall remayne to the saide Letice Colyns the dought[er] of

the saide Johanne Colyns my dought[er] And to her heires for ev[er]more I will that

the p[er]sonnes which stand enfeoffed to myn use of and in my tenement called

Cristendomes with all thappurten[au]nc[es] sett and being in the p[ar]issh of Westh[a]m

in the Countie of Essex togider & with a dovehouse stonding on the West

side of the said tenement And w[i]^t[h] xj day werk[es] of land closed in and lying

therto And in all the free Land that I have Lying in the mershes¹² Westh[a]m

aforesaid whanne my same feoffes shalbe required by the said Letice my wif aftr[e]

my decesse shall make a sufficient astate in the Lawe to the same Letice my

wif of and in the same tenement called Cristondomes with the said dovehouse

Scan 139 [fol. 69r]

day werkes and free lande aforesaid with thappurten[au]nces to have and to hold to the same

Letice my \wif/ and her assignes for terme of her lif And aftre her decesse I woll that [th]e

same tenement with the said dovehouse day werkes and free Lande aforesaide And other

thappurtenaunces Remayne to the saide Robert Rede my sonne if he thanne be founde ov[er]

live to have unto hym and to his heires for evermore And if he thanne be founde dede

thanne I woll that the same tenement called Cristendomes with the dovehous day

werkes and free lande aforesaide and other appurtenaunces shall Immediatly aftre

my said wifes decesse remayne to William Lytton sonne and heire apparant to the

said Robert Lytton to have and to hold to the same William and to his heires for ever

more Item I woll thoo p[er]sonnse that to myn standen feoffed in my tenement

with the gardyn adioynyng therto in churchstrete in the said p[ar]ish of Westh[a]m And

of and in iij Acres of Lande lying to the same tenement in the same p[ar]issh Whan

they shalbe required by the said Letice my wif shall cause a sufficient astate in

the Lawe tobe made to the said Letice Colyns dought[er] of my said dought[er] Joh[an]ne

Colyns of and in the said tenement in churchstrete aforesaid with the said gardyn

and iij Acres of Land longing and lying therto to have and to hold to the said Letice

Colyns if she live tyll she come to her said age of xxj yeres or els tyll she be

maried And thanne to her heires for ev[er]more And if she dey before that she come to

her saide age of xxj yeres or before that she be mariede Thanne I woll that the said

tenement in the saide church strete with the said gardyn And iij Acres of Land ad

ioynyng and lying therto shall remayne to the said Johanne Colyns my dought[er] to have

and to hold thanne unto her and to her heires for evermore Item I bequeth to Thomas

Huntman sumtyme myn apprentice to pray for my soule xx s Item I bequeth to

Margery Mattoke my s[er]v[au]nt in like wise xxs Item I bequeith to Robert Hatton my

S[er]v[au]nt in like wise xxs Item I bequeth to Richard Hatton sumetyme myn app[re]ntice

in like wise xx s Item I bequeth to Margery Patrike my s[er]v[au]nt in like wise vj s

viij d Item I bequeth to Richard Lytton of the kynges escheker tobe frendely to my

wif in such besynes as she shall have nede to occupye hym with all xx s Item

I bequeth to Nicholas Radich tobe frendely to my said wif undre like forme xxs

Item I p[ar]don to William Dubbelday all the dute that he owith me except x li the

which x li I woll that he pay unto my saide wif Item I p[ar]donne to John Sonday

sherman vj li of the dutie the which he owith me Item I p[ar]donne to William loyal

ton all the dutie that he owith me Item I p[ar]donne to Richard Cokke[s] of hadleigh all

the dutie that he owith me And the Residue of all my goodes Catalles and dett[es]

what soev[er] they be aftre my dett[es] paide my fun[er]all expenses full donmy lega

cies  conteyned in this my testament fulfilles And all other charges bo[ur]ne And

don for me that owen tobe bo[ur]ne and donne I geve and bequeath holy to the said

Letice my wif she to do therwith hir owne fre disposicion and liberte saving

therof  I resine and bequeath to the said Robert Lytton to thentent that it will

please him tobe surveyo[ur] of this my p[rese]nt testament and Last Will And also tobe ad

uto[ur] and good councelor to my said wif in executing of this my p[rese]nt testament and

Last Will v marce And of this my p[rese]nt testament and Last Will I make and or

deigne the saide Letice my wif my sole executrice And I make and or deigne the

said Robert Lytton esquier her surveyo[ur] of the same Thanne their being p[re]sent

John Wynne Nicholas Radych John Smyth Wiiliam Fowler John Wetnale

And other Wittnesses to the p[re]misses called And specially required And for mor[e]

Witnesse therof to this my p[rese]nt testament I have set my seale the day and yere

Abovesaid

¹ Thomas Reede is named in the Dyers’ Charter of 1471 as one of the “free men of the mystery of dyers of our City of London that themselves whether someone or somebody of them, to the praise glory and honour of almighty god and the most glorious virgin Mary his mother, he and they are able to make, found and establish to last for periods of future lifetime a certain brotherhood or everlasting guild of two Wardens and the community of free men of the mystery of dyers within the said City of London and the same suburbs”. He was a member of their Court of Assistants and in a list of the twelve men he appears in 6^th place which indicates he was quite senior in this court at this time. This was a key time for the Dyers’ and it was when they bought property which became their first Hall. Many thanks to Ian Mackintosh and Sebastian Cooper, archivists of the Dyers’ Company, for providing this information.

² In his Survey of 1598 John Stow writes that “St Benet Hud or Hithe, against Powle’s Wharf, is a proper parish church”.

³ A map of 15^th century London in “Prejudice and Promise in 15^th century England” by C L Kingsford, 1962, shows the location of Stews Side in Southwark, close to both the Pike Garden which was a series of artificial fish ponds and also to the brothels which thrived in this Liberty, being outside city jurisdiction. The name Stews Side could derive from either of these two nearby locations. Kingsford writes that “this location was full of inns for travellers and that it had a bad reputation for ill fame and mean tenements inhabited by needy persons, aliens and others”. Stow says of the same place that “it consisteth of divers streets, ways and winding lanes, all full of buildings, inhabited”.

⁴ Married William Colyns

⁵ should be “her daughter” – scribe error?

⁶ He married Thomas Reed’s eldest daughter Agnes who pre-deceased her father.

⁷ waistcoats

⁸ breeches or stockings

⁹ shoes

¹⁰ Perhaps the “Spur” of “Spurre” (formerly the Spore) one of London’s earliest inns – see “London’s Signs” by B Lillywhite pub. Allen and Unwin, 1972

¹¹ Another inn – Stow refers to this as a “fair inn” (it is close to Chaucer’s “Tabard”)

¹² Hackney Marshes – extensively drained and attempts made to control the flow of water during medieval era