This will serves as a clap back to my last post regarding the curious estate of William Babb who demanded that his brother marry and start a family before being able to pass on any of his estate to his own offspring. As soon as William’s estate was settled about 9 years after his will was written, John went on record with his own Will to attest that he was a stand up guy. He prescribed in his Will that he would honor his brother’s wishes exactly. Why this extra step was necessary is unclear as John had only been given use for his life and not after death. But, whatever compelled him, he gets a gold star for honoring his brother’s wishes. It should also not go without notice that even though he wasn’t able to pass anything on to his descendants he was named the sole Executor of William’s estate. This speaks volumes about the character of this confirmed bachelor! The two Wills taken together paint a picture of the extended family unit in which Daniel Wheeler was clearly the most valuable player.
Formal Transcription (Early Modern English)
In the name of God, Amen, I John Babb of Berkhamsted in the County of Hertford, Wheelwright do make and declare this my last will & Testament in manner and form following,
first I bequeath my Soul into the hands of Almighty God hoping and believing a remission of my sins by the ministry and mediation of Jesus Christ & my Body I commit to the Earth to be decently buried at the discretion of my Executor hereafter named.
And my worldly Estate I give and devise as follows, being desirous as far as in me lies to enforce the intended will of my deceased Brother William Babb
First I give and devise to my loving kinsman Daniel Wheeler of Berkhamsted aforesaid Husbandman all those my freehold Tenements, Orchard and Barns situate lying and being in the parish of Berkhamsted aforesaid now in the occupation of the widow Gray & _____ Clarke To have and to hold to the said Daniel Wheeler his Heirs and assigns for ever.
Also I give and devise all those my Tenements, with the outhouses & Backsides
thereto belonging situate lying & being in the said Parish of Berkhamsted now in the
occupation of Henry Chapman and James Wallis unto Mary the wife of Joseph Norris
of Berkhamsted aforesaid , To have and to hold to the said Mary Norris her Heirs &
assigns forever
Also I give and devise all those my messuages Tenements wherein I now dwell together with the Barns , Orchards and appurtenances situate lying & being in the said parish of Berkhamsted to my Kinswoman Ann Norrington and Susan Norrington of Rotherhithe in the County
John Babb (signature)
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Middlesex Spinsters to have and to hold to them the said Ann Norrington and Susan Norrington their Heirs and assigns forever as Tenants in common and not as joint Tenants.
Also I give and devise all those my Tenements share lying and being at Gossam’s end in parish of Berkhamsted now in the occupation of Joseph Forster & William Forster to the aforementioned Ann Norrington and Susan Norrington to have and to hold to them the said Ann Norrington and Susan Norrington their Heirs & assigns for ever as Tenants in common and not as joint Tenants
Also I give and devise all those Tenements & piece of pasture ground situate lying and being in the parish of North Church in the County of Hertford now in the tenure and occupation of George Fensam, Edward Holliman and John Putnam to Daniel Wheeler before named and Elizabeth his wife to hold to them the said Daniel Wheeler and Elizabeth his wife for and during the terms of their natural lives and the life of the longest liver of them & from and after the death of the Survivor of them to the heirs & assigns of Daniel Wheeler forever.
Also I give to the aforesaid Daniel Wheeler the sum of twenty pounds & it is my will that he shall pay Interest for the same at & after the rate of five pounds a year to his Sister Elizabeth for and during the term of her natural life by half yearly payments and that he shall lay the same out upon good Bond Security for that purpose and after the death of his said Sister Elizabeth, I give & direct that the said principal sum of twenty pounds shall be equally divided between such of the Children of the
John Babb (signature)
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Daniel Wheeler as shall be living at the time of the decease said Elizabeth his sister, share & share alike.
All the rest and residue of my personal Estate whatsoever and wheresoever & of what nature kind and quality soever the same be and not herein before given and disposed of, after payment of my Debts Legacies & Funeral Expences I do give and bequeath to the children of Daniel Wheeler, the children of Mary Norris & to Ann and Susan Norrington to be equally divided between them or such of them as shall be living at the time of my decease.
And I do hereby constitute and appoint the aforementioned Daniel Wheeler Sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal , that is to say my Hand to the first & second sheet & my Hand and Seal to this third sheet the twenty first day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand seven and seventy five hundred
John Babb (Signature & Seal)
Signed declared & published as & for his last Will & Testament in the presence of us who subscribed our names as Witnesses in the Testators presence and at his request.
Thomas Herbert Noyes
John Page
Francis Gould
Modern English Translation
In the name of God, Amen. I, John Babb of Berkhamsted in the County of Hertford, Wheelwright, do make and declare this my last will and testament in manner and form following:
First, I bequeath my soul into the hands of Almighty God, hoping and believing in the remission of my sins by the ministry and mediation of Jesus Christ. My body I commit to the earth to be decently buried at the discretion of my executor hereafter named.
And my worldly estate I give and devise as follows, being desirous as far as in me lies to enforce the intended will of my deceased brother William Babb.
First, I give and devise to my loving kinsman Daniel Wheeler of Berkhamsted aforesaid, Husbandman, all those my freehold tenements, orchard, and barns situate lying and being in the parish of Berkhamsted aforesaid, now in the occupation of the widow Gray and _____ Clarke. To have and to hold to the said Daniel Wheeler, his heirs and assigns forever.
Also, I give and devise all those my tenements, with the outhouses and backsides thereto belonging, situate lying and being in the said parish of Berkhamsted, now in the occupation of Henry Chapman and James Wallis, unto Mary, the wife of Joseph Norris of Berkhamsted aforesaid. To have and to hold to the said Mary Norris, her heirs and assigns forever.
Also, I give and devise all those my messuages, tenements wherein I now dwell, together with the barns, orchards, and appurtenances situate lying and being in the said parish of Berkhamsted, to my kinswoman Ann Norrington and Susan Norrington of Rotherhithe in the County of Middlesex, Spinsters. To have and to hold to them, the said Ann Norrington and Susan Norrington, their heirs and assigns forever as tenants in common and not as joint tenants.
Also, I give and devise all those my tenements share lying and being at Gossam’s end in the parish of Berkhamsted, now in the occupation of Joseph Forster and William Forster, to the aforementioned Ann Norrington and Susan Norrington. To have and to hold to them, the said Ann Norrington and Susan Norrington, their heirs and assigns forever as tenants in common and not as joint tenants.
Also, I give and devise all those tenements and piece of pasture ground situate lying and being in the parish of North Church in the County of Hertford, now in the tenure and occupation of George Fensam, Edward Holliman, and John Putnam, to Daniel Wheeler before named and Elizabeth his wife. To hold to them, the said Daniel Wheeler and Elizabeth his wife, for and during the terms of their natural lives and the life of the longest liver of them, and from and after the death of the survivor of them, to the heirs and assigns of Daniel Wheeler forever.
Also, I give to the aforesaid Daniel Wheeler the sum of twenty pounds, and it is my will that he shall pay interest for the same at and after the rate of five pounds a year to his sister Elizabeth for and during the term of her natural life by half-yearly payments, and that he shall lay the same out upon good bond security for that purpose. After the death of his said sister Elizabeth, I give and direct that the said principal sum of twenty pounds shall be equally divided between such of the children of Daniel Wheeler as shall be living at the time of the decease of said Elizabeth, his sister, share and share alike.
All the rest and residue of my personal estate whatsoever and wheresoever, and of what nature, kind, and quality soever the same be, and not herein before given and disposed of, after payment of my debts, legacies, and funeral expenses, I do give and bequeath to the children of Daniel Wheeler, the children of Mary Norris, and to Ann and Susan Norrington, to be equally divided between them or such of them as shall be living at the time of my decease.
And I do hereby constitute and appoint the aforementioned Daniel Wheeler sole executor of this my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, that is to say, my hand to the first and second sheet, and my hand and seal to this third sheet, the twenty-first day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five.
John Babb (Signature & Seal)
Signed, declared, and published as and for his last will and testament in the presence of us who subscribed our names as witnesses in the testator’s presence and at his request.
Thomas Herbert Noyes
John Page
Francis Gould
Glossary of Terms
Wheelwright: A skilled craftsperson who builds and repairs wooden wheels for carts, wagons, and carriages.
Tenants in Common: Each person owns a specific share of the property. When one tenant dies, their share passes to their heirs, not automatically to the other co-owner(s).
Joint Tenants: All owners have an equal, undivided interest in the property. When one joint tenant dies, their share automatically passes to the surviving joint tenant(s).
Messuage: A dwelling house with outbuildings and land assigned to its use.
Tenement: Any kind of permanent property, e.g., lands or rents, held from a superior.
Appurtenances: Accessories or other items associated with a particular activity or style of living.
Outhouses: Buildings adjacent to a main house, such as barns or sheds.
Backsides: The rear part of a property or land.
Pasture Ground: Land covered with grass or herbage and suitable for grazing by livestock.
Husbandman: A farmer or cultivator of the land.
Spinsters: Unmarried women, typically older women beyond the usual age of marriage.
Remission of Sins: Forgiveness or pardon of sins.
Mediation of Jesus Christ: The belief in Jesus Christ acting as an intermediary between God and humans.
Bond Security: A financial instrument used as a guarantee for the repayment of a loan.
Proved &c at Berkhamsted St Peter 10th Sept 1776 before the Revd. Thomas Bland A. M. Surrogate of the Worsh Fuller Noroster D. D. Vicar Gen. in Spiritualitive & official principal in & through the whole Diocese of Lincoln lawfully appointed having Jurisdiction in the archdeaconry of Hinton pending the Inhibition of the Lord Bishop of Lincoln By the Oath of the Extor to whom was granted admin &c being first Sworn &c saving &c )
September 10th 1776 . Daniel Wheeler the Executor within named was on this day sworn to the due Execution of this Will in form of Law before me
Thos Bland Surrogate
10 Sept. 1776
Babb John of Berkhamsted, No Inventory, Will
Citation:
“Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England records,” images, FamilySearch (https:// http://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSNL-S9X4-6?view=fullText : Jun 10, 2025), image 641 of 737; Church of England. Archdeaconry of Huntingdon. Hitchin Division. Court.
Image Group Number: 008084777
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSNL-S9X4-6?view=fullText