Freemasonry In The Seventeenth Century ; Chester, 1650-1700—Appendix.

The names of William Street , alderman , Michael Holden , Peter Downham , Seth . Hilton , Thomas May , and George Harvey , do not appear in the index of wills at Chester , either as being of Chester or elsewhere . William Street , alderman , appears , however , as legatee of the will of Mr . Richard Ratcliffe , and Hdivard Street was one of the witnesses to the same document . The name of George Harvey of Chester , Bricklayerappears in the

, will of Robert Harvey , Alderman , proved 1669 . The others are , I believe , all Cheshire names . There is no Thomas Morris of Chester to be found in the Index of Wills at Chester ; Parry is a Welsh name ; and only the administration bond of Bobeii Morris , of Chester , glazier , 5 th Aug . 1708 , as printed below , appears to be extant , but I hope at some future time to be able to add some information about the names now wanting .

In the following pages are printed for the first time a series of abstracts of wills , bonds , etc ., from careful transcripts made for me , from the original documents preserved in the Court of Probate at Chester . They cannot fail , I think , to be of interest to others besides Masonic students , embracing as they do , the names and families of many persons living in Chester during the years 1665—1716 . They include records relating to the names

of—Robert Moms , of Chester , Glazier . 1708 , and Robert Morris , his son , Glazier . John Hughes , of Chester , Slater . 1683 . John Hughes , of Chester , Husbandman , dated 1708 , proved 1713 . Samuel Pyke , of Chester , Tailor . 1698 . William Wade , of Chester , Mason . 1716 .

William Harvey , of Chester , Alderman , dated 1684 , proved 1687 . Thomas Foulkes , of Chester , Carpenter , dated 1712 , proved 1713 . William Hughes , of Holt , co . Denbigh , gentleman , elated and proved 1693 . John Fletcher , of Chester , Clothworker . dated and proved 1665 . Randle Holme , of Chester , Gentleman , dated 1704 , proved 1707 . Richard Taylor , jun ., of Chester , merchant . 1693 . Richard Tayler , of Chester , Button Maker , dated 1710 , proved 1714 . Richard RatolifEe , of Chester , Gentleman , dated 1682-3 , proved 1685 . William Woods , of Handbridge , co . Chester , Mason , elated 1699 , proved

1706 . ¦ William Robinson , of Chester , labourer , dated 1680 , proved 1685 . James Mort , of Chester , Mason , dated 1684 , proved 1685 . John Lloyd , of Chester , Mason , dated 1674-5 , proved 1675 . William Jackson , of Chester , Tanner . 1677 . Robert Harvey , of Chester , Alderman , dated and proved 1669 . John Maddock , of Chester , Alderman , dated and proved 1680 .

The will of the third Randle Holme is not to be found at Chester , but I give here , on account of its peculiar interest , that of his son , the fourth of his name . It will be noticed that at the beginning of the will the name of the brother of Randle Holme is written Holmes , but at the end it is given correctly Sohne ; probably the former is merel y a clerical error of the person who drew up the will and wrote it out .

Of course I am aware it may be urged that of the wills here given , except in the case of four , in which the Testator is specially called " mason , " are not , or may not be the wills of the persons mentioned in the MS . b y Randle Holme . But out of the twenty-six names given b y him the wills of only nine , including that of the third Randle Holme , are wanting- ; all those here printed are of persons resident in or near Chester . In my own mindI

, am only doubtful if in either of the documents here printed under the name of Hughes we have the will of the Freemasons ; and of the wills of Richard Taylor , merchant , and Richard Taylor , button maker , I should select the former .