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Reference Numberb496.5 BA9360/A19/Box 2/1
Hierarchy Browser Number8001/8/1/7
TitleOrphans and Wills Court
DescriptionUnder the Charter of Philip and Mary, 1554, the guardianship of oprhans was vested in the Corporation and Citizens of Worcester. The Court of the Orphans dealt with estates of deceased freemen who had wives and minor children. It ensured that the family reaceived their share and protected the property and inheritance of the orphans until they reached legal age, married or completed an apprenticeship. These volumes contain the judgement of the court in matters of inhereitance and property, with copies of the wills and inventories, recognizances of Trustees, and some notes of births, marriages and deaths . Entries may have the signature or mark of the people involved. Many prominent Worcester citizens are included, such as the Wilde, Beddoe, Beane, Walgrave (alias Fleete) and Amphlett families. Some entries have been crossed out and /or annotated. Volume 1 contains most of the entries of the court and volume 2 contains most of the copies of wills, with a list of regulations and fees for the Court.

The covers and binding are very battered and the buckle and leather is almost all original. The book block is stable although pages are water-stained.Some contemporary repairs have been made by stitching torn pages using thick, almost string-like, threads. A minority of the entries are accompanied by inventories, bills and deeds, which have also been sewn in after the freeman's death.

Volume 2 covers 1555 to 1656, volume 1 covers 1561 to 1582.

These volumes are fragile and extra care must be taken when handling them.
Date1555-1656
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