This is the last Will and Testament of me Thomas Higgins of Hanslope in the County of Buckingham Yeoman which I make publish and declare in manner following that is to say I nominate and appoint my brother Hugh Higgins of Stoke Goldington in the County of Buckingham aforesaid Farmer William Townsend of Great Houghton in the County of Northampton Farmer and my nephew Thomas Higgins of Horton in the said County of Northampton Farmer Executors of this my Will and I give to each of them the sum of nineteen pounds nineteen shillings as an acknowledgement for the trouble they may have in the execution of the trusts thereof   I direct all my just debts funeral and testamentary expenses to be in the first place fully paid and satisfied by my said Executors out of my personal estate I give and bequeath unto the said Hugh Higgins William Townsend and Thomas Higgins their executors administrators and assigns all and singular my household goods and furniture plate linen and china stock in the public funds monies and securities for money And all other my goods chattels personal estate and effects whatsoever and wheresoever of which I shall be possessed at the time of my decease (subject to the payments of my just debts funeral and testamentary expenses) Upon trust that they the said Hugh Higgins William Townsend and Thomas Higgins or the survivors or survivor of them their or his executors or administrators do and shall with all convenient speed after my decease sell and dispose of and convert into money all such parts of my said estate and effects hereby bequeathed to them as shall be in their nature saleable and collect and get in all other parts of my said estate and effects and as to any debts that may be esteemed bad or doubtful do and shall at their or his discretion compound for and accept less than the whole in lieu of and satisfaction for the same respectively and do and shall stand possessed of the monies to arise and be produced by the ways and means aforesaid Upon trust to divide the same into seven equal shares and proportions and pay one equal seventh share thereof unto my brother Bartholomew Higgins of Salford in the county of Bedford Farmer one other equal seventh share thereof unto my brother William Higgins of  Bradwell in the said County of Buckingham Baker one other seventh equal share thereof unto the said Hugh Higgins one other seventh equal share thereof unto my brother John Higgins of Stoke Goldington aforesaid Farmer one other seventh equal share thereof unto my brother Henry Higgins of Newport Pagnell in the said County of Buckingham Yeoman and one other seventh equal share thereof unto my sister Sarah Townsend the wife of Thomas Townsend of Great Houghton aforesaid Farmer And  do and shall stand possessed of the remaining seventh equal share thereof  Upon trust to lay out and invest the same in their or his own names or name either in or upon the public stocks or funds or at interest upon Government or real security and do and shall from time to time vary alter and change the securities in or upon which the same shall be invested as occasion shall require and do and shall pay the dividends interest and annual produce of such trust moneys stocks funds and securities unto or for the benefit of my sister Mary Emerson the wife of        Emerson of Stoke Goldington aforesaid  Innkeeper by equal half yearly payments during her life to and for her sole and separate use independently of her said present or any future husband with whom she may intermarry and so that the same may not be subject to the debts control or engagements of her said present or any future husband and so that my said sister Mary may not anticipate charge or assign the same or any part thereof but that her receipts only may be good and effectual discharges for the said dividends interest and annual produce of the said trust monies stocks funds and securities And from and immediately after the decease of my said sister the said Mary Emerson do and shall stand possessed of the said trust moneys stocks funds and securities  Upon trust to pay distribute and divide the same unto and between all and every the child and children of my said sister Mary who shall be living  at the time of her decease and the lawful issue of such of them as may be then dead (such issue to take his her or their parents share only) in equal shares and proportions as tenants in common as and when the same children shall respectively attain the age of twenty one years Provided always and I do hereby declare and direct that in case any or either of my said brothers or sister shall die in my lifetime leaving lawful issue such issue shall have and be entitled to the share and interest or shares and interest of and in the said trust moneys stocks funds and securities his her or their parent or respective parents would have had or been entitled to if he she or they had lived to attain the age of twenty one years   I give and devise all such messuages lands tenements hereditaments and real estates whatsoever as at the time of my decease I shall be seized or possessed of entitled to or interested in by way of mortgage or in trust unto the said Hugh Higgins William Townsend and Thomas Higgins their heirs executors administrators and assigns according to the nature and quality of such estates respectively upon the trusts and under and subject to the powers provisoes and conditions which shall be then subsisting in or upon such estates respectively provided always and I do hereby declare that it shall and may be lawful for my said executors and trustees and each of them their and each of their heirs executors and administrators by and out of all or any of the moneys which by virtue of this my Will shall come to their or either of their hands to deduct retain to and reimburse themselves and himself and to pay to their and his Co-executors and Co trustees all such costs charges and expenses as they shall and may sustain expend or be put unto in or about the execution of this my Will or any of the trusts hereinbefore contained And also that they and their respective heirs executors and administrators shall be charged and chargeable only every of them for and with his and their own respective receipts payments acts and wilful defaults and not otherwise and shall not be charged and chargeable with or for any sum or sums of money other than such as shall actually and respectively come to his and their hands by virtue of this my Will nor with or for any loss or damage which may happen in or about the execution of the trusts of this my Will without his or their respective wilful default and lastly hereby revoking all former Wills by me made I declare this only to be my last Will and Testament In witness whereof I the said Thomas Higgins the testator have to the first two sheets of this my Will contained in three sheets of paper set my hand and to this third and last sheet thereof my hand and seal the thirtieth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty eight – The Mark of  X  Thomas Higgins (LS)  Signed sealed published  and declared by the said Thomas Higgins the testator as and  for his last Will and Testament in the presence of us who in  his presence at his request and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names as  witnesses John Garrard Sols Olney W H G     his Clerk 

I the before named Thomas Higgins the testator do make this Codicil to my last Will and Testament bearing date the thirtieth day of April one thousand eight hundred and thirty eight  I revoke the appointment of the within mentioned William Townsend as one of the Executors thereof and also the bequest to him of my personal estate Upon trust as within mentioned and the legacy of nineteen pounds nineteen shillings and I give and bequeath unto my brother Hugh Higgins and my nephew Thomas Higgins now residing at Hanslope the Executors appointed in and by my said Will All and singular my personal estate and effects of whatsoever kind and degree as within mentioned Upon the trusts nevertheless and to and for the ends intents and purposes declared in and by my said Will of and concerning the same And I do hereby revoke the devise and bequest of all such trust estates and mortgages as may be vested in me at my decease so far as regards the said William Townsend and I devise and bequeath that the same unto the said Hugh Higgins and Thomas Higgins their heirs executors administrators and assigns To hold the same upon the trusts and for the purposes as in my said Will are declared concerning the same and whereas my brother William Higgins is indebted to my said brother Hugh Higgins in the sum of one hundred pounds and interest due thereon Now I do hereby authorise and direct my said Executors and Trustees to deduct the said sum and also six years interest in respect of the same unless the said interest shall have been completely paid from the share of my personal estate to which the said William Higgins or his family under the provisions hereof would be entitled and to pay and transfer the same unto the said Hugh Higgins or his Executors or Administrators in discharge of  the said debt And I do hereby direct that such payment shall be made out of  such share whether (sic) at the time the said William Higgins his Executors or Administrators shall or shall not consent thereto or acknowledge the said debts And hereby confirming my said Will in all respect not hereby altered or revoked I declare this to be a Codicil to my said Will In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this thirty first day of January one thousand eight hundred and forty six The Mark X of the said Thomas Higgins  Signed and declared by the said Thomas Higgins the testator as a Codicil to his last Will and Testament in our presence who in his presence at his request at the same time and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses  John Garrard Sols Olney Helen Higgins Hanslope

This Will was proved at London the 4th November 1848