Will of Robert Wells, 1559

Robert Wells made his will 24 August, 1558, probate being granted the following May.

An interesting aspect of this will is the dating clause, 'in the fifth and sixth years of the reigns of Philip and Mary...' This instantly alerts us to something important happening in the politics of the day. Here we have an English queen, the first to reign in her own right, if we ignore Lady Jane Grey as Mary did, and her husband whom she recognised, not as her consort but as joint monarch. They are 'by the grace of God, King and Queen of England', his titles are then listed, King of Spain etc. This too hints at the concerns of the day i.e. what would happen to England if the Queen predeceased her husband and they had children.

At a local level this may not have worried the people of Lydiard Tregoze too much, although given his social standing Robert may well have had some knowledge of the issues of the day. The Wells family was sufficiently well placed to marry into the Pleydell family of Midgehall. Robert's brother John married Elizabeth Pleydell, while her brother Zachary married Margaret Wells. Their brother Gabriel Pleydell became MP of Wootton Bassett in 1553. The Pleydells were also connected with the St.Johns.

Robert left the bulk of his estate to his brother John, while leaving money to his many nephews, nieces and servants, including William Pleydell, Zachary's son. Zachary and John Pleydell both acted as witnesses to the will.