Deed of gift from Thomas Edmunds of Bossington (co. Hants), gent., and Richard Oviat...

To William Strudweeke, mayor, and the aldermen and citizens of Chichester, of £100 to be disposed of by the mayor and citizens to ten honest tradesmen, inhabitants and keepers of families within the city, i.e. £10 a piece, as a charitable gift of said Anthony Edmunds, decd., gratis and in free love without any 'use' to be paid therefor, for three years, each of whom shall enter into bond, with such good and sufficient sureties as the mayor and aldermen shall allow and in double the sum received, to repay the portion at the end of three years, and that this order in disposing of the stock shall be duly observed from three years to three years for ever

Recites: (i) that said Anthony Edmunds in his will (dated 15 Oct. 1614) gave the residue of his goods, after payment of his debts, legacies and necessary charges, to godly and charitable uses for the relief of poor people in hospitals, cities and villages, by the discretion of said Thomas Edmunds his brother, and said Richard Oviat, his kinsman, whom he appointed his executors of trust; (ii) that certain sums of money regain in the hands of the said executors, who have a charitable care in their loves to the city to supply the wants of the poor sort of tradesmen, honest inhabitants, there, with some portion of the testator's goods, being the rather moved thereto because the city is a principal place within the shire near where the said Anthony Edmunds was born and brought up, and [where] his ancestors have long lived and continued and [where] their heirs yet live and continue, and to the end that said Anthony Edmunds shall leave to posterity in his native country and city where he dwelt and died some memory of his charitable mind towards the relief of the poorer sort

Signature of Thomas Edmunds (seel missing); signature and seal of Richard Oviat

No witnesses

K.M.E.M., no. 19