In the name of God Amen The foure and twentyeth day of June Anno Din (Domini) One thousand six hundred eighty five And in the first yeare of the reigne of our Sovereigne Lord king James the second of England xr (excetera) I George Sterry the elder of the parish of St Saviour in Southwark in the County of Surrey Taylor being of sound disposeing mind and memory praise be given to Allmighty God doe therefore make and declare this my last Will and Testament as followeth that is to say ffirst and principally I commend my soule into the hands of All mighty God my Creator and of his sonne Jesus Christ my only Saviour and Redeemer through the above merits of whose most bitter death and passion I stedfastly hope to be saved My body I remitt to the earth from whence it came to be in decent and christianlike manner brought to the ground and buryed at the discretion of my Executrix here inafter named And as touching all such worldly estate and substance the Lord of his goodnesse hath lent me I give and dispose there of as followeth that is to say Imprimis I doe give and bequeath unto my welbeloved wife Elizabeth Sterry the sume of three hundred pounds of lawfull money of England Also I give and bequeath unto my said wife that Debt or sume of one hundred pounds of like lawfull money to me one and oweing by and from my said wife's late brother John Graves deceased Item I doe give and bequeath unto my said wife Elizabeth Sterry that my ffreehold Messuage knowne by the signe of the princes Armes with the other two ffreehold tenements belonging which formerly purchased of one John Sterry Cooper with their and every of their appurtenances situate on the Bankside in the parish of St Saviour aforesaid To hold unto her the said Elizabeth Sterry and her assigns for and during the terme of her naturall life Alsoe I give to the said Elizabeth my wife all those my ffreehold Lands and Tenements and Hereditaments with the apputenances lying and being at Ruardeane in the County of Gloucester to hold unto her the said Elizabeth and her assigns for and during the terme of her naturall life. Alsoe I give to my said wife Elizabeth that my freehold Land with the rights members and appurtences belonging which I lately purchased of one William Bignall lying and being in the parish of Oxsted in the County of Surrey to hold unto her the said Elizabeth and her Assignes for and during the terme of her naturall life Item I doe give and bequeath unto my sonne John Sterry the sume of two hundred and fifty pounds of lawfull money of England to be paid unto him the said John Sterry when and soe soone as hee the said John shall accomplish the full age of five and twenty yeares Alsoe I give to my said sonne John Sterry all those my copyhold Lands Tenements and Hereditaments with the appurtenances lying and being in the parish of Christchurch in the said County of Surrey holden of the Mannor of paris Gerden and which I have surrendred to the use of my will to hold unto him the said John Sterry and to his heires and assignes for ever Item I doe give and bequeath unto my sonne William Sterry the like sume of two hundred and fifty pounds of lawfull money of England to be paid unto the said William Sterry at such time and soe soone as hee the said William shall accomplish the full age of five and twenty yeares Also I give to my said sonne William Sterry all my ffreehold Messuages Lands and Hereditaments lying and being in Grayes Inne Land in the County of Middx with the rights members and appurtences belonging to hold unto him the said William Sterry and to his heires and assignes for ever Item I doe give and bequeath unto my sonne John Sterry the sume of one hunded pounds of lawfull money of England to be paid unto him the said George Sterry within twelve months time next after my decease And whereas the said severall sumes of two hundred and fifty pounds and two hundred and fifty pounds and one hundred pounds herein last before mentoned are all forth at interest my will will and mind is and I doe hereby expressly declare my will and meaning to be that in case the said severall sums cannot be received and gotten in within the respective times herein before limitted and appointed for payment thereof to my said sonnes that then the said sumes shall be paid to my said sonns at such times and soe soone after as the same can or may be recovered and received And in case any of the said moneys shall prove desperate and cannot be gotten that then my said sonnes shall abate proportonably according to their respective shares for soe such as shall prove desperate and cannot be gotten in as aforesaid anything before herein contained to the contrary thereof notwithstanding Item I doe give and bequeath unto my said sonne George Sterry the Messuage aforesaid called thePrinces Armes and the other two tenements belonging with the appurtenances situate on the Bankeside to hold to him the said George Sterry my sonne from and imediately after the decease of the said Elizabeth my wife and to the heires and assignes of my said sonne George Sterry from thenceforth foreever Item I doe give and bequeath unto my said sonne William Sterry those my ffreehold Lands before mentoned with the appurtenances lying in Oxsted aforesaid to hold unto him the said William Sterry from and imediately after the decease of the said Elizabeth my wife and to the heires and assignes of the said William Sterry thence forth foreever Item I doe give and bequeath unto my said sonne John Sterry my ffreehold Lands Tenements and Hereditaments before mentioned with the appurtenances lying at Ruardeane in the County of Gloucester to hold unto him the said John Sterry from and imediately after the decease of the said Elizabeth my wife and to the heires and assignes of the said John Sterry from thence forth forever Item I doe give and bequeath unto my said wife Elizabeth Sterry the Lease of the Messuages or Tenement knowne by the signe of the Two(?) Brewers late in the occupation of John Marsh and of severall other Tenements on the Eastside of Bermondsey street in the parish of St Mary Magdalene in Bermondsey to hold unto the said Elizabeth her executors administrators and assignes for and during al the remainder to come of the terme of yeares by the said Lease granted provided never the lesse and my will and meaning further is that my said wife Elizabeth her executors and assigns out of the rents and profitts ariseing and to be made by and upon the said Lease shall every week weekly truely pay arranse to be paid unto my sister Deborah Winterton widow(?) the sume of three shillings during the terme to come of the said Lease is shee my said sister shall happen soe long to live for and towards her better releife and maintenance any thing afore said to the contrary notwithstanding Item I give to my kinsman Richard Sterry one shilling if by him demanded and not more.The rest and residue of all and singular my ready money debts and penaltyes goods chatells household stuffe and estate whatsoever I doe wholly give and bequeath thesume after my debts and my ffunerall expenses discharged unto my said wife(?) beloved wife Elizabeth Sterry And I doe make and ordaine my said wife full and sole executrix of this my last Will and Testament And lastly I doe hereby revoke and make null all former Wills and Testamentary writeings whatsoever by me made and them to stand in force but this my last Will and Testament containing foure sheets of paper with this last sheet have sett my hands and seale to every sheet and afixed my seale to the whole the day and yeare in the first sheet above written
George Sterry his marke. Sealed and delivered in the presence of Robert Newman his marke Godfree Gardiner ffras Bimting snr

Probatum fuit humor(?) testum apud London vicesimo sexto die mensis Aprilis Anno Dmi (Domini) Millimo (millensimo) sexcenmo(sescentesimo) octogemo (octogesimo) sexto coram venti (venerati) viro Thoma Pinsole Legum Dcore (Doctore) Surro doulis et equeqii viri Richardi Rames Dcores(?) Curia Prerogativa Cantuarensis Magri(?) custodis sive(?) comisarii prime(?) constituti juramento Elizabetha Sterry Relca dicti desurn (?) xr(etcetera) Executricis in dicto testamento nominat cui comissu fuit adudstraco omnium et singulorum bonorum jurium et creditorum dicti defuncti de bono xr fidelitor adudstrands eadem ad sancta dei Evangelia Jurat

This will was proved at London the twenty sixth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and eighty six before the Worshipful Thomas Pinsole Doctor of Laws Surrogate of the Right Worshipful Richard Rames Doctor of Laws Master Keeper Commisary of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury lawfully constituted by the oath of Elizabeth Sterry Relict and the sole executrix named in the said will to whom administration was granted of all and singular the goods chattels and credits of the deceased she having been first sworn duly to administer on the holy Gospel of God.

Note: George is almost certainly a member of the Ruardean Sterry family but the exact connection has not yet been determined. See George Sterry in The Sterry Family by Walter Smith, page 201.