Description:Many of the property deeds in the Sutherland Collection contain the wills and copies of wills made by the original owners of land which the Leveson-Gowers had acquired in Staffordshire. Amongst property deeds relating to Newcastle-under-Lyme are a number of wills made by the Podmore family, including the will of ‘Randall Podmore’ who was a ‘Blacksmyth’ in Newcastle.
A copy of Randall’s original 1652 will, made on 24th September 1666 tells us that Randall left property in Newcastle to his wife and his two sons John and Randle.
To his ‘eldest sonne’ John Podmore Randall bequeathed his ‘antient dwellinge howse and shop with the Garden and that part of the yard lyinge next my said howse’. Randall also left John ‘one halfe of all Barnes and Outhowses’ belonging to the property which he would own after the death of his mother. John was also charged with paying a sum of five pounds to each of ‘his 3 sisters Margrett Anne and Mary’. Randall’s youngest son ‘Randall Podmore’ was given part of his father’s house which had been ‘lately erected’. Randall also had to pay some money to his three sisters.
Randall left all of his remaining property and goods to his wife ‘for her owne and my childrens Maintenance and Educacon’. He also made provisions for his sister Margery, stating towards the end of the will that he wished her to ‘enjoy that her lodgeinge Roome she now hath’.
To learn more about property in Newcastle and about the will of Randall’s youngest son, click on the image on the left.