"In the name of God Amen, I Robert Molineux Master of His Majesty's Ship the Endeavour, Capt. James Cooke, being of a Sound and Disposing Mind, Memory and understanding, God be praised, Do by Divine Permission make, publish and Declare these presents to be and contain my last Will and Testament in manner following, First I commend my Soul to God who gave it hoping in and through the alone merits and Intercession of my blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to obtain pardon and remission of all my Sins and to Inherit Eternal life and my body I commit to the Earth or Sea as it shall please God to order and touching the Disposal of all such Temporal Estate as I shall be possessed of Interested in or Intitled unto at the time of my Decease I do hereby Order, Give, Devise and bequeath the same as followeth, that is to say
First I do hereby name, make Order Constitute and appoint my friends Thomas Frons of Woolwich in the County of Kent Shipwright, and Edward Clement Carpenter of his Majesty's Ship the Newark now in Ordinary at Chatham to be Joint Executors of this my last Will, and I do hereby Order, Direct and Appoint that all my Just Debts and funeral Expenses shall by my said Executors or either of them be first fully paid and satisfied, And then all the rest, residue and remainder of my Goods, Chattels, Credits, ready Money, Wages, Prize Money, Short allowance money, Wearing Apparel, Wares, Merchandizes and all other of my Estate whatsoever both Real and Personal, I do hereby Give, Devise and bequeath the same unto my Sister Ellen Molineux of Liverpool in Lancashire, maiden, To hold the same and every part and parcel thereof unto my said Sister Ellen Molineux her Executors, Admors. And Assigns forever, And I do hereby revoke Disannul and make void all other Wills, Testaments and Deeds of Gift by me at any time herebefore made, Published or declared.
In witness whereof I the said Robert Molineux have to this my last Will and Testament set my hand and Seal the Eighteenth Day of July in the Year of our Lord One thousand Seven hundred and Sixty Eight.
Signed, Sealed, Published and Declared by the said Robert Molineux the Testator as and for his only last Will and Testament in the presence of John Scarlett, Robt. Campbell in the folly near Rotherhithe.
This Will was proved at London before the Worshipful Thomas Bewer Doctor of Laws, Surrogate of the Right Worshipful George Lay also Doctor of Laws, Master Keeper or Commissary of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury lawfully constituted on the Seventh Day of July in the year of our Lord One thousand Seven hundred and Seventy one by the Oaths of Thomas Frons and Edward Clement the Executors named in the said Will to whom Administration was Granted of all and Singular the Goods, Chattels and Credits of the Deceased they having been first sworn Duly to Administer."
Cliff Thornton
Originally published in Cook's Log, page 11, volume 26, number 3 (2003).
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