Mary Dowah

  Noted events in her life were:

• source. Kerry Gamble (nee Botten)

• fact. Mary inherited from her husband William REED's will - "This is the last Will and Testament of me William Reed of Tolcarne Wartha in the parish of Wendron in the county of Cornwall, yeoman, for the disposition of all my worldly estate and effects. I give, devise and bequeath unto my dear wife Mary Reed the sum of Three hundred pounds of lawful English money, to be paid her at the end of three months next after my decease. I also give, devise and bequeath to my said wife my freehold estate of Retanna in the said parish of Wendron, to hold to her and my assigns, from my decease during her natural life. I also give to my said wife so much of the rents and profits of my leasehold tenement of Mengerne in Wendron as, with the income to arise from the said tenement of Retanna, shall raise one clear yearly annuity of Thirty pounds; together with such additional sum as shall be necessary to pay the property tax of the said annuity, to be paid her and her assigns by quarterly payments during her natural life, the first payment thereof to be made on the second quarter day of payment that shall happen after my decease; Together with the usual remedies for recovering the same in case of nonpayment. I also give and bequeath to my said wife during her natural life the following rooms in the dwelling house wherein I now live, namely: the parlor, the parlor Chamber and the Hall chamber. And I do direct that my said wife shall open a door on the North side of the said House and close up the door which communicates with the other parts of the said house; and that she may absent herself for any length of time from the said rooms, but she shall not let them to any person, which if she do my son William sons shall take possession of them. But if my son William family shall in any wise molest my said wife, then she shall be at liberty to take any other house, and my son William's sons shall pay the rent for the same during her life out of what I have given them in this Will. I also give to my said wife so much of the furniture as she shall chose for furnishing the said rooms, also all my plate during her natural life. And after her death, all the plate that formerly belonged to her father in law Richard Grubb shall belong to my son Joseph Reed, and the remainder that was my own and the furniture shall belong to my son William Reed's sons by Dorcas his wife, share and share alike. I also give to my said wife a quart of new milk every day during her life, from the cows which may be kept on the tenement of Tolcarne Wartha, as long as they afford any. I also give to my said wife during her life the western turf house, with free liberty to cut furze [a shrub used for fuel and fodder) and turf on any part of the premises I may have in hand at the time of my death, and to make rick [hay LPM] and secure the same in the town place of Tolcarne aforesaid, and liberty of ingress and egress to the well or runlet for water, and free liberty at all times to carry and recarry over the said premises." http://www.meiszen.net/family/tree/hazel/will_will.htm

Mary married William Reed, son of Nicholas (Nicholous) Reed and Grace Dunstone, on 5 Jan 1753 in Helston, Cornwall England. (William Reed was born in 1729 in Stithians, Cornwall England, christened in Mar 1729 in Wendron, Cornwall England, died in 1815 in Wendron, Cornwall England and was buried in 1815 in Wendron, Cornwall England.)