Robert Bracewell's Estate Appraisal

[1668-11 May] APPRAISAL OF THE ESTATE OF MR. ROBERT BRACEWELL

An Appraisement of the Estate of Mr ROBERT BRACEWELL - May 11th 1668

one pcell of young hoggs...............1800
Six Cowes wch values...................3000
two young Bulls of a year old...........300
two Cowes att...........................800
one draught oxe att.....................700
one Mare & horse coult.................3000
one fether Bedd boulster one )
pillow 2 blancketts one rugg ).........1000
curtaines & vallens )
nine Shillings in money & 3 ringes......400
one silver Tankard one dram cupp )
and three silver spoones )..............500
one Chest Drawers.......................250
Two Chests one cubberd drawers..........200
one Couch one warmeinge pann............100
one round Table.........................200
one old chaire & chest...................30
6 diap Napkins 1 table cloth............200
2 cubberd clothes & cushion.............300
one old Chest & Trunck...................40
one glass att...........................500
one Table att...........................300
fivc paire of shoes at..................100
one Coverlet for a bedd.................400
one pcell of black broadcloth...........150
one pcell of qr ling broadcloth..........30
five yards Kerses att...................100
one yard 3/4 of flannin..................20
one pcell of weareing clothes...........700
one fether bedd 4 Coverings & one )
hamacke Curtaines & vallens )...........900
one pcell of beddinge att...............100
two gunnes att..........................200
one old Chest & Trunck att..............100
one old fether bedd pilloe 2 coverings..400
one pcell of old bedinge att.............20
one Emptie bll att.......................40
one parcell of Books at.................500
one pcell of old pewter att.............300
_____________________17680


(2nd Column)

4 Iron potts & a brass Candelsticke.....300
one old brass Kettell....................50
one bell metell skillett at..............40
one morter frieinge pan dripping )
pan & one spitt at.......................80
one per Andirons tongs fire shovell......40
fower pott rackes & grandiron...........100
one old brass Kettell att................50
one pcell of earthern ware at............60
one pcell of tubbs & lumber at..........200
one pcell of old Iron att...............200
one round table at......................100
two bed steades at......................100
one Servant boy at......................800

...................................________

Summe in all is.......................19800

Debts good & desperatt in all.........16000

.................................._________

......................................35800

Chattell belongine to the estate that are abroad att Severall places, att

ROBERT STOACKES

8 Cowes, 2 bulls 6 three yeare old heiffers and 5 two yeare old heiffers
1 Cowe at Coll PITTS
1 Cowe at Mr JOHN PITTS
1 Cowe at Mr NICHOLAS SMITHES
1 Cowe at Mr THOMAS TABERERS
1 Cowe at Mr JOHN HARDY
1 Cowe att Mr DANNIELL BOUCHERS
1 Cowe att JOHN VICCORS
1 Cowe att WILLIAM WEST
1 yearlinge att WILLIAM WEST

__

30

An old Boate not appraised, neither the Cattell above named, But all things else that is Charged to Account is appraised by Us

GYLES DRIVER

BENJAMIN BEALE

ROBERT COLEMAN

FFRANCIS AYRES

Recorded 9th June 1668 P Mr Jno Jennings, Clr Curt.

Will & Deed Book 1, Vol. 2, page 55

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Commentary by Carey Bracewell

Clearly this is the estate of a Virginia aristocrat, worth more than 50,000 pounds of tobacco in moveables alone. Evidently our ancestor had one of the best herds of dairy cattle around, which he generously shared with certain well-to-do neighbors. Note that sons-in-law ROBERT STOKES and WILLIAM WEST had already collected their bovine inheritances from him. The sold.

"Boate not appraised" was doubtless anchored on his landing on Pagan Point (Cypress) Creek, used for carrying himself and sometimes tobacco down to Jamestown. Some other observations:

1. We may estimate the value of a pound of tobacco at about 75 cents in present day money.

2. The first room inventoried was obviously his bedroom. A "boulster" was something resembling a mattress, to support the "fether Bedd"; "vallens" was the familiar valance; "cubberd drawers" was a large chest with drawers; "diap{er} Napkins" were table napkins that protected the diner's chest from grease splatters, wine spills, etc.; "cubberd Clothes & cushion" were cloth articles that covered a large chest, making it into a kind of settee; "glass" meant a large mirror; "qr ling boardcloth" is believed to have been white broadcloth, part of a parson's attire; "Kerses" means Kersey, a coarse ribbed woolen cloth for hose and work clothes; the "Emtie bll" was doubtless a large tobacco barrel; "grandiron" was the horizontal metal arm from which other utensils were hung; and the "Servant boy", like the maid servant ELIZABETH HALL named in his will, were white indentured servants. {I am indebted to my sister, Patti, in Dallas--who is a collector of seventeenth century antiques--for the identification of some of these rarer items}.

3. The "debts good & desperatt" may refer to the cattle "on loan" and/or to warehoused tobacco belonging to the estate.

4. Two minor changes were made from this original text (and the one below): zeros were used to give four places to each inventory item, e.g. "0040" for forty pounds, which seemed redundant. Another meaningless redundancy in this document.