Will of Michael Holmes, 1852, (born 1774, son of Joseph and Martha nee Holmes)

Bodkin Top Haworth

Will made 1851

Wife (second wife Betty Heaton, 1784-1863) and two unmarried daughters living with him get as much of his furniture beds and looms as necessary to furnish them a cottage house in decent manner at discretion of exors.

Remainder of furniture cattle farming stock and other goods shall be sold to best advantage within a year of his death and the proceeds along with his money to be made into one sum, debts paid and then given to his twelve children in equal shares.

Wife gets the clear yearly rents and profits arising from two freehold cottages at Smith Bank in Haworth. At her death or remarriage these two cottages now occupied by Jospeh Holmes and John Dawson to go to the twelve children as tenants in common.

He's laid out about thirty pounds in the farm he now occupies and the right and goodwill go to his four sons, Joseph Daniel Jonathan and John equally.

Daniel Holmes his son (farmer), Jonathan Reddihough (married to daughter Elizabeth Heaton, born before he married Betty), John Brook the younger (married to daughter Ann) and Abraham Sunderland (schoolmaster) to be the exors.

Witnesses John Brook senior and illegible