In the name of God Amen, I John Satterly of Chatham in the County of Kent, now Carpenter of his Majesty's Bark Endeavour, Lieutenant James Cook Commander, being in Bodily health and of Sound and Disposing Mind and Memory and Considering the perils and dangers of the Seas and other uncertaintys of this transitory Life, Do for Avoiding Controversies after my decease make, Publish, and Declare this my last Will and Testament in manner following (that is to say)

First, I commend my Soul to God that Gave it, and my Body I Commit to the Earth or Sea as it shall please God to Order, and as for and concerning all my Worldly Estate, I give bequeath and dispose thereof as followeth, that is to say,

I Desire that all my Just Debts may be paid, after that is Done what Wages, Sum and Sums of Money, Lands, Tenements, Goods, Chattels, and Estate whatsoever as shall be any ways due, owing, or belonging unto me at the time of my Decease I do Give and Devise and bequeath the same unto my Mother Elizabeth Satterly of Chatham in the County of Kent but in case of her Death, I Give, Devise and bequeath the same unto my Sister Elizabeth Mitchell(?) of Chatham aforesaid

And I do hereby Nominate and Appoint Mr Thomas Frons of Woolwich in Kent, shipwright, and Edward Clement, Carpenter of his Majesty's Ship Newark to be Joint Executors of this my last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all former Wills, Testaments, Agreements and Deeds of Gift by me at any time herebefore made

And I do Ordain and Ratify these presents to stand and be for and as my only last Will and Testament........ In Witness whereof to this my said Will, I have set my hand and Seal this Seventh day of February in the year of our Lord One thousand Seven hundred and Seventy one, And in the Eleventh year of the Reign of his Majesty King George the Third over Great Britain &c J Satterly....Signed, Sealed, Published and Declared in the presence of Jas. Cooke, Robt. Molineux, Rd. Orton.

This Will was proved at London before the Worshipful Andrew Collier (?) Percival, Doctor of Laws, Surrogate of the Right Worshipful George Lang (?) also Doctor of Laws, Master Keeper or Commissary of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, lawfully constituted on the Twenty ninth 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 to whom Administration was Granted, they having been first Sworn Duly to Administer the Probate of a Will with a Codicil of a former date of the deceased herebefore, to wit on the Seventeenth Day of July Instant obtained by the said Edward Clement and Thomas Frons the Executors named in such former Will having having been brought in voluntarily and declared null and void as by the Order of Court now fully appears.

(Transcribed from the copy at the Family Records Centre, London, microfilm reference Prob-11-969-322.)

Cliff Thornton

Commentary

1. John Satterley (sic) was appointed as carpenter of the Endeavour on 22 April 1768, as such he was the first member of her crew. His previous ship was the Prince Edward.
2. Whilst his Will describes himself, his mother and sister as being "of Chatham", the name Satterley is more commonly found in Devon where it was derived from the village of Satterleigh.
3. The Will was made out on the 7th February 1771 when the Endeavour was in the Indian Ocean heading for Cape Town. The end of January and early February saw a number of the ship's crew die from dysentery. Satterly died on 12 February 1771, 5 days after making his Will, Cook recorded in his journal - "At 7AM died of the flux after a long and painfull illness M^r John Satterly, Carpenter, a Man much Esteem'd by me and every Gentleman on board...."
4. The Will may have been prepared at the behest of Cook to ensure that Satterly's wishes for the disposal of his estate were carried out. Although at the subsequent probate hearing, an earlier Will was produced, but was considered to have been superseded by his latter Will made on board the Endeavour.
5. The executors of the Will, Edward Clement and Thomas Frons were presumably known to John Satterly as a result of the trade which they had in common.
6. Those crew members asked by Satterly to witness his Will reveals his close friendship with Cook, Molyneux and Orton. It is possible that as ship's clerk, Orton may have been responsible for drawing up Satterly's Will.

Originally published in Cook's Log, page 1729, volume 23, number 2 (2000).