In the Name of God Amen I Charles Lowndes of Colleton County in the
province of South Carolina Esqr. being blessed [by] God of sound &
disposing mind & memory, tho infirm in body & knowing that it is
appointed unto all men once to die, do therefore make publish & declare
this my last Will & Testament in manner & form following.  Principally
being truly sorry for all my Sins & imploring the pardon and forgiveness
of them I commend my immortal Spirit into the hands of God, that gave
it, in & through the merits & Mediation of Jesus Christ my blessed
Saviour & Redeemer, on whom I rely for the pardon & forgiveness of all
my sins & for eternal life & Salvation, & my body (at Death) I commit to
the grave, to be buried in a decent & christian like manner, at the
discretion of my Executors hereinafter mentioned, in hopes of a Glorious
Resurrection, & as to my worldly Estate & such goods & Chattels Lands &
Tenements as it hath pleased God to bestow upon me, it is my will &
desire that the same & every part & parcell thereof shall go & be
disposed of, in such manner & form as hereinafter respectively is
mentioned limited & appointed & not otherwise that is to say:

First:  I will & desire that all my just Debts & funeral expenses shall
be duly paid & discharged within such time as can be conveniently done
after my decease & to that end & I having hereinafter made a competent
provision for my wife Sarah Lowndes as well in recompense & in lieu of
her dower out of my Estate, as for & in consideration of the Temporary
use & profitts of certain Negroes or slaves of hers which at & before
our intermarriage were settled by marriage agreement in writing executed
under our bands & seals for the purpose & behoofs therein mentioned &
limited so I desire & require that the said Negroes or slaves of my
decease shall be permitted to be kept together & with my Estate be kept
to be used, exercised occupied & employed & the profits & produce
thereof applyed by my said Executors or Executor to the payment of my
said Debets & other incumbrances charged & imposed thereon by virtue of
this my Last Will & Testament (Provisionally) untill the whole of my
said Debts & incumbrances shall be cleared & discharged & that without
any other or further reckoning or allowance for the same, to be made or
paid to my said wife her Exors Admors or assigns them as shall be given,
limited & appointed in & by this My said Last Will & Testament, to wit:
I will that a suitable yearly sum of Money shall be paid to her my said
Wife Sarah for her own maintainance & Cloathing & for the maintenance &
education of my loving Son Charles Lowndes untill my said Debts shall be
all discharged as aforesaid.

Item: I will that the sum of one hundred pounds current money of this
province, a year, shall be paid for purchasing suitable apparel for my
loving nephew John Taylor Lowndes during his apprenticeship pursuant to
his Present indentures & my agreement on his behalf.

Item: I hereby authorize and impower my said Executors hereinafter named
& the survivor of them & the Executors & administrators of such
survivour, in Case he or they shall find it necessary, absolutely to
Grant Bargain, sell, convey & dispose of in due form & manner of law,
all or any part or parts of my Estate, as well real as personal to such
person or Persons which shall be the highest bidder or bidders his her
or their Heirs & assigns forever, as my said Executors or Executor shall
see fit & to receive pay & Apply all the monies arising or to arise by
such sale & sales towards the discharge of my said Debts, Incumbrances &
the other uses of my Estate according to this my last Will & Testament.
Item: whereas some years past I bargained & agreed with the
representatives of Dostors [Doctors?] Francis Baker, late of Great
Britain deceased, for the Purchase of a certain Plantation or
Plantations containing about one[?] thousand Acres of land be the same
more or less, with the Hereditaments & appurtanences thereunto belonging
situate at or near to Pon Pon in this Province which I am in possession
of but as yet have not obtained compleat Titles.  Now in case it should
happen that such compleat Titles cannot be perfected in My life time
then I hereby direct & impower my said Executors hereinafter named & the
survivor of them his Executors or Administrators as sonn as possible
after my Decease by all lawful Ways and means to procure and obtained
good & effectuual Titles & Conveyances of the premises for the use of my
Estate & devises & the purposes contained & expressed in or by this my
said Last Will and Testament.

Item: (after all my said debts & the other charges & incumbrances
hereinbefore mentioned, shall be cleared & discharged as above directed)
I give devise & Bequeath unto my said wife Sarah in lieu, recompence &
Barr of all her right, Dower, Interest claims & Demands in to or out of
my Estate whatsoever and also in consideration of the aforementioned
temporary use & profits above proposed & directed, of for & concerning
her said Negroes or Slaves settled at & before our intermarriage being
to go & be applyed to & for the payment of my Debts, the use of all my
Real Estate for & during the Term or Time that she shall live & continue
my widow & no longer moreover the moiety or half part of the Surplus or
Residue of my personal Estate Goods & Chattels to do therewith and
dispose thereof, as she shall see fit, forever.  But in Case of her
refusal or non acceptance of the proposal & Terms above mentioned then
my said real Estate and the said moiety or one half part of my Personal
Estate Goods & Chattels shall go & I go [do?], in such case, further
give devise and Bequeath the same (after the discharge of my said debts,
charges and other incumbrances) as the other moiety or one half part
remaining of my said Personal Estate, Goods & Chattels and the reversion
of My said Real Estate, respectively, is or are hereinafter given,
Bequeathed Devised or disposed of & not otherwise.

Item: As to the said other moiety or one half part of my said Personal
Estate Goods & Chattels, and (at the Death Marriage or Refusal
abovementioned of her my said wife Sarah, which[ever] shall first
happen) the new version of my said Real Estate, my said Debts, Charges &
other incumbrances being first cleared & discharged as aforesaid) I give
Bequeath & Devise the same into him my said son Charles Lowndes Junr.
his heirs and Assigns forever.  But if it shall please God that he my
said son Charles shall die before his Age of Twenty one Years and
unmarried & then living my said Wife Sarah, in such case & on such terms
& conditions as are hereinabove mentioned of for & concerning her & not
otherwise, I further leave & give her my said wife Sarah the use of the
said moiety or half part of my said Personal Estate goods & Chattels
hereinbefore intended for him my said son Charles (after the discharge
of my Debts Charges & other incumbrances as aforesaid) for & during the
term of her natural life & no longer & in case of the decease or refusal
as abovementioned of her my said Wife Sarah then I hereby further give
bequeath & demise [devise] unto my s[ai]d Nephew John Taylor Lowndes &
to his heirs & assigns forever, the said other moiety or one half part
of my said Personal Estate Goods & Chattels & all my said Real Estate or
the reversion thereof, after the said payment & discharge of my debts
charges or other incumbrances as aforesaid.

Lastly I nominate constitute & appoint my dear & loving brother Rawlins
Lowndes & my loving friends Thos. Ferfusen & John Parker to be Executors
of this my last Will & Testament & also guardians of the Person & Estate
of my said Son Charles Lowndes Junr. untill his arrival to the age of
Twenty one years & I do hereby also revoke Annull & make void all former
& other wills & Testaments by me heretofore made or declared either by
word or writing & ratifie allow of & confirm this & no other to be &
remain as & for my only Last Will & Testament.  In Witness whereof I the
said Charles Lowndes have to this my said Last Will and Testament set my
hand & Seal the Eighteenth day of January in the third year of our
Sovereign Lord King George the thirds Reign & in the year of our Lord
God One Thousand Seven hundred & Sixty three.

Sealed Published & Declared by Charles Lowndes Esqr. to be his Last will
& Testament in the presence of us who in the Testators presence & at his
Request have hereunto severally set our respective names as Witnesses:
Maurice Harvey  Proved by virtue of a
     John Joar [Doar?]  Dudimus[?] before Jno. Spinse[?]
     Arch. McNeill  May 24, 1763 & on June 24
         1763 qualified Equitus[?]
         Lowndes Esqr. as Executor
         to the within

Recorded in Will Book 1760-1767