Posted by e.m.vine@exeter.ac.uk
16 December 2025When selecting previous wills to feature in our monthly series, we browsed testator metadata, looking for particular names or locations, or filtering by occupational, social, and marital status. All of this information can be searched for on The National Archives’ Discovery catalogue.
However, thanks to the recent completion of our will transcriptions and the development of our database, we’re now able to find interesting wills by keyword searching their contents, and by looking for particular objects. As this new project development has coincided with December, we’ve been looking for interesting wills by searching the transcriptions for Christmas-related words. This has included ‘turkey’, bringing up plenty of ‘turkey-work’ carpets, ‘angel’, returning results for the coin, and, one of our most widely-mentioned objects – stockings. We have also found plenty of testators with Christmassy names, and you can read more about them soon in a forthcoming festive blog post.
It was the search-term ‘stockings’ that led us to this month’s featured testator, and specifically, an intriguing reference to ‘Three hundreth payer of Naples Silke stockinges’ in the will of John Lupi, a merchant of Ragusa, whose business took him across Europe, but who died in London in 1604. His detailed will was translated from Italian, and throws light on the life and trade of a foreign Catholic merchant.
A ‘Marchinnte of Ragusa’
Ragusa refers not to the city in modern day Sicily, but to the former Republic of Ragusa, the area around Dubrovnik. A powerful maritime republic, there were many Ragusan merchants in London in the sixteenth century, but fewer from the 1590s when Anglo-Ragusan trade began to dwindle.[1] Our testator John Lupi, whose name may also have been rendered as Ivan Vukovic, may have been one of the last Ragusan merchants to have had significant business in England.[2] He made his will because he was ‘sicke of bodye of the Disease of the Stone’, but promised that if it pleased God to ‘delyver or ease me of this sicknes I will in tyme to come amende my lief and be a better Christian’. He asked that his executor ensure that his business be completed, and that they settle the debts that he owed ‘aswell here in England as beyonde the Sea’.[3]
Lupi wanted all his ‘Apparrell and Lynnen and the Pictures wch are myne’ to be delivered to his mother and sister in Ragusa, who would also receive intermittent payments from his investments, designed to be used ‘for the helpe of theire lyvynge’. He also mentioned, in passing, a daughter, and a ‘naturall’ or illegitimate son named John, who lived in England, and would receive only one third of the returns on these investments, and only after the deaths of Lupi’s mother and sister. Lupi reflected on the fact that his will would not make everyone happy, but conceded: ‘yf I had had more monye I woulde have used greater bountifulnes and contented everie one’.
‘an Image of the moste holye virgin of grace wth my picture kneelinge’
_-_Withypool_Triptych,_Virgin_and_Child_with_Saint_Joseph_and_Donor_(triptych,_centre_panel)_-_K1394_-_Bristol_City_Museum_%5E_Art_Gallery.jpg)
Lupi was a Catholic, and left money for masses to be said in Ragusa for the remission of his sins. He asked that profits from ‘the Shippe called the Trinitie’ be used towards the making of ‘a greate square fframe wch maye serve for an Altar whereuppon he shall cause to be pictured by the handes of Mr John Crittes an Image of the moste holye virgin of grace wth my picture kneelinge’. This may be a reference to Flemish painter John de Critz, who held the role of ‘Serjeant Painter’ at the Court of James I.[4] He asked that his executor send the altar to ‘Ragusa to be sett in the Churche of my ladye of grace’. It is unclear whether this altarpiece was actually made, or if and where it survives, although the Church of Our Lady of Mercy in Dubrovnik appears to contain several paintings. From the description of this design, we can infer that it may have been similar to the earlier Withypool Triptych (above) an altarpiece painted by Antonio Solario and commissioned by English merchant Paul Withypool, who, in a similar manner to Lupi’s request, is depicted in the middle of the painting, kneeling before the virgin and child.[5]
This commissioned altarpiece was not the only religious painting mentioned in Lupi’s will – he left the supervisor of his will, Octavio Gerini, ‘the Picture of our Lorde beinge in my Chamber’. Lupi also made another striking bequest to Gerini: ‘my Parrett wch I praye him to accepte for a token of amitie not havinge any thinge to leave him wch is of worthe in his behalf and to pardon me for godes sake’. Lupi acknowledged that his parrot, which could have been any type of exotic bird, was not a bequest of any value, but it may have been of personal significance, and its bequeathing was a gesture of friendship.
‘Three hundreth payer of Naples Silke stockinges’
The ‘Three hundreth payer of Naples Silke stockinges’ that first drew our attention to this will made up some of the goods that Lupi was involved in trading. They formed part of the merchandise stored ‘In the howse of London’, which included ‘over ffower hundreth payers of Copper or brasse styrropes’, ‘Three hundreth and threescore Jarres of Spanishe wine’, ‘ffourtie and fyve peece of Callicoe clothe’ and ‘Twenty and eighte ordinarie Carpettes and many other Pares come from Venice’. Lupi mentioned several other Venetian, Neapolitan, and Ragusan merchants in his will: he was involved in the large-scale trade of a variety of commodities from across Europe and beyond. It is not clear where or how these supplies of stockings, stirrups, wine jars, calico cloth or carpets would be sold or dispersed from the store in London, but many of these commodities were the types of household goods mentioned in other English wills. Indeed, it is these very types of goods, their arrival in England, and their mention in wills across the country, that we are particularly interested in analysing over the course of this project.
Lupi’s detailed will is 2800 words long, and provides some fascinating insights into the life of a European merchant who found himself dying far from home. In setting out his wishes he provided details of his final sickness and strong faith, his close connections with other merchants and his home of Ragusa, his illegitimate English son, his parrot, and his commissioning of an altarpiece that contained his likeness. Yet it is his discussion not of his own possessions, but of the stock that he traded which provides the most interesting insight into the life of goods in early modern England: what was being imported, where such things came from and when they arrived. The wills of merchants like Lupi can provide an invaluable glimpse at the type of goods that were present or being traded in early modern England, and the types of objects that were ‘in demand’ in the English market. As the members of the project team continue to analyse our transcriptions of early modern wills, we hope to continue to explore the stories that originated from Lupi’s inventory of his stock: to trace where similar Naples stockings or Venice carpets may have ended up in England, who owned them and who they were bequeathed to, and what the possession of these foreign commodities might have meant.
Full Transcription of the Will of John Lupi of All Hallows Barking, City of London, 24 January 1604, PROB 11/103/72
T Johannis
Lupi
Translated owte of the Italian Language
Jhesus the thirtithe of October one thowsande sixe hundred three in Adington
In the name of the almightie God the ffather
the Sonne and the holie Ghoste and of the moste holye Virgin Marie and St John Evangelist
my Intercessors I John Lupi of Ragusa nowe beinge in Adington in Englande within Tenne myle
of London in the Howse of Mr Olyver Lee sounde of mynde by the grace of god but troubled in Bodye doe therfore make testament and my last will withowte any impediment or other trouble and doe leave for my Executor my dearest Lawrence the Sonne of John Milutini And for his Supervisor (withowte whome he the saide Milutini maie not doe any thinge notwithstandinge the
awthoritie of the Executorshippe of the Lawes of England) my deare ffrende and Master Mr Octavio Gerini withoute whome I praye for Jhesus Christe his sake to accepte the same for charitie
and oure
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and oure loves sake yea withoute proffitte And I doe hereunder consequentlie declare asmuche as the said
Milutini hathe to doe in this my last will All the wch I praye god to succeede to his praise and glorie
And Inprimis I have administred this busynes in my name alone with the Capitall Some of Sixe thowsand Duccattes money of Venice withowte that I have ymployed one penny therein but onlye
my personne as appeereth by Covenante made by the Companye in the wch the worshipfull Demetrio Seradura Michel John di Sorgo and Paul Pierizzi are interested for Three thowsand Duccattes
and the worshipfull Nicholas di Piero of Ragusa for one thowsand Duccattes and the worshipfull Marck Martini
of Venice for twoe thowsand Duccattes Whiche busynes I will to be finished wth the firste and that
payde wch I owe aswell here in England as beyonde the Sea and that then the saide Milutini
shall procure to sell the Howsholdstuffe All wch he knoweth referringe all the same to his consciens
And shall then goe on the voyadge of Venice and finishe the Busynes with the saide Martini and the other interested and to assigne unto everie one his owne aswell in goodes as in Debtes rate like
And that wch the Lorde god hathe throughe his mercye given me to devide the same in Thirdes as is
declared in the Covenante before mencioned To weete one Thirde parte unto the worshipfull Seradura Sorgo
and Pierizzi One thirde parte to the worshipfull Marck Martini and Nicholas di Piero and one thirde parte unto me John Lupi Takinge firste of all the proffitte a Caratto or 1/24 I saye one ffower and twentithe parte for Lawrence Milutini as in the said wrightinge is declared wch god graunte to falle owte well And the better to declare the same I doe owe here in England certeine monyes unto Mr Edwarde Leaninge unto Mr Abraham Cartewright unto Mr Thomas Leaninge for
the Carsies had of them in tyme past wth the wch I will to be cleered assoone as maye be wth the
firste money wch the saide Milutini shall receave I doe owe unto Mr Alberico Gentile Twoe hundreth poundes starlinge wch I will to be paide assoone as maye be wth the interest of Nyne per cento by the yeere of that wch he shall not have receavyd I doe owe unto Mr Allin Cotten
Dray One hundreth and fiftie poundes to be paide by all the monethe of Aprill next for soe muche Ware receavyd of him howbeit it dothe not appeere before in the Booke wch I alsoe
will to be payde unto him wthoute interest accordinge to a Bill of myne And forasmuche as I
have sent foorthe certeine monye for a begynnynge for the Accompte and use of the worshipfull Michell
John di Sorgo of Ragusa and Paule Pierizzo alsoe of Ragusa withoute havinge entred in
Booke that wch is sent but yett neverthelesse have made them debtors in the currannte Accopt and the sayde monies are gone uppon myne owne proper name wch are to belonge at theire returne to the worshipfull Parsonnes Three hundreth poundes fflemyshe to Guinea wch the Shippe
the Sonne by the handes of Mr Lawrence Back of Middleborowe as by the Accompte sent me appeereth wch are half for the Accompts of the saide Sorgo and the other half of Pierizzi Moreover
I have sent by the hande of Mr Thomas Allabaster as appeereth by his Obligacion made unto me ffive hundreth and fiftie poundes starlinge (to weete) with the Shippe the Prospero
Three hundreth poundes all for the Accompte of Mstr Michel John di Sorgo for the voyage
of Marguerita and St Domingo ffiftie poundes with the Shippe the Diana for the Accompte
of the said Mr Sorgo One hundreth poundes wch the Shippe the Willim and John for St
Domingo the one half for the Accompte of the saide Sorgo and the other half of the worshipfull
Paule Pierizzi and one hundreth poundes wch the Shippe the Delighte of London for the Marguerita & Charache (to weete) the one half for the saide Sorgo and the other half for
Pierizzi And I praie the saide Milutini at the returne of the saide Shippes to procure
to have the principall and proffitte and with the saide monie to followe the will of the said
worshipfull Sorgo and Pierizzi as of those unto whome the same goodes doe apperteine Item I
finde that I have in the howse a Balle of fyne Naples sylke in Thirdes wch Mr Thomas
Allabaster and Mr Jerrome Lopez the wch yowe shall procure to sell and for my parte
to receave the monie as best yowe cann puttinge to the saide money to the Voyadge of
Guineas And forasmuche as Mr Allabaster is to give Accompte of the procedewe of the
Gyles soulde at Rouan of the wch he hathe paide me in parte of payment & upon Accompte abowte one hundreth ffiftie and fower poundes yowe shall procure to have the rest with
the firste. I doe expect twoe Cases wth Sylkes from Naples sent unto me by Nicholas
Radulouich in the wch this Company is interested for one thirde parte And the other twoe
thirde partes the worshipfull Michell John di Sorgo and Paule Pierizzi of Ragusa doe yor
procure
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procure to receave the same with the firste In the howse of London doe I finde that I have manye Merchaundizes for the Accompte of the saide worshipfull Sorgo and Pierizzi (to weete) a little Casse with
with verie riche Naples Taffaties Three hundreth payer of Naples Silke stockinges muche apparell
for menn and women with manie other thinges as maye appeere by the Accompte of Nicholas Radulouich of Naples There are more over ffower hundreth payers of Copper or brasse styrropes caused to be here made many Buskins and Chiapinis Jerkins of Buffe and Bucke skynnes
Three hundreth and threescore Jarres of Spanishe wine ffourtie and fyve peeces of Callicoe clothe
Threescore peeces of blacke Chamlettes Twenty and eighte ordinarie Carpettes and many other Pares come from Venice Lookinge glasses white waxe and other Wares Of all the wch the said Milutini hathe a note and he is to geve accompte of that wch passeth ffor the Accompte of this Company wee are interested in the Shippe called the Trinitie for fyve eighte partes ffor the wch
I doe leave libertie unto the saide Milutini to sende the same on the intendyd voyage wch I praye
god to succeede wch proffitte There besydes we are interested in the twoe hundreth Crownes of John
Piermo wch goeth to Guinea for thirde parte wth Mr Allabaster and Mrs Lopez at hir returne
you shall procure to gett that wch canne be had Prayenge the saide Lawrence Milutini that
wth the firste he cause to be made a greate square fframe wch maye serve for an Altar whereuppon
he shall cause to be pictured by the handes of Mr John Crittes an Image of the moste holye virgin
of grace wth my picture kneelinge bestoweinge thereuppon betwene twelve and fyftene poundes
and to sende the same wth the firste to Ragusa to be sett in the Churche of my ladye of grace wth
ffiftene Crownes of golde to buye that wch shalbe neede of in the Churche In wch Virgin I have allwayes trusted and doe truste for the intercession of my synnes Item I will that menn shall provide twetye
Crownes of goulde to the Schoole of St Rocco of Ragusa to thende that Companye maye cause soe
many Masses to be saide for me to the praise and glorie of god and remyssyon of my synnes Item
I leave to the Churche of the Reverent ffryers of St ffrauncys of Ragusa fyve Crownes of golde to thende
they maye saye soe manie Masses for my Sowle Item I leave unto Mr Octavio Gerini the Picture of
our Lorde beinge in my Chamber and my Parrett wch I praye him to accepte for a token of amitie not
havinge any thinge to leave him wch is of worthe in his behalf and to pardon me for godes sake unto
wch Mr Octavio I doe recomende my Nephewe Lazzarus to helpe him in all that christian charitie requireth
not havinge any other in the worlde but firste god and then ffrendes I doe leave unto my deere Lawrence
the sonne of John Milutini Tenne poundes starlinge to buye him a Ringe and that he doe weare yt for love
of me Alsoe I leave unto him all my printed Bookes whiche Milutini I doe praye for the love of god to have care of my Nephewe Lazarus in all that wch he came and shalbe needefull bringinge him up
wth him as I have done towardes him. I leave unto Mistris S B my ffrende ffiftie poundes starlinge wth condicion that they be payde unto hir when shee shall marrie Prayenge the sayde Milutini to observe
all that wch I have toulde and prayed him by worde of mouthe to doe yt withoute spendinge anie tyme
therein Item I leave unto my Maideservinte Besse at this presente here ffive poundes starlinge besides hir
wages Item I doe give unto the other Maideservante Besse in London ffourtie shillinges besides hir
wages I doe leave unto Marino Gaudino my servaunte ffower poundes whiche Gaudino shall receive
the same of Milutini I doe leave unto John Webbe my Servaunte ffive poundes for love besides his
wages for havinge bene as Pursser on the Shippe the Trinitie rebatinge him neverthelesse that wch
he oweth in the booke and hathe bene delyvred unto him to carrie wth the Shippe prayenge the sayde
Milutini to favoure him Item I will that all my Apparrell and Lynnen and the Pictures wch are
myne be all sent to Ragusa wth the firste oportunitie of passage to thende all the same be delivered
unto my Mother and Sister to thende they maye doe therewith that wch they shall thinke best & please
Item towchinge that which maye concerne me of the proffitte of the saide administration I will that all
the same be browghte to a heade makinge my administrators Mr Michell John de Sorgo Mr Nicholas
di Pierro and Mr Paule Pierizzi wch proviso and condicion to putte all the same into the Revenewes
of Naples at the moste advinitage they canne and from tyme to tyme to delyver the proffitte or
gayne thereof unto my deere mother and my Sister Marye for the helpe of theire lyvynge And when
the tyme of Marriage of my Neeces the daughters of my Sister (to weete) Jella and Visa shalbe come
ffower hundreth crownes a peece And unto my daughter Viana or at this presente called Marguerit
ffower hundreth Crownes of golde Provided that they shalbe taken of the saide Revenuewes And for
the rest the same shall remayne at the disposition of my Mother and my Sister (to weete) of the saide
Revenewes
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Revennewes And after theire deathes I will that my Nephewe Lazaro shall have twoe thirde partes of the
saide monie to doe therewith as he shall thinke good And of the thirde parte doe I make heire my naturall
Sonne called John at this presente in England Prayenge all of them to contente themselves wth my will and
yf I had had more monye I woulde have used greater bountifulnes and contented everie one And yf it shall
please his divine Matie to delyver or ease me of this sicknes I will in tyme to come amende my lief and be a better Christian then I have bene hitherto And in case God will calle me unto him I doe praie him for his exceedinge bountie and mercie to pardon my synnes And I doe alsoe praye the moste holye Virgin Marie and St John Evanngelist to make intercession for me Alsoe I doe
praye all the Saintes of Paradice to be favorable unto me I will alsoe that the saide Milutini
doe take care to dispatche the sayde Shippe the Trinitie on hir voyage of the Indies sendinge for
Cape merchinte ye worshipfull Tiberio Cieuoli in furnishinge him wth convenient parcelles Alsoe John Webbe for
Pursser and Capteine Pose for Mr And the sooner the expedition be the better it wilbe God graunte the same good adventure I doe fynde that I have in my howse a Bill of one hundreth poundes
starlinge of Mr Martin Federighi wch he is to paie by all the monethe of November next yowe
shall procure to have payment thereof and shall make the same over to Ragusa to the worshipfull Mr
Marino and Nicholas the Sonnes of Raphael di Gozzi The saide money beinge for the composicion
made towchinge that wth Mr James Velino did owe unto Nicholas de Gosse theire unckle decessed
makinge Mr John Baptista Justiniani acquainted wth his bill and that he procure yowe to have payment thereof keapte untill the ffiftenthe of November in London in my howse and forasmuche as I
sythens have bowghte of Mr Rickman one eighte parte of the Shippe the Trinitie to thende to make even wth him and for the sayde eighte parte I have assigned him all that wch he did doe in the
oulde Accompte wherein the saide Shippe was to be Creditor And for rest I have assigned unto him
the parte of the ycon sent wth hir Moreover I have made agreement wth mr Tiberio Crausli to
followe the voyage wth the sayde Shippe at Sixe poundes the monethe for his payment and here
besydes Twoe hundreth hydes free of freight Moreover I have compounded to buye one eighte
parte of the sayde Shippe wch Bullocke eathe in hir I sayde here before that all my Cloathes shoulde be sent to Ragusa I will that the same be here soulde and the monye made over unto my
Mother and Sister And soe god be mercifull to my Sowle and for give me my Synnes Subscribed this Giovanni Lupi and sealled with a sealle in harde waxe on the backsyde of the sayde Testament
is written Mr John Lupi Marchinnte of Ragusa resident within this Cittie of London beinge sicke of bodye of the Disease of the Stone but of good memorie and understandinge hathe wth his owne
hande subscribed and sealled these presentes and declared that in those twoe Sheetes of paper he hathe wth
his owne hande written his testament and last will this fiftenthe of November Anno one thowsand
sixe hundreth and three in London Present the wittnesses under written Subscribed this Giovanni
Lupi fr Joseppo Teixero Portugallis Alberico Gentili Marino Gaudino Geo Battes Giustimani Bartholomeo Rizzo Gio Webb Mauro Berti Cornelius Spirink Notarius pubeus 1603 And alsoe sealled wth twoe sealles in harde waxe And on the saide Testament is alsoe written These presentes beinge
the Testament and last will of late Mr John Lupi hathe bene opened in the presence of the Wittnesses
underwritten this seaventhe daie of December in the yeare one thowsand sixe hundreth and three
And in wittnes of the trewthe we have here subscribed to everie leasse of the saide Testament beinge
in all twoe sheetes Subscribed others Fr: Joseppo Teixero portagallus Cornelius Spirink Notarius publicus 1603 Gio Battoll Giustiniam Mauro Berti Augustino Luocatelli All wch personnes
have alsoe subscribed on the firste page of the firste and second Leaves of the saide Testament as
thereby maye be seene This present translacion dothe in substanns agree with his Originall
Ita attestor Corneius Spirrinck Nots pubcus
[1] https://www.dubrovnikseatours.com/trade-between-london-and-the-republic-of-ragusa-in-the-16th-century/
[2] Veselin Kostic, ‘Sketches From the Life of Ragusan Merchants in London in The Time Of Henry VIII’, Dubrovnik Annals 12 (2008), pp. 45-56 at p. 47.
[3] PROB 11/103/72, Will of John Lupi of All Hallows Barking, City of London, 24 January 1604.
[4] Mary Edmond, “Critz, John de, the elder (d. 1642), serjeant-painter.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 23 Sep. 2004; https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/7413 .
[5] https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/withypool-triptych-virgin-and-child-with-saint-joseph-and-donor-189120
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