Will of James Whitfield of St. James, London

James Whitfield is the father of Eleanor (Whitfield) Bland, who was the wife of Stephen Bland, and he is also the grandfather of Ann (Bland) Elliot, wife of Robert Elliot.   Trained as a barber and surgeon, he became a peruke-maker in London.  In case you don't know what a peruke is, it's one of the curly, powdered wigs that men wore in the 1700s.  It's similar to a periwig, but not as huge and extravagant.  

Here is James' London Freedom of the City Admission paper, which marks his apprenticeship to John Bon, Barber-Surgeon of London:

James is the son of another James Whitfield "late of Hodington in the county of Oxon" (or Oxford). I can't make out what James the elder's
profession is. 

Here is an obituary for James, from the London Chronicle, October 7, 1760.

Here is one for his wife, from the Whitehall Evening Post or London Intelligencer, December 31, 1748.

And another from the same newspaper, January 5, 1748.

This one gives more detail about Mrs. Whitfield's family, but I haven't yet been able to confirm any of the information using other sources.  The above obituaries were very kindly sent to me by a fellow researcher who is working on the same line.

And here is James Whitfield's will.

The important parts:

• The will was written in Twickenham on April 12, 1757, but James describes himself as "of the Parish of St. James in the Liberty of Westminster Gentleman"
• he asks to be interred in a wooden coffin and to "erect a stone with an Inscription to the Memory of my deceased wife and my self  the whole of my funeral expenses not to exceed twenty five pounds"  
• he leaves an annuity of 50 pounds a year payable during the natural life of Daniel Smith Esquire and Thomas Budgon Esquire;  these two are to divide the annuity and pay 30 pounds yearly to James' daughter Eleanor Whitfield (our ancestor) and 20 pounds a year "to be equally divided between my three grandsons Cotton Latimer son of John Latimer and Velters Berkley and Henry Berkley sons of Lionel Spencer Berkley and his wife Margaret..."
• in case of the death of his three grandsons, the twenty pound a year annuity "to devolve to my daughter Margaret Berkley for her natural life and in case of her death and my daughter Elenor (sic) should survive her in that case the whole Annuity of fifty pounds should devolve to my aforesaid daughter Eloanor (sic) to dispose of at her discretion..."
• he leaves to Eleanor his "Gold watch with the Gold chain and two Gold seals affixed thereto as also (sic)  my two stools and fire screen which were the work of her deceased Sister Ann Latimer which are not to be valued or appraised or sold among the rest of my effects..." 
• he also leaves Eleanor a bequest of 150 pounds "being part of a sum of money which will arise from the sale of my plate Linnon and household goods of my house at Twickenham..."
• the rest of his estate he divides equally between his two daughters Margaret Latimer and Eleanor Whitfield 
• he leaves "the property of the Remainder of my Lease of my house in St. James' Street" to Eleanor 
• he directs his daughters Margaret and Eleanor to give the executor of the will 150 pounds yearly "for the use and benefit of my Grandson Cotton Latimer towards his maintenance" until he reaches the age of 21 years  

Eleanor seems to profit more from this will than her sister, perhaps because she is not yet married and presumably would have no other means of support.  He also gives more support to his grandson Cotton |Latimer than his two Berkley grandsons.  (Cotton Latimer must have been named after the Cotton family, members of the English gentry, to whom Mrs. Whitfield was related.)  All in all, given that James has a country home (Twickenham is now part of London but in the 1760s was a rural town) as well as a rental in the heart of fashionable \London, a good amount of money and a gold watch he appears to have been a prosperous gentleman.