to be entitled to a part of the goods and chattels of their late husbands or fathers called her and their reasonable part by virtue or colour of a custom or other usage within the said Principality and Marches thereof, notwithstanding any disposition of the same by the husband's and father's last Wills and testaments or by deed in their lives time and notwithstanding a competent jointure according to the agreement made for the livelihood of the said widows by their husbands which have often occasioned great troubles disputes and expenses about and concerning such custom and usage, whereby many persons have been and are disabled from making sufficient provision for their families younger children and relations and great disputes troubles and expenses have often happened concerning the same to the great damage or ruin of many; for remedy whereof and for preventing of questions doubts and difficulties for the future touching the said custom and usage; be it enacted by the King's Most Excellent Majesty by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons in this present Parliament assembled and by the authority of the same that from and after the twenty-fourth day of June 1696 it shall and may be lawful for any person or persons inhabitant or residing or who shall have any goods or chattels within the Principality of Wales or Marches thereof by their last Wills and Testaments to give bequeath and dispose of all and singular their goods chattels debts and other personal Estate to their Executor or Executors or to such other person or persons as the said Testator or Testators shall think fit in as large and ample manner as by the laws and Statutes of this Realm any person or persons may give and dispose of the same within any part of the Province of Canterbury or elsewhere; and that from and after the said twenty-fourth day of June 1696 the widows children and other the kindred of such Testator or Testators shall be barred to claim or demand any part of the goods chattels or other personal Estate of all such testator or testators in any other manner than such by the last Wills and Testaments is limited and appointed, any law said custom or usage to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding.
2. Provided always that nothing in this Act contained shall extend to take away any right or title which any woman now married or younger children may have to the reasonable part of their husband's or father's Estate by virtue or colour of the said custom or usage.
