Many wills of the period appointed one or more Overseers. An Overseer is distinct from an Executor and acts as a watchdog to ensure the testator’s wishes are carried out with integrity. He does not sell or distribute the assets of the testator’s estate directly, neither does he incur any financial liability. The role provides moral guardianship in the process. He may also be the first contact to arbitrate in any dispute.
The role of an Overseer was usually rewarded with a small bequest.
In Hugh Weston’s will of 1547, the Overseers were clergymen, thereby ensuring they were individuals of high local status and education which the Executor would find difficult to ignore.