In 1633, Lady Katherine Barnardiston put pen to ‘Seaventeene ʃheetes of paper’ to write her last will and testament. The resulting document powerfully represents one seventeenth-century woman’s attempt to mitigate risks of financial and spiritual loss, whilst coercing her heirs and remaining loved ones into relationships of trust, both with each other and with her legacy. This paper seeks to explore the rhetorical strategies that Barnardiston employs in her will; this is a legal, factual document, so to what extent is it open to literary interpretation? Did Barnardiston herself expect and anticipate that her final will and testament would be used by her family and executors as a representation of her life, her personality? Does she use the opportunity provided by the moment of will-writing in order to exert herself over those acquaintances she anticipates will outlive her? Is the early modern will used by Barnardiston to stamp her authority on those whom it was impossible to do so in life, her husband, for example? Is Barnardiston’s will more than a dispersing of goods and wealth? Is her writing in fact autobiographical, even devotional? This legal document tells us the story of a life, of attachments made, beliefs valued, and relationships honoured. It is the intention of this paper to explore the metaphors and rhetoric of inheritance present in the will of Lady Katherine Barnardiston. It will also analyse the balance evident in her testament of controlling and expressing faith, or, in other words, managing risk and demonstrating trust.