Help with reading a will please - Completed

[jomcd967]

Hi, I am posting a will that I am fascinated with as the underlying love story seems to be incredibly sad. The will is for a Thomas Poplett, Captain on half pay, from Hampton Court. He was married to Louisa Augusta Bayly (a very blue blood lady) but remained in love with a Miss Penelope
His will (which I can only partly decipher) starts by requesting money be put aside to build a vault for himself and his “beloved friend Miss Penelope ??” and that “we have tenderly and honourably loved each other from a young age” “and should have been married had not we been separated by foreign and distant settlement…duties…misinformation led me to believe that she was dead. I married my present amiable and virtuous wife and have faithfully done my duty towards her..” Any way, he goes on to leave both Penelope? And Augusta as his executors! What an incredibly sad, moving and fascinating love story. But unfortunately I can only partly decipher the handwriting, just enough to pick up the gist, but not the details. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Regards, Jo

[PrueM]

Hi Jo

What a bittersweet tale - it reads like a romance novel, only much more touching 

Here is my go at the first page - just working now on the second (which will be mostly legalese):

This is the last will and
Testament of me Thomas Poplett Esquire one of the Deputy
Lieutenants for the Count of Middx & a Captain in the Army
on half pay & now residing at Hampton Court in the said County of
Middlesex.  I direct that my Cor[p]se be put into a Lead Coffin and
buried at ?Hitcham agreeably to the instructions I have written to
the Revd Mr ?Thurson &  my beloved Miss Penelope Gale &
for the expense of building the vault and paying the rectors fees
and other Parochial Charges I desire than one hundred pounds be
paid to the said ?Thurson within one month afte rmy decease
and I particularly request that a hearse and four without any
Coach or feathers or ornaments may convey my body quickly to
the place of interment & that a stone shall be placed on or near
the vault with such inscription as the said Penelope Gale shall
think proper to write for in this the last serious Testimony of
my life I declare we have tenderly & honorably loved each other
from early life & should have been married at a proper season
if we had not been separated by foreign and distant Settlements
when our duties compelled us to reside & as misinformation led
me to believe she was dead I married my present amiable and
virtuous wife and have faithfully done my duty towards her
and therefore it is agreed between me and the first object of my
affections that we shall be united in one Grave in the Christian
Hope of rising together and by the mercy of God be members of
heavenly kingdom and with respect to all my worldly affairs
I direct that four thousand pounds five per Cent stock now
standing in my name may be dispersed of as follows the interest
to Mrs Poplett during her life & if Miss Gale should survive
her the interest of the same for her life with power to give
away by will or otherwise one thousand of the principal at her
death and the other three thousand five per cent stock to be
given to Caroline Bayley Sir Henry Edwin Stanhope and Mary
Pepal my nurses dau[ghte]r now residing at Battle Bridge in equal
shares one thousand each I give the sum of Fifty pounds clear
of all deductions whatsoever to Jane Bland my upper servant &
faithful attendant in my sickness for her care and attention and
the bonds of Lord Uxbridge with all my Goods Chattels and
Effects of whatever description & all money Jewels or securities
that I now have or may be intitled to I give and bequeath to my
wife Louisa Augusta Poplett for her sole use & benefit and for
the due performance of this my will & testament I do appoint Miss
Penelope Gale and my wife Louisa Augusta Poplett by Ex[ecu]trixes
In witness whereof I have to this my said last will & Testam[en]t
written & contained in two sheets of paper to the first sheet
set my hand mark & to the last my mark & seal being
unable from Infirmity & ? bodily weakness to write my
name Hampton Court in Middx this Eighth Day of September in
the Year of our Lord 1809 and in the forty eighth year of his
Majesty George George the thirds reign - Thomas POplett X
his mark ... signed sealed published & decleared by the Test[at]or
Thomas Poplett as & for his last will & testament in the
presence of us who at his request in his presence & in the
presence of each other have set our names as witnesses hereto...

[PrueM]

And here is the rest.

Hopefully someone will be able to enlighten you as to why the will was proved twice and what the probate text all means - my guess is that Penelope died between the first and second provings of the will, but I have no idea really! 

...hereto - Robt ?Lasswick - John Murray - Wm Jackson

Proved at London 21st ?Novr 1810 before the worshipful Charles
Goote Doctor of Laws & Surr[oga]te by the oath of Penelope Gale Spinster one
of the Executors being sworn to adm[iniste]r Power re?owed to Louisa Augusta
Poplett Widow the whit & other Ex[ecut]or.

Proved at London 11th April 1811 before the worshipful Charles
Goote Doctor of lawe & surrogate by the oath of Louisa Augusta Poplett
Widow the whit & other Ex[ecut]or being sworn to administer.

[Dalum]

I have been thinking about the place of burial and the minister's name.

Later in the document we have the word 'fifty' written with two small 'ff's representing upper case 'F'. I think the placename begins with the same letter. My suggestion is that it is Fetcham, which is in Surrey.

This leaflet has a list of Rectors of Fetcham...

http://www.stmarysfetcham.org.uk/Docs/History%20-%201956%20guide.pdf

...which includes:

1794 Abraham SHERSON
[next incumbent from 1818]

I think the minister coud be the Revd Mr Sherson.

Hugh

[PrueM]

I think you're right on both those counts, Hugh - thanks for fixing that up!  I can read most things, but names and places if they're unfamiliar can be difficult.

Cheers
Prue

[Dalum]

found via Google books...

The Gentleman's Magazine, Vol 79 part 2 p893 [1809]
Obituary, with Anecdotes of remarkable Persons

[Sep] 9
Thomas Poplett, esq. captain on the Half-pay of the Army, and deputy-lieutenant of the county of Middlesex. His remains were removed from his house at Hampton-court-green to be buried in his vault at Fetcham, Surrey. As he had directed, by will, to be interred with the utmost privacy, the anxious solicitation of his numerous friends to pay their last attention to his memory could not be accepted; while he will long continue the object of their affectionate remembrance for benevolence of heart, almost without example, and of liberal charity to the poor, who will long deplore his loss, which will be severely lamented by every description of persons who had the pleasure of his acquaintance, and by his afflicted widow and family.

Hugh

[Seoras]

Great work Prue and Hugh on the deciphering and detective work,a very moving and interesting read with my morning cuppa.

George.

[veeblevort]

A very sad tale indeed, yet I do wonder what Louisa made of it all, and when she first knew.

After such superb contributions, this seems a really trivial offering, but where the transcription provides 'the whit', I see 'the relict'.

[PrueM]

Hi veeblevort,

I think you're absolutely correct, and that certainly makes more sense than "whit".
I also noticed that my transcription has lots of typos - how embarrassing 

It is a really interesting situation, and I wonder whether Louisa knew before her husband died...if he really was an honourable man as he claimed to be, I suppose he would have told her the story and what his intentions were.

I also wonder where Louisa was buried when she died?

Cheers
Prue