Legal Question

[Kiki1958]

I have a collateral ancestor, Thomas B. Hignell, who died in Dublin, in late February 1876.  He had married Matilda Bowes in 1860, and she owned real estate in Limerick.  Yet, when Thomas Hignell died, his estate was valued at less than 1,500 pounds.  How did that happen?

Thomas B had worked for a Col. Knox at the Irish Times, and testified at the Sligo Election hearings in 1869/70.  Did his legal bills eat up most of his wife's money, or was she land rich and cash poor?
Since Uncle Thomas was telling a few lies at the hearing, I wonder if he was able to hide money from the tax man?

Can you tell me where to search?

Confused in Brooklyn, NY

[gaffy]

When Thomas died at his Waterloo Avenue home in Dublin on 10 February 1876, £1,500 would have been a tidy enough sum - I quickly glanced through several dozen wills of the late 1870s to get a feel for relative value and whilst not terribly scientific, the impression given is that it was not a paltry sum. Not the sort of huge sum that a member of the landed gentry might have left, but respectable.

You might want to consider various analyses of the relative value of £1,500 in 1876 compared to today:

http://www.measuringworth.com/ukcompare/

By the way, did Matilda go on to marry a Denis Beckett?  If so, there's evidence in newspapers of the time to indicate that by 1882, she was selling off some 20+ acres and bits and pieces of property generating an annual rental of almost £55 per annum, a useful income.

[Kiki1958]

Well, Thomas was the son of a Yeoman farmer, from Henbury, GLS, so he did fairly well by joining the army.  Yes, his wife married Dennis Beckett, and had rather a sad time in her old age.  Her Stepdaughter tricked her into writing a will that gave everything to her, and nothing to her siblings (two brothers).  The Beckett brothers sued, and won. 

Thanks for the help

Peggy