Left out of the Will?

[Aussie possum]

The person making the will was at Culmstock, which is the correct area for my folks, so I am leaning towards it being mine, with just a minor element of doubt.  He lists himself as a yeoman, and left each of the 2 sons 50 pounds....so I have no clue how this rates on the wealth scale.

[suey]

Here is one to make you think.. Just received a copy of GG Grandpas Will.  All his 9 'natural' children get small amounts of money - the mother of the children, whom he never married, is not mentioned.

BUT.. the chap who was his farm labourer and his wife get a larger sum of money each and their son gets money, a cottage and a parcel of land !  Hmmm.
Suey

[madbadrob]

Actually thats not surprising.  By not marrying the mother the children are illigit.  Illigit kids had no right to anything in a will.  Therefore to save the embarrasment you give a little here and there and a lot to elsewhere

rob

[Boongie Pam]

A wee bit of a sideline but I downloaded a will from Scottishdocuments.com I just saw it was 11 pages for a fiver and thought cool go for it. 

When I went to look at it I saw it was an inventory and my heart sank.  I imagined it would be just a list of furniture and not much help, since it wasn't a direct relation anyway.

Was I ever wrong!  I've just added 5 families to my tree.

I'm not big on collecting surnames through distant relatives by marriage but this will contained a list of debts, names and addresses.  It was from 1879 so this list coupled with the 1881 census allowed me to find all the sisters married names and families of my 3xggrandfather.

I ain't promising all inventories contain this, just bragging about my good fortune 

Pam
 

[Fitty]

Great news Pam,  No wonder you're chuffed.   All mine were Ag Labs, Miners or Woollen Spinners so i don't think they would have made Wills as they had nothing of value to pass on.  However, i did recieve an email which i,m trying to verify, they mentioned a will which was left by one of rellies grandfather. This would have been in the 1700's i've searched and searched but nothing so far. 

[Boongie Pam]

It's always worth searching, the inventory I mentioned was for a William Aitken who was also listed as an Ag Lab on all the census I have found.

BUT he actually held some kind of freehold on 22 acres which he seemed to rent to someone else - I haven't worked out the full situation yet.  Just know he got rent from the farm (22 acres so not a big place) he was born on.

Pam
 

[Sasha]

Fitty,

Even if they were ag labs it's still worth checking.  I've got a copy of the will of my 3xGt-Grandfather who died in 1869 - in all the census returns he appeared in he's down as an ag lab.  His will didn't give much detail - he left under £200 to be divided equally amongst his seven children, but it did give me the married names of two of his daughters.

Wish I'd discovered an inventory like Pam's though!  You must be well pleased.

Sasha.

[Little Nell]

Well, what about being included in it but being ticked off in the process?  The following are quotes from late 18th century wills, a brother and sister (neither of whom were married) - and the spelling is as in the original will.


I Give to my niece ...my Gold Watch my Perl Neckless and two
Rings with red Stones  I Give her in my Will Three hundred pounds after her mothers Death but if she marry James Bonnyface or any such as he is or if she keeps Company with him or any such as he is I Give it to my Nephew ... after his Mothers Death 

but in case my said Nephew George E.. shall sign over or otherwise part with his right and interest of and in the said Annuity or Yearly Sum of forty pounds or any part thereof to any person or persons whatsoever for debt or otherwise then the same shall be forfeited and go to my Executor hereinafter named. 

George obviously had a reputation!  And either the niece died or she heeded her aunt's advice, because I can't find a marriage to this James.

I have found wills to be absolutely invaluable for proving some family links and working out others.  All sorts of people left them, including some who were apparently very lowly.  A 4x gt grandpa left a will specifically leaving his 1.5 acres (less than a football pitch) which he had been allotted by an Enclosure award.  He was "just" a gardener.  And in Scotland I have also found some treasures: another childless uncle to some degree appears to have owned all the property around a major cross-roads in Edinburgh.  Like Pam, using the 1881 census plus the will and inventory I turned up an awful lot of his relatives living in the houses.  Fascinating stuff!

Nell

[Aussie possum]

What a facinating will, Nell.  It really gives an insight into the character of the person making it.  Don't you just love the way she covered all her bases in the terminology "with him, or any such as he is"
There are also interesting conditions in another one I am looking at which dates back to 1730. 
  But whereas my father Thomas .... hath for about three years since, left the place of his nativity and is gone I know not whither, and whether dead or living I know not and whereas by an agreement made between us I was to pay to my said father four pounds per annum during his natural life, since which time that is about three years payment now due and in arrears if he happens to return home and in case my said father Thomas.... shall happen to be living and return home as aforesaid, Then I do hereby will order and appoint that my Executors in trust herein named  do and shall out of the rents issues and profits of my said estates goods and chattels raise yearly and pay unto my said father Thomas.... the said yearly sum of four pounds per annum of lawful money of Great Britain yearly and every year for and during so many years as my said father shall happen to live together with the said arrears of the said payments
I have no clue as to why he went wandering off...maybe an early case of senile dementia  in the family.