Anna Bryant, Cornwall, Will?

[tenterfieldjulie]

In the 1841 to 1871 Censuses Joseph Bryant is named as a Copper Miner. In 1877 he dies at St. Teath aged 60. In 1881 his wife is named as Annie (the only time I've seen her called that, as everywhere else she is Anna) aged 61 and an Annuitant. In 1891 she is back in her home village of Perranuthnoe aged 71 and Living on Own Means. I believe in 1901 she would still be at Perranuthnoe and possibly living with her sister in law Jane. She dies on 25 June 1902 at Perranuthnoe aged 83. Do you think she would have left a will? I cannot see it on the Cornwall OPC Wills. Eight of her children emigrated to Australia, John to London, the youngest four stayed in Cornwall. To be an annuitant and living on own means, could that mean that her children were providing for her, or would she had private income? She was a renowned dressmaker.

[kiterunner]

1902 and 1903 are missing off the National Probate Calendar on ancestry. You could check the Index to Death Duty Registers on findmypast (in the Births, Marriages and Deaths section for some reason). If you find an entry in there, I could look on the National Probate Calendar next time I go to Notts Archives but not sure when that will be.

[tenterfieldjulie]

Thanks for the offer Kate. I will see what FMP has and also check with a cousin. I see from looking online that she updated a lot of the family info from Cornwall that wasn't readily available 20 years ago. I don't think she found a will, but I just feel that there should be one.

[ElizabethHerts]

I can't spot anything at the moment, Julie.

I have found that most of my very elderly relatives didn't leave wills, even if they had been comfortably off. Perhaps they had already disposed of their assets or had simply run out of money.

[tenterfieldjulie]

Thanks Elizabeth. I've just been googling annuitant and there is a chat on Rootsweb.
I think it is possible that her son in London, who was wealthy and also a number of the others who did very well in Australia, maybe paid an endowment to make sure that she didn't end up in the workhouse. John Bryant was managing director of Morgan & Co, coachbuilders, who I've just discovered had their works at Leighton Buzzard in Bucks. He was a Freeman of the City of London I've just read. I wonder what that means?

[Uncle John]

John Bryant was managing director of Morgan & Co, coachbuilders, who I've just discovered had their works at Leighton Buzzard in Bucks. He was a Freeman of the City of London I've just read. I wonder what that means?

Leighton Buzzard is now in Bedfordshire, but very close to the Bucks. border. A Freeman of the City of London is a very big cheese, so he could have been the master of the coachbuilders' livery company (don't know its proper title).

[tenterfieldjulie]

Thanks UJ. I'll have to see what I can find.