Revocation of letters of administration

[Mary from Italy]

I've just come across a couple of rather intriguing entries in the National Probate Calendar.

My great-grandmother's sister married her second husband (possibly bigamously) in September 1905, after they'd been living together for years and had children. He was a licensed victualler. He died a month after the marriage, of chronic alcoholism, and she obtained letters of administration to his estate in March 1906.

The grant of admon was then revoked in January 1907, and a month later, another licensed victualler was granted probate to the estate. I've found this executor in the 1901 census; he came from a neighbouring town, and neither he nor his wife was any relation to the deceased or his widow as far as I can tell.

I'm going to send off for the will and the 1907 grant of probate, but I'm obviously interested in knowing more about the circumstances.

If I send for the 1906 admon, is it likely to say anything? It'll presumably include the date of revocation of the grant, but I suspect there may not be anything else.

Does anyone know if there's likely to be a file about the dispute anywhere, maybe in the Record Office or Probate Office?

I assume the deceased had run up debts with the executor, but I'm very curious to know whether his widow simply didn't know about the will, or did know, but kept quiet about it.

[Olde Crone]

I should think you've worked it out correctly, Mary - the widow either did or did not know there was a will, lol. I don't think there would necessarily be any dispute because a valid will always trumps letters of admon.

I have one in my tree that I am very suspicious of - no will, but I really cannot believe this.

I also have one where letters of admon were granted but never acted upon and were later revoked. Admon was then granted to a third party, who was also a beneficiary. These facts were marked on both sets of admon papers.

From what I can remember, any beneficiary can apply for admon if the first administrator takes more than a year and a day to carry out their duties AND there is no good reason for that delay (dragging their feet, in other words).

OC

[Mary from Italy]

Yes, although in my case the second grant was a probate.

As you say, the will trumps an admon; I just wondered if there might be a file somewhere that would explain something about the circumstances, but I suppose that'd be too much to hope for.

I suspect she didn't get any money from the estate, because her husband left nearly £2000, and she was working as a boarding-house keeper in 1911.

[Olde Crone]

There might be a clue in the date of the will. If it was drawn up years before the marriage/death then the widow may genuinely not have known there was a will.

Another point - "I leave everything to my dear wife" (or whoever) only works when all debts are paid!

OC

[Mary from Italy]

True :)

I'll report back when I get the will if there's anything interesting in it.

[Olde Crone]

The one I had where the admon was passed about, hither and thither, WAS interesting, because although it only stated the names of the new administrators, when I researched those names I discovered that they were sons-in-law. That was a nice find because the family name was just too common to work out by any other means who the daughters had married.

Also, all the fuss that had occurred had obviously prompted the widow to make a proper will and she listed practically every teaspoon and mentioned 35 people!

OC