Any volunteer to transcibe a will please?

[Margaret in Burton]

My eyes are going. The will is from 1874. It not a big one but i just can't make half of it out.

[Merry]

*sighs*

Do you have my email addy? :rolleyes:

[Margaret in Burton]

*looks sheepishly at Merry*

Yes I do, ta!

[Merry]

OK, it's the names I find hardest because I don't know what they should be.....

Page 1

This is the last will and testament of me John Stanbridge of Walk Farm in the parish of Heythrop in the County of Oxford farmer I give and bequeath all my household goods and furniture plate linen china live and dead farming stock implements and utensils of husbandry growing crops money personal estate and effects of every sort and kind unto my brother Stephen Stanbridge of Heythrop aforesaid and John Badger (?) of (something) Farm in the Parish of Swerford in the County of Oxford farmer upon trust that they the said Stephen Stanbridge and John Badger or the survivor of them or the executors or administrators of such survivor do and shall as soon as conveniently can be after my decease make sale and absolutely dispose of my said household goods and furniture plate linen china farming stock implements and utensils of husbandry growing crops and such other parts of my personal estate and effects as are in their nature saleable by public auction or private contract and collect and get in my monies and personal estate and do and shall grant possessed of the clear monies or


page two after I have got my wine! You may notice a deterioration......:D

[Margaret in Burton]

oooh brilliant. I had got some of that but some of the words just foxed me.

I'm hoping knowing what this says will help me read his brothers will. :D

[Merry]

Page 2

proceeds to arise by or from such sale or sales and collection as aforesaid upon trust to pay thereout all my just debts funeral and testamentary expenses and the expenses attending the execution of the trusts of this my will and then upon trust to pay and divide all the residue of such monies and proceeds unto and equally between and amongst my four children William Stanbridge Thomas Stanbridge Matilda Stanbridge and James Stanbridge share and share alike and I appoint the said Stephen Stanbridge and John Badger executors of this my will and do declare that they shall each of them be answerable only for his own acts receipts and disbursements and that neither of them shall be answerable for any involuntary loss or losses which may happen in or about the execution of this my will and that they shall and may (something) and retain and allow to each other all costs charges and expenses which may be sustained or incurred in or about the execution of this my will or the trusts herein contained In witness whereof I have hereunto set my my hand the nineteenth day of December one thousand eight hundred and sixty eight - John Stanbridge - Signed and acknowledged by the said testator John Stanbridge as his will in the presence of us present at the same time who in his presence and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses - H F Wilkins Solr Chipping Norton - H C Wilkins his clerk

[Margaret in Burton]

Thank you so much Merry.

[Merry]

No worries!

All that to say sell everything and share the proceeds between my four children! lol

[Margaret in Burton]

That's nothing, I've paid a fiver to get this one:

This is the last will and testament of me Alfred Rust of 215 Long ane, Bexleyheath in the County of Kent, made this eighteenth day of ecember in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and twenty nine.
I hereby revoke all wills made by me at any time heretofore. I appoint my wife Bertha Louisa Rust to be my sole Executor and direct that all of debts and funeral expenses shall be paid as soon as conveniently may be after my decease.

I give and bequeath unto my wife Bertha Louisa Rust all that I possess, who has devoted her time solely for my comfort and happiness.


Must be the shortest will on earth.

[Merry]

lol!! I wonder if it made her feel good?!

[Margaret in Burton]

lol!! I wonder if it made her feel good?!

She was his second wife, they'd only been married 5 years when he wrote the will. He died 12 years after the will was written. He did have children from his first marriage but obviously they didn't get anything.

[Merry]

Maybe there was nothing much left?

Or was he making a point that other relatives didn't have his best interests at heart? :eek:

[Margaret in Burton]

Maybe there was nothing much left?

Or was he making a point that other relatives didn't have his best interests at heart? :eek:

£492 in 1941.

Not a lot probably

[Merry]

Def worth having I would say. Maybe one to three years salary depending on your job!

[Merry]

shall and may (something) and retain

That missing word is probably 'deduct'. I remember it ended in 'ct', but have deleted the email now, so got that result from google.

[Olde Crone]

No, not the shortest will on earth, I have that one!

"I leave everything to Mary Hammond for her care and kindness to me".

Mary Hammond was the next door neighbour and a very distant relative - so distant that it's quite possible neither of them knew they were related.

What is so utterly infuriating about this will is that he was a wealthy Yeoman farmer with either ten or twelve children and I was hoping the will would give some clues about his property holdings and who his children were - a very common surname in the area.

OC

[Muggins in Sussex]

£492 in 1941.

Not a lot probably

Just over £14,000 according to this http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency/results.asp#mid

[Olde Crone]

My parents bought a three bedroom mid terrace house with gardens on the outskirts of Manchester in 1946. It cost £595.

OC