Genealogy Chat

In short I would like to get the will read and translated so I understand it? Anyone know a good place to go ? How much will it cost etc??? See Below for story if interested - or just give advice. thanks , Alice

Jim and Lou just helped me find my ggggrandmother on the 1851/61 census. It seems after her husband died she was so poor she left her daughter in the workhouse and went to London. I have a will written in 1827 which i am convinced was written by her husband's father. I can't really understand it but it names her husband and then appears to leave him and his two sisters a large amount of money and his son his tools (they were both coach makers) A while later in 1830 the will is changed it seems to say everything is to be sold and the son will receive a mere £100 - in 1831 when he died no mere sum! BUT I don't really understand - was he perhaps actually cut out of the will? or am I reading it all wrong? OR did son somehow lose all the money cos he never seems to live in luxury and they all die penniless...

Alice I'm a bit confused - what language is it written in? Latin? If so, how have you translated this much already? If you just mean you don't understand what happened, well, my take on it would be that the family's fortunes took a downturn sometime between the two Wills being written. Or, as often happened, the oldest son was given his dosh during the lifetime of his father and therefore the will was rewritten to reflect this - doesn't mean the son was cut off without a shilling, more likely to mean he already had been given it! I understand that the expression 'cut off without a shilling' originated to indicate that the Will-maker really did not want that person to have ANYTHING. Being cut off WITH a shilling usually indicated that they had already been financially provided for in lifetime and the award of a shilling acknowledged that they were entitled to a share in the Will (but had already had it) Dates back to the time when you HAD to provide for your oldest son and heir. Oh dear, does that make sense? Marjorie

hello Majaorie No it is not written in latrin, but I find it difficult to decipher the handwriting and it is 3 A4 pages long. it uses legal words and terms i am not familiar with altough i can make out a bit. his son acarried on being a coachmaker even though he but was not left the tools in the end. hew left two lots of £50 to church societies. the mortgage on his house is mentioned in relation to his daughters and i think he left his son £100. it seems to have been the will of a pretty wealthy man - but I have found one of his daughters (he had 2) and the son who was my gggGrandfather living a life different to that I would have imagined had he inherited such a large sum. The alteration to the will takes half an A4 sheet - very small writing. I don't mind paying to help me understand it! alice

Alice Most Wills use the same layout and terms and always have done. You can usually ignore the first few lines as they are written as a 'formula' - being in sound mind and body etc. Although £100 was relatively a lot then, it was also easily spent - perhaps unwisely invested, or perhaps even invested to provide an annuity, which would mean the person couldnt touch it till their old age. Bit like us today living on bread and water in order to provide ourselves with a pension in the future. I have rellies who went from Riches to Rags in one generation, I havent worked out why, unless one of them was a gambler/drinker! As for getting it 'translated' - well, any Solicitor would do it for you - for the usual price! Or, more cheaply, ask at your Library whether they have any Archivists who would be willing to do it for you. Good luck Marjorie