Will of George King, grocer, 1879 (proved 1884)

Oxford Probate Registry

ON the Nineteenth day of April 1884 the Will of George King late of Winslow in the County of Buckingham, Grocer, deceased, who died on the Fourteenth day of November 1883 at Winslow aforesaid, was proved in Her Majesty’s Court of Justice in the District Registry attached to Probate Division thereof at Oxford by the Oaths of George King of Winslow aforesaid, Gentleman, the Son of the Deceased, William Hewett Lindsey of Midsomer Norton, near Bath in the County of Somerset, Bank Manager, and Thomas Price Willis of Winslow aforesaid Solicitor, the Executors (named in the said Will) they having been first sworn duly to administer.

It is hereby certified the above is a correct Copy. Dated this Twenty fourth day of April 1884.

Personal Estate Gross £5,119:19:4.
Net £5,055:4:3.
No Leaseholds. Resworn July 1884 £4,800 Gross
Extracted by Willis and Willis, Solicitors, Winslow.

This is the last Will and Testament of me George King of Winslow in the County of Bucks, Grocer. I appoint my Son George King my Son in Law William Hewett Lindsey and my Friend Thomas Price Willis of Winslow, Solicitor, Executors and Trustees of my Will and request each of them to accept a Legacy of Seven pounds to be retained at the end of three calendar months from my decease as an acknowledgement for the trouble which they will have in the execution of my Will I devise the messuage or tenement in Winslow aforesaid in which I now reside with the two Cottages near to the said messuage or tenement. . . now in the occupation of John Egleton and Thomas Weston my three houses in Winslow . . . which adjoin each other and are now in the occupations of John Bathe Samuel Young and Emma Holt All my land in the Parish of Grandborough in the said County of Bucks now in the occupation of Edward Dickins the elder My field of arable land in Winslow . . . called “Warner’s Ploughed Field” with the Cottage standing thereon and which said Field and Cottage are now in the occupation of the said Edward Dickins or his undertenants All my land in the hamlet of Singleborough in the Parish of Great Horwood in . . . Bucks in the occupation of Sarah Hanson And also all my land in the Parish of Little Horwood in . . . Bucks in the occupation of Samuel Syratt and all the appurtenances to the said respective premises belonging unto my Son George King his heirs and assigns absolutely I devise all my land and hereditaments situate at North Marston in . . . Bucks with the Cottage and buildings  standing on part of the said land . . .  in the occupation of William Wood or his undertenants And all my land and hereditaments in the Parish of Adstock in . . . Bucks in the occupation of Emanuel Clarke with the appurtenances . . . belonging unto my said Son George King the said William Hewett Lindsey and Thomas Price Willis their executors and

[p.2] administrators during the life of my Daughter Sarah Ann Wife of the said William Hewett Lindsey without impeachment of waste Upon Trust to preserve the contingent remainders hereinafter limited and to pay the rents and profits thereof . . . into her own hands to be enjoyed by her as an unalienable provision and while covert free from the control and engagements of her husband and . . . her receipts alone shall be sufficient discharge to my executors . . . with remainder to her husband the said William Hewett Lindsey for his life . . . To the child if only one or all the children if more than one of my said Daughter Sarah Ann . . . who shall attain the age of twenty one years or who shall die under that age and leave issue living at his or her death . . . in fee simple such children if more than one to take as tenants in common But if no child of my said Daughter Sarah Ann shall attain that age or shall die under that age and leave issue living at his or her death then to my other Grandchildren (including the children of my said Son George) in equal shares as tenants in common in fee simple I devise all my land in the Parish of Swanbourne in . . . Bucks now in the occupation of William Rogers And all my land in the Parish of Stewkley in . . . Bucks in the respective occupations of William North and Isaac Kirby with the appurtenances . . . belonging unto my said Son George King the said William Hewett Lindsay and Thomas Price Willis their executors and administrators during the life of my Daughter Rosetta Wife of the said William Akid Rogers without impeachment of waste Upon Trust . . . [identical clauses to those written above for his other daughter Sarah Ann in relation to inalienable provision, validity of her receipts, remainder passing to husband and provisions for children are repeated in full]

[p.3]  . . . I bequeath to my said Son George all the fixtures in and about the messuage shop and premises in which I now reside my stock in trade and book debts subject to his paying all trade debts due and owing from me at the time of my decease I also bequeath to my said Son George my best feather bed and the clock and case that stand on the stairs I bequeath to my said Daughter Sarah Ann my best large round table and my best cruet and stand and my plated fork rests which are in the front parlor I bequeath to my said Daughter Rosetta my Couch in the front parlor and the large round table which is in the back parlor I bequeath the residue of my household goods and furniture plate linen china and other household effects to my said Son George King and my said Daughters Sarah Ann Lindsey and Rosetta Rogers to be divided between them as nearly as may be in equal shares and if any dispute arise concerning the division shall be made by the Trustees . . . of my Will whose determination shall be final. I devise all the residue of the real estate (if any) to which I shall be beneficially entitled at my decease And I bequeath the residue of the personal estate to which I shall be then entitled to my said Son George King

[p.4] the said William Hewett Lindsey and Thomas Price Willis their executors and administrators and assigns respectively Upon trust to sell my residuary real estate together or in parcels by public Auction or private contract and to convert and get in my residuary personal estate and out of the moneys to arise from such residuary real and personal estate to pay my just debts (except trade debts) funeral and testamentary expenses and the legacy or sum of One hundred pounds each to my Children the said George King Sarah Ann Lindsey and Rosetta Rogers within six calendar months next after my decease free of legacy duty And upon further trust to invest the residue of the same moneys in the names . . . of the Trustees . . . of my Will in or upon any of the public stocks funds or securities of the United Kingdom or any real securities in England with liberty for the said Trustees . . . to vary and transpose the investment . . .  for any other investment of the description aforesaid And upon further trust to pay out of the annual income of the said moneys or the stocks funds or securities whereon the same shall be invested the sum of Twenty pounds to my said Daughter Sarah Ann yearly and every year during her life and after her death the like sum of Twenty pounds yearly and every year to her husband William Hewett Lindsey during his natural life if he shall survive her . . .  [An identically worded annuity bequest is repeated in favour of the other daughter Rosetta and her husband William Rogers] . . . which respective annuities of Twenty pounds I give to them in consideration of their respective shares of my real estate being less in value than the share of their brother And to pay share and divide the residue of the said annual income unto and equally among my said Son George King and said Daughters Sarah Ann Lindsey and Rosetta Rogers or the survivors or survivor

[p.5] of them for the time being provided nevertheless that in case of the death of either of my said Daughters during their husband’s lifetime such husband shall from his said Wife’s decease be entitled to receive the same share of the said annual income during the remainder of his life as his Wife would have been entitled to receive if still living And from and after the death of the last survivor of them . . .  George King . . . William Hewett Lindsey  and Sarah Ann Lindsey his Wife William Akid Rogers and Rosetta Rogers his Wife as to the same moneys stocks funds and securities and the annual income thenceforth to become due for the same In Trust in equal shares and proportions for all my Grandchildren who shall then be living I direct that my friend Thomas Price Willis whether he shall accept the Trusteeship or not shall be the Solicitor to my trust property and as such notwithstanding his acceptance of the Trusteeship be allowed all professional charges which if employed as Solicitor to my Trustees not being  himself a Trustee he would be entitled to make I devise all the real estate which at the time of my decease shall be vested in me as Trustee or Mortgagee unto my said Son George King the said William Hewett Lindsey and Thomas Price Willis their executors and administrators subject to the trusts and equities affecting the same respectively I declare that the receipts of the Trustees . . . of my Will shall effectually exonerate purchasers mortgagees and others paying money to my Trustees . .  from all liability in respect of the application thereof I empower the Trustees . .  of my Will if any or if none of the executors . . . of the last deceased Trustee . . . to nominate in writing any person . . . to supply the place of any Trustee . . .  who shall die disclaim or become unwilling or unable to act . . . and so often as a vacancy . . . shall occur and on every such appointment the necessary assurances shall be executed for vesting my trust estate in the new and old Trustees or in the new Trustees solely as the case may be And I absolve the Trustees . .  of . . .

[p.6]  my Will from responsibility for the receipts and defaults of each other and for involuntary losses and also authorise such Trustees . . . to retain and allow to each other all expenses incurred in or about the execution of the trusts my Will Lastly I revoke all former and other Wills. In Witness whereof I the said George King, the Testator have to each sheet of this my Will contained on five sheets of paper, set my hand this Twenty sixth day of May in the year of our Lord One thousand Eight hundred and seventy nine
George King [signature]

 This Sheet and the four sheets of paper hereto annexed were severally signed, by the said George King, the Testator in the joint presence of us who at his request in his presence, and the presence of each other have hereto subscribed our names as Witnesses
Arthur S. Midgley [signature] Clerk to Messrs Willis &Willis, Solrs. Winslow, Bucks
Henry Sharp [signature] Surgeons Assistant, Winslow, Bucks

Proved at Oxford, the Nineteenth day of April 1884, by Oaths of George King the Son, William Hewett Lindsey and Thomas Price Willis the Executors to whom Administration was granted.

The Testator George King was late of Winslow in the County of Buckingham, Grocer, and died on the Fourteenth day of November 1883, at Winslow aforesaid,
Personal Estate Gross    £5,119:19:4.
         “           “     Net     £5,055:4:3.
Willis and Willis, Solicitors, Winslow
It is hereby certified the foregoing is a correct Copy. Dated this Twenty fourth day of April 1884.

Notes

George King (born 1802) was the son of Joseph King (1769-1840), brazier and whitesmith, and his wife Mary (d.1845). His grandfather was Charles King, clock and watchmaker (1748-1813). By 1824 he was a grocer at 2B High Street (q.v. for census returns) which Joseph bought from Benjamin Dudley. It was sold by George's grandson in 1896.

George got married in 1824 to Elizabeth Morecraft (1796-1865), daughter of Thomas Morecraft, butcher (1749-1807) and Ann Morecraft nee Gibbs (d.1828). The children mentioned in the will are:

There were at least four apparently unrelated King families in Winslow in the late 19th century.

The "two Cottages near to" George King's house must be 1A Sheep Street, the former gatehouse / brewhouse of The Angel. The "three houses in Winslow . . . which adjoin each other" refers to 5 Market Square and 2 Bell Alley at the rear (see Buttermarket), inherited from George's parents. “Warner’s Ploughed Field” and cottage refers to the land and house which George King bought from James Warner in 1848. This was between Western Lane and Verney Road and amounted to 4 acres 31 perches including land formerly known as the Great Baulk.

On 10 Oct 1898, T.P. Willis and W.H Lindsey, the surviving executors, got an order at Buckingham County Court against Mary King, widow, and others for the sale of certain hereditaments at Nash on which they were entitled to an equitable mortgage of £300 and interest. It was advertised for sale by Geo. Wigley on 14 Dec: 21a 3r 4p of grassland called The Mixens in Nash in the occupation of George Thomas King, and 2r 30p of arable land on Great Horwood Common in the occupation of Mrs Mary King.

Copyright 4 January, 2022