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Will of Hannah Varney, widow, 1826 (proved 1828)
National Archives, 11/1735/136
Some of the most repetitive text has been omitted
This is the last Will and Testament of me Hannah Varney of Winslow in the County of Bucks Widow First I give and bequeath unto my three daughters Mary Sellar the wife of George Goldney of {of} Aylesbury in the said County of Bucks labourer Caroline the wife of Matthew Verney of Winslow aforesaid labourer and Harriott the wife of Benjamin Yates of Winslow aforesaid Labourer All my wearing Apparel and Ornaments of my person of every kind equally to be divided between them share and share alike Also I give and bequeath unto my Son and daughters William Varney and the said Mary Sellar Goldney Caroline Verney and Harriott Yates all my Sheets and Linen of every sort to be divided between them equally share and share alike Also I give and bequeath unto my said Son and Daughters William Varney Mary Sollar Goldbury Caroline Verney and Harriott Yates the legacy or sum of five pounds each of lawful British money and direct the same may be paid to them respectively within six months next after my decease Also I give and bequeath unto my Friends Thomas Mayne of Winslow aforesaid Sadler and Robert Corbett of the same place Baker all the rest and residue of my household goods and Furniture ready money and securities for money and other my personal Estate and Effects whatsoever and wheresoever and of what nature or kind soever To hold the same unto the said Thomas Mayne and Robert Corbett their Executors Administrators and assigns upon the trust hereinafter mentioned (that is to say) Upon trust that they the said Thomas Mayne and Robert Corbett or the survivor of them his executors or administrators Do and shall as soon as conveniently may be after my decease sell and dispose of my said Household Goods and Furniture personal Estate and Effects or such parts thereof as shall not consist of money and securities for money and shall be saleable for the most money and best price or prices that can be reasonably had or gotten for the same And collect receive and get in all sum and sums which shall be then placed at Interest and by and out of the monies to arise by such sale disposition and to be collected and got in as aforesaid and my ready money do and shall in the first place pay all such debts as I may justly owe at the time of my decease my Funeral and testamentary expences the costs and charges incident to and attending such sale and disposition and the collecting and getting in of the said sum and sums of money and the several legacies or sums of money by me hereinbefore given and bequeathed and do and shall put and place out the residue of the monies aforesaid which shall remain after answering the purposes aforesaid at Interest in their or his names or name either in the public Stocks or Funds or Government Security or in good mortgage security (which said Security or Securities may from time to time may be altered varied assigned transferred and disposed of and the monies thereby arising again put and placed on any new or other security or securities as they my said trustees or other survivor of them his executors administrators shall think fit and do and shall pay and apply one equal fourth part or share of the Interest Dividend and produce thereof as and when the same shall become due and be received unto my said son William Varney for and during the term of his natural life one of the equal fourth part or share thereof made unto my said Daughter Mary Sellar Goldney for and during the term of her natural life one other equal fourth part or share thereof unto with my said Daughter Caroline Verney for and during the term of her natural life and one other equal fourth part or share thereof unto my said Daughter Harriett Yates for and during the term of her natural life to whom I do hereby give and bequeath such interest Dividends and produce accordingly And when and so often either or any one of them my said son and Daughters shall depart this life upon trust to call in and receive one equal fourth part or share of the monies so directed To be placed out at Interest as aforesaid and pay and divide the same unto and among all and every the child and children of such son or daughters so dying as aforesaid equally share and share alike to be paid and payable to each of them my said Grandchildren as shall at the decease of their parents be of the age of twenty one years forthwith and to such of them as shall not have obtained that age either and as they shall severally and respectively attain thereunto with benefit of survivorship amongst them my said Grandchildren as to the share of either of them dying under that age and without issue But in case of the decease Of either of them my said son and daughters hereinbefore named without leaving any Child or children of his or her body lawfully begotten his or her surviving or if there shall be such and they shall all afterwards depart this life under the age of twenty one years and without issue I direct that the part or share of and in the aforesaid monies the Interest whereof is herebefore given to such son or daughter for life as aforesaid shall be divided unto and among all and every the children of my other Sons and Daughters hereinbefore named as shall be then living equally share and share alike when and as they shall severally and respectively attain the age of twenty one years with the like benefit of survivorship among all them my said Grandchildren as is hereinbefore directed respecting their original share of and in the monies to be placed out at interest as aforesaid and I direct that the above mentioned Interest Dividend and Proceeds and also the said legacy or sum of five pounds each hereinbefore given and bequeathed to my said Daughters Mary Sellar Goldney Caroline Verney and Harriott Yates respectively shall be paid into the own hands of them my said Daughters ………… And I do hereby nominate constitute and appoint the said Thomas Mayne and Robert Corbett joint Executors of this my last Will and Testament and I do hereby declare that my said Executors or the survivors of them his executors or administrators shall not be charged or chargeable with or answerable or accountable for any more of the trust property than he or they shall actually receive or with or for any loss or any misapplication thereof or of any part thereof without his or their wilful neglect or default nor shall either be answerable or accountable for the other of them but each of them for himself and his own acts deeds receipts and neglect only but that it shall be lawful for them my said Executors each of them and the executors and administrators of the survivor of them from time to time by and out of the said trust property to deduct and reimburse themselves respectively all such loss costs Charges damages and expenses as they or either of them shall or may bear pay sustain expend or be put unto by reason or on account of the execution or performance of the trust hereby in them reposed without in any respect whatsoever and I do hereby revoke and make void all former and other wills by me at any time heretofore made and declare this only to be my last will and Testament In witness whereof I the said Hannah Varney the testatrix have to the two first sheets of this my last will and Testament contained on three sheets of paper set my hand only and to this third and last sheet thereof my hand and seal this twenty sixth day of October in the Year of our Lord Christ[?] one thousand eight hundred and twenty sixe
Hannah Varney
Signed sealed published and declared by the said Hannah Varney the Testratrix as and for her last Will and Testament in the presence of us who in her presence by the said Hannah Varney the testator as and for the last will and Testament in the presence of us both in her presence at her request and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses thereto
Dav Tho Willis Fred Willis
Notes
This extraordinarily complicated will for someone who only wanted to leave her small amount of property to her children shows one way in which the Willises made their money. D.T. and Frederic Willis were 21 and 19 when they drew it up (was Frederic a valid witness?) so it was probably their first attempt at drawing up a will.
The surnames Varney and Verney are clearly differentiated in the will but interchangeable in other documents from the same period. Hannah was buried in 1827 aged 64. She was the widow of James, a blacksmith who died in 1807.