KIPLING'S WILL

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXX, Issue 4845, 14 May 1936, Page 3

KIPLING'S WILL

FORTUNE OF £150,000. The Daily Telegraph states that a fortune of £155,228 was left by Mr. Rudyard Kipling, whose will was admitted to probate recently. The net personality is £142,485. The principal beneficiary is Mrs. Kipling, the sole executrix. She is bequeathed the house and land at Burwash, Sussex, and the income for life from the residuary estate. Mr. Kipling directed that income from his books should accumulate for 21 years from the date of his death, and be added to the capital. To his daughter, Mrs. George Barnbridge, he left £SOOO, stating that he had already made other provision for her. Captain Bambridge, his son-in-law, receives £IOOO. Mr. Kipling's son John was killed while serving with the Irish Guards in the war. At Mrs. Kipling's death, the income fmm the residuary estate passes to Mr. Bambridge or her children. If there are no children at the death of Mrs. Bambridge, one-quarter of the estate will go to Captain Bambridge, if living. The remainder will be div-

ided equally between the Australian and Canadian branches of the Fairbridge Farm Schools. Sir Patrick Fagan, a former member of the Imperial Legislative Council of India, told the Daily Telegraph that during his lifetime Mr. Kiplingwas a generous contributor to the Fairbridge Farm Schools on many occasions. The object of the schools is to send out from England destitute or orphan children who are not getting a fighting chance at home. Mr. Kipling died on January 18 at the age of seventy. His is one of the largest fortunes left by a British poet or author. Two Poets Laureate, Mr. Robert Bridges and Mr. Alfred Austin, left £6OOO and £2OOO respectively. Sir William Watson left £733. Among authors, Sir Hall Caine's £200,000 was easily the largest. Mr. Thomas Hardy left £91,000 and Mr. John Galsworthy £SB,OOO. Mr. Kipling's royalties were enormous. Up to 1935 as many as 3,500,000 copies of his books had been sold in this country. American royalties over a period of forty years totalled £350,000.