NORTHCLIFFE’S WILL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 28 March 1923, Page 7

NORTHCLIFFE’S WILL

AN ESTATE OE £5,000,000

ANNUITIES AND LEGACIES

Lord Northeliffe’s will and its codicils passed the Probate Court in London recently. The value of the estate will probably be about £5,000,000, and the deatli duties payable on this amount will be nearly £2,000,000. These duties have to be paid before legacies can be distributed. After confirming , certain settlements, trusts, and deeds made between 1893 and 1912 (and recalling recent estate gifts), Lord Northcliffe bequeaths his person 1 effects to Lady Northcliffe, together with an immediate legacy of £IO,OOO. He leaves his leasehold house at Cart-lon Gordens in trust for her during her widowhood (together with an annuity), the leasehold lo pass to his residuary estate when she relinquishes it. Tlie remaining real and personal estate is to be invested., the net income to form a trust fund, divisible into 100 parts. Of thse 11% parts wll be a “residuary trust fund” and 28g a. “legacy fund”.

From the income of the residuary fund will come Lady Northcliffe’s annuity (of 25 per cent.) during her widowhood; eight per cent, for life to Lord Northcliffe’s mother; two per cent, each to his sisters, Geraldine (Lady King), Violet Wild, and Christabel Burton, for their lives. Annuities to his brothers, Vyvyan George Harmsworth (one per ceiit.), St. John Harmsworth (three per cent.), Charles Harmsworth (half per cent.). Annuities to Sir George Sutton (seven per cent.) and to Mr Henry Arnholz {three per cent.) so long as they continue as executors and trustees. Various other annuities are also provided for.

LEGACIES TO UNNAMED PERSONS

Allowances made by Lord Northcliffe to certain persons during his life are to bo continued from the “legacy fund” at, the discretion of the trustees; and it is further to provide legacies of £SOO each to ten persons named in the will and £IOO each to 45 others.

The legatees include nephews and nieces and god-children qf Lord and Lady Northcliffe, and most of them were associated with Lord Northcliffe in Ins various enterprises. Then £SO apiece is allocated to fathers of chapels in Northcliffe houses. To his “friend and chauffeur,” Harry Egerton Pine, if in his employment at his death, Lord Northcliffe leaves £5 a week; to his valet, 30 months’ salary; to his golf professional, Alexander Thompson, and the housekeeper at Elmwood, £IOO each, and to his mother’s attendant at Poynters Hall, Totteridge, an annuity of £SO. THREE MONTHS’ WAGES A general bequest is made to regular employees of all grades with upwards of three years’ service (excluding directors and managing directors and legatees already mentioned). It allowes to each three months’ wages, this applying to newspaper workers and private servants as well as others, while' directors of every company of which Lord Northolifi'e was a director at the time of his death are to receive a legacy of £I,OOO. Subject to specified claims on the income of the residuary trust fund, it is to be devoted ultimately to charitable purposes. One-half of the residue and the revenue from it will be applied to : Newspaper Press F[und, Newsvendors’ Provident Institution, and Printers’ Almshouses and Orphan’ Asylum. Corporation.

FOUNDATION FOR CHARITY The remainder, after satisfying trusts, will be used in founding a charity or a set of independent charities for pensioning aged, infirm or incapacitated employees of any grade. This will provides that £IOO a year shall be paid as secretary’s salary to the Sylvan Club, Covenfc Garden (founded by Lord Northcliffo’s father), and requests that the first appointment under these terms shall go to Mr Humphrey - Davy.

One of the codicils makes generous supplementary legacy to Sir George Sutton in appreciation of many years’ services. In the event of the services of Mr Thomas Marlowe and Sir Andrew Caird not being retained by the directors of the Associated Newspapers, Ltd., after the sale of his shares at adequate remuneration, he bequeaths to each £25,000 free of duty out of the purchase money received for the shares.

SETTLEMENT REACHED Settlement of the action concerning the will of the late Lord Northcliffe was announced in the Probate Court. Sir John Simon, for Lady Northcliffe, said that terms had been arrived at which “left no loophole for further controversy.” The Court pronounced in favour of the will dated March, 1919, with three codicils of 1919, 1920 and 1921. Later documents were pronounced aganst “for reasons before thb Court. Lord Northcliffe, said Sir John Simon, left in his lifetime a number of documents expressive of his wishes and intentions. Some of these were in formal legal shape; others were of a much less formal character. It had been shown that, the documents which Lady Northcliffe had produced were documents of 1922, which he should not bo in a position to establish as duly constituted testamentary 'dispositions. Consequently she consented to these documents being pronounced against.