SOME CURIOUS WILLS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5092, 27 October 1894, Page 2

SOME CURIOUS WILLS.

The ' Leisure Hour contains an interesting article on "Curious Bequests" in its July number. " There is a refreshing quaintness," it says, " about some old bequests. Walter le Taillour, for instance, in 1305, according to the will recorded in the City of London Court of Hutting, left 'to Richard his eon the reversion of a tenement held by Bichard le Bakere for life, receiving yearly, immediately after the testfttor's death, a rent of half a mark and weekly one penny tart in reßpecfc of the said tenement.' He also left fourpenco to London Bridge. There is, however, a spirit of geniality about thia will which is very different to that of the man who left Mb son-in-law 'ono penny to buy him a whistle.'" CUT OFF WITH A SHILLING. The single shilling has, of course, been left in a large number of cases, but we do not often hear of a receipt being given for the money. Yefc in 1699 Richard Harringtcn, of Guilded Morden, in Cambridgeshire, left his daughter, Mary Martin, and her husband one shilling each, and his executrix paid it and got the receipt, still in existence, dated March 17, 1700. There waa a man who in 1791 left his wife a shilling, to be paid to her within six months after his death; and as his reason for doing so remarked, "seeing that I have had the misfortune to be married to the aforesaid Elizabeth, who ever since our union has tormented me in every possible way." A good many single shillings have been left as a cheap advertisement with the object of keeping the testator's name alive, much in the style of the man at Wath who left, among other et ceterat, a shilling to every poor woman in the parish, a guinea to ! seven navvies for "puddling him up in his grave," a guinea to the old woman who had "tucked him up in hiß bed/ and " forty dozen penny loaveß to be thrown from the churoh roof at noon every Christmas Day for ever." Of this kind of thing there are many examples, but most , of the shillings, sixpences, pennies and penny buns have to be displayed in all their glory on the testator's tombstone. ALL SORTS OF CONDITIONS. One man leaveß hia money to his son. "on condition that he >have off -his moustache ; " auother leaves his to his nephews " on condition that they rise at four o'clook in the summer and five o'olook in the winter ; " another leaves his to a friend "on condition that he always wears black ; " another that the fortunate man should always wear a mourning ring. There was John Bead, who left his head, "to be prepared so as to be used as the skull of Yoriok in the play of Hamlet by Shakspere," having evidently felt the inconvenience of not having an article of the kind in stock. There was Dr Wagner, who left his limbs to different friends for dissecting purposes ; there was Dr Ellerby, who left his heart to one man, his lungs to another, and his brain to another to be preserved from decomposition, and pleasantly added, " If either of the gentlemen named fail to execute this, I will come and torment them until they shall comply ! " thus reminding ub of the Mr Zimmerman who desired in 1840 to be buried plainly and in a decent manner, "and if this be sot done I will come again —that is, if I can ! " ODD BUBIAL PLACES. One gentleman, a cremationist before his time, wishes his body to be placed in one of the gas retorts of the Imperial Gas Company. Another, desiring his body to be converted to useful purposes, suggests fiddle-strings, smelling salts and optical lenses as being the forms in which he would like it to appear for the benefit of mankind. Some prefer to be disposed of ia the ordinary way but in extraordinary places. Hat what shall we say of the gentleman who wished his grave to be a bittb-field and left enough money to provide twenty leishmeu every year with knives and stout shillelaghs, armed with I which they were to meet over hia grave and drink whisky by the half-pint; and then he grimly continues, " knowing what I know of the Irish character, my conviction is that with these materials they will not fail to destroy each other I" PETS AS LEGATEES. Some people are most considerate in their though tfulness for the welfare of those who have been dependent on them. Annuities have been left to animals of all classes. Count Mirandola left an annuity to his fish ; a Mrs Harper left £100 a year to hor black cat ; a Mis Hunter left .€2OO a year to her parrot ; another widow left £50 a year to her canaries ; Dr Christiani left 60,000 florinß to bis dogs, with remainder at their death to the University of Vienna ; aMr Garland left annuities to his monkey, hie dog, and hia cat. TJCBTATOBB' LITTI« JOKEB. A good many testators leave a joke behind them, hoping apparently to enjoy it in a future state. One of the most absurd examples of thiß elaborate fooling was that furnished by thetroueers man, who owned no less than seventy-one pairs of these useful garments. These he directed to be taken as they were and sold by public auction, no person being allowed to buy more than one pair.- The first pair fetched but a trifle, and great was the purohaeer's joy at finding bank-notes to the value of £200 in the pocket. The bidding progressed by leaps and bounds as every subsequent pair was found to contain a similar amount; but the residuary legatee was anything but gratified at the return he got for that .£14,000 and the trousers. THE SHORTEST WILL AT SOKEBSET HOUSE. Somo wills are ia rhyme, like that of the worthy Smitbers :— " As to all my worldy goods now or to t>e in store, I give to my beloved Wire as hers for evermore. I give oil freely. 1 110 limit fix. This io my will, and Bhe'a executrix." Some are cominendably Bhorf , like that of the city merchant who left .£400,000 to

hiß wife and children by a few linM written inside an envelope. But th* shortest will at Somerset House is in eight words : " Mrs Browne to have all when I difl."