Held at: | The National Archive |
Reference: | PROB/11/782 |
Source: | Digital copy of original documents |
Title: | Probate Collection; Will for George Watkins the elder, yeoman |
Place name: | Walterstone |
Date: | 1750 |
Description
1. Will dated
Beneficiaries:
To sons, William and Michael, £5 each.
To wife, Anne and son, John, all the rest of his estate, goods, cattle and chattels to be divided equally between them, subject to the proviso that 'if my wife shall insist require or demand any title claim or demand for or by reason of her marriage settlement then….I give all and singular my personal state unto the said John.'
Executors: wife, Anne and son, John
Signed by testator
Witnesses: Phill: Price, Walter Price and Thos: Gwillim
Date of Probate:
Observations
As this is taken from a copy of the will deposited at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury there are no supporting documents.
This probably does not mean that the testator is attempting to circumvent the marriage settlement as at first reading it might imply. A more likely interpretation is that he is trying to retain both his own estate and the property brought to the marriage by his wife intact for passing down to future generations However if the wife insists on her property then the son is to have all his estate to keep that in the family.
Ref: ldhsarchive_mfs_wal_1097