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Family History Documents and Artefacts => FH Documents and Artefacts => Topic started by: josh jones on Thursday 03 April 25 00:31 BST (UK)
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Not sure if this is appropriate here? I have a rather long and wordy Will written by my ancestor 1818 (I have transcribed the Will from the original). I understand the gist of the Will, namely he appears loathe to let his son in law get his hands on his daughters inheritance, but it is so long winded and repetitive that I feel like I am missing important additional information or just plain understanding. He apparently had another daughter by his second wife which he appears to not be aware of (or is he??), and I'm not really understanding what exactly he is doing with his money. Is anyone here able to read the Will and give me a much more simplified version of what he is saying? Appreciate. Many thanks
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Prior to the Married Woman's Property Act in 1870 when a woman married everything she owned automatically became the property of her husband. It was quite common for any bequest to her in a Will contained conditions ensuring that it was protected for her sole use and could not be touched by her husband.
I have a Will in which a father left bequests to his married daughters with similar clauses, he left his business to his eldest and only unmarried daughter. In turn, when she died she left bequests to her married sisters with the same provisions that the money was solely for their benefit and could not be touched by their husbands.
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Many thanks.