What does "reputed" mean in a will?

[iluleah]

Sounds more like a bitter, legally frustrated, angry man and doesn't like the law as it stood or how he understood it, legally married Rosanna had a child William, maybe or maybe not married Martha and was informed 'his' legal wife although dead was Rosanna and as William's mother possibly was informed he had to say 'wife' instead of putting 1st wife ( if he married number 2) he wrote 'reputed' wife ......

Can only guess suppose it depends on the terms of the Will and what was bequeathed and to who

[kiya]

avm228 - possibly!  But if that record is him, then surely that marriage was legal as Rosanna had been dead several years at that point?

William Grayson was born during Rosanna's lifetime (1806).

iluleah - the will is fascinating (it's my husband's family, I've never come across any of my ancestors writing wills!).  It bequeaths a fair amount of money to a couple of women (£19 and £50)who don't have the Grayson name, but presumably William's daughters (although oddly they're not stated as such).  His son doesn't appear at all until the second page.  Then there's a whole section about if his son should be made bankrupt, which I haven't transcribed yet, but his son was made bankrupt in 1850.

Another thing that might help me at some point is there was a case brought by William Grayson (not sure which one yet, I'm guessing the "reputed son") against Martha Deakin, the other executors of the will and what appear to be William's grandchildren, in 1845.  I'm just waiting on the National Archives for that.

Curiouser and curiouser...

[iluleah]

From what you have said I would definitely say it was the language of a man upset by 'family' and situation.

I happened upon a Will by accident of my great grandfather, so being nosy( all in the name of FH research of course ) I purchased a copy.

He was married to wife number 2 had left wife number 1 in the rather large farm who he had had 9 children with, two boys died in infancy, leaving 3 boys the rest girls, he waited for wife number 1 to die before he married gf. In his Will he leaves everything to second wife and £100 on his 21st birthday to his youngest son.
That threw the cat amongst the pigeons so to speak for me because as a child my grandfather and his two brothers were in partnership and ran the farm, my grandfather lived in at the farm, the farm business purchased another farm which one great uncle lived in in the same village while the other great uncle lived miles away in another village in a rented farm house and as a child I often wondered why especially as there were other farms bought/owned in the village which they rented out to workers, then brother number 3 was "bought out" and migrated to the other side of the World.... so years later and nosy I thought Ah Ah he was a half brother as that is logically( in my head) why he was not 'accepted' but he wasn't I purchased his birth cert, he was a full brother, but clearly had sided with his dad, had got his inheritance and the others held it against him

[leprechaun]

 Deny the truth or validity of will.

[avm228]

avm228 - possibly!  But if that record is him, then surely that marriage was legal as Rosanna had been dead several years at that point?

Another thing that might help me at some point is there was a case brought by William Grayson (not sure which one yet, I'm guessing the "reputed son") against Martha Deakin, the other executors of the will and what appear to be William's grandchildren, in 1845.  I'm just waiting on the National Archives for that.

The Grayson v Deakin litigation may advance matters.  In an 1849 law report William is reported as having left a widow, Ruth Grayson, when he died in 1843.

Ruth's entitlement under the 1839 will was £20 per annum, but Martha was to have an annuity of £100.

Martha Deakin is referred to as Deakin (not Grayson) and not as having been a lawful wife of William.

So perhaps Ruth is the fly in the ointment, not Rosanna?

[avm228]

I see that in the will he bequeaths the £20 per annum to "Mrs Ruth Grayson of Sheffield in the county of York during her life".

[avm228]

This looks a likely Ruth in 1841:

Mulberry Road, Sheffield

George MORTON 45 Table knife cutter
Maria do 45
Selina do 20 Dressmaker
Ruth GRAYSON 65
Ann SANDERSON 5
Sarah MORTON 20
William do 3

all born in county

[avm228]

Others mentioned in William's will include:

Maria Morton wife of George Morton of Sheffield (legacy of £19) - see that 1841 census
Sarah Partridge wife of Richard Partridge of Sheffield (legacy of £50).

Daughters by the marriage to Ruth, perhaps?

Possible baptism for Maria in 1791: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N5V4-CJW

[kiya]

Thanks so much for all your input.  Sounds like William had quite a complicated life!  Where is the 1849 law report you mention?