Does anyone know how an intestate estate would be divided up if the beneficiaries are women.
The situation is: in 1706, Thomas Booth, a 3 year old, was to inherited 3 properties from his father when he attained the age of 21. This was the whole of his father's estate.
It was 2 messuages, Tame water & Woods, and land called Dungbooths.
He had 3 sisters, Ann Sarah & Mary and a mother, Mary Shaw.
Thomas' father's will stipulated that Thomas was to pay his mother, Mary Shaw, 130 pounds when he took possession of his inheritance.
Thomas' father's will also stipulated that his children be brought up at Tame water.
The mother, Mary Shaw, remarried a man named Thomas Platt, who owned 3 closes of land at Tame water.
Thomas Platt died 03 May 1722 and left his land at Tame water to Thomas Booth in his will of Apr 1722. Thomas Platt's probate was granted in Oct 1722.
Mary Shaw got the rest of Thomas Platt's estate in his will until their son's reached minority.
Thomas Booth died 24 Apr 1722 intestate when he was 19 years old. So he would not have received his inheritance from his father or the Tame water inheritance from his stepfather, Thomas Platt.
His burial register referred to him as a Batchelor de Tamewater so I'm assuming he had no legal offspring.
His eldest sister, Ann, was granted the Admon in Apr 1724 and her husband John, a yeoman from a different county, was the bondsman.
Very shortly after Ann and John settled at Tame water and had children there. In John's will he left Tame water and Dungbooths to his sons.
In 1730, Mary Shaw, the mother, bequeathed a two thirds moiety of Woods to her sons from her second marriage. I don't know who owned the remaining one third.
Mary Shaw did not mention Tame water in her will. Of course she may have gained some land at Tame water from the admon and disposed of it some time before she died.
Still, it seems to me that Ann and John got the lions share of the estate. I would have expected Mary Shaw to as she was the mother/wife. She had lived at Tame water since 1693 and shouldn't she have received the 130 pounds.
I'm confident that Tame water was the better estate, it was definitely larger and the River Thame ran through it.
Interestingly, Mary Shaw does not mention Ann in her will but provides for her other daughters Mary and Sarah. I wonder if there was a rift between Ann and Mary Shaw over Tame water.
Perhaps I am making to much of this.
How were decisions made in the case of an intestate estate regarding who gets what, especially if there were no male heirs.
Many thanks Karen
