This is one of the wills that I ordered last month. As per the usual style, there is no punctuation.
This is the last Will and Testament of me George Fitzhenry MRCS and LSA of No. 24 King Street Brynmawr in the County of Brecon I direct that my body shall be buried in St. Mary's Churchyard Brynmawr After the payment of my just debts and the expenses of my burial I give and bequeath all my property real and personal including the policy of insurance upon my life to my wife Jane Fitzhenry absolutely I appoint Alexander Lowe Esq. MB Brynmawr and Alfred Maddox Jones Esq. Chemist King Street Brynmawr Executors of this my Will and I hereby revoke all former Wills and Codicils Signed this seventeenth day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety two.
G Fitzhenry Surgeon
George died on October 23rd 1893.
On the 11th day of January 1894 Administration with this Will of the effects of the Testator was granted at Hereford to Jane Fitzhenry Widow of the Residuary Legatee.
So a trip to Brymawr was called for which coincided nicely with a holiday to Wales. If George had specifed his final resting place so precisely, surely it was going to be easy to find his grave? Wrong!
After about a quarter hour working my way up and down the rows of Welsh granite headstone through the long grass in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin Brynmawr, the overseer of the council grass cutters came over to ask me who I was looking for. She said that she was sure that she had seen George's gravestone but couldn't remember where in the churchyard - she would take me down to ask the vicar. I'm sure he was in the middle of his lunch when we knocked at his door, but fair play to him he opened up the church so we could consult the burial registers together. George definitely hadn't been buried in St Mary's churchyard as he had requested.
So this throws up more questions. Why didn't Jane bury George as per his will? Why didn't George recognise Harriett, his daughter by his first marriage? And where is George buried?
My thanks to the Reverend Richard Grey of St Mary's Brynmawr for his assistance in this quest.
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A few years ago, Wills and Grants proved in English courts were very easy to access - you just went to Somerset House in London and said "Let's have a look at your loverly Wills please" and Lo, they would be brought forth at a minimal charge.
It's a bit more tricky now.
You have to find out the details of the Will and where it was proved. The Indexes have been scanned and are on Ancestry and FindMyPast, but they both need a subscription. Alternatively you can go to one of a dozen centres around England and see the Indexes there.
Then you have to write to the Principal Registry of the Family Division in London, giving the details (although they don't tell you exactly which details they want) and enclosing a cheque for £5 for each copy of the Will.
It feels a bit like the Internet had never been invented. It must be a real pain in the backside for anyone not in the UK who wants a Will copy. There is a rumour that an on-line ordering system is on its way for Wills, as for the BMD certificates.
But in the meantime, I remembered what a pen was for, wrote them a letter and wrote my first cheque this year.
The three Wills I've ordered are:
William Fitz-Henry of Ashtead and Winchester. It may give us a clue as to who his Fitz-Henry relatives were and why his children ended up in an orphanage.
Dr George Fitzhenry of London and Brynmawr Wales. This was the man who had the bigamous second marriage. Did he acknowledge his daughter from his first marriage?
Mary Fitzhenry, who died in 1885 in Dublin. I have no idea which Mary Fitzhenry this is as I have 42 of them in the database, but a woman who was rich enough to need to leave a Will could be quite interesting.
When I get them through, we'll have a bit of a Will fest here. If anyone else has a post-1856 English Fitzhenry Will (pre-1856 can be ordered on-line from the National Archives website) or a Fitzhenry Will from abroad, drop us a line at the usual address if you want to share.
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