Maria and the Bellasis Family 16

 

 A few days later, I made my way back to Florence’s house, again to coincide with her lunch break.  I gave her a copy of what I had written, and waited for her to read it and ask any questions.

She was pleased with what I had done, and was also pleased that her name had not been besmirched in the eulogy. 

“Mr. Russell seemed pleased that you had thought to send me in your place,” I said, perhaps not completely truthfully.

“I do know a bit more about her provisions in her will,” said Florence.  “I asked a lawyer friend who was able to find it out for me.  It will all be published in good time so as long as you don’t tell anyone about it, there is no reason why you should not know.”

“Did she have a lot of money to leave?”

“Her entire estate came  to £2600, which is a very comfortable amount.  But her choice of legacies is curious to say the least.

“She left £100 to the Institute for Soldiers' Orphans. That is logical. 

“£50 for a ring to be given to Henry Montagu. He   had experienced the benefits of her homeopathy treatments during his service in the Crimea. Incidentally he also fought at Waterloo and was related by marriage to the Duke of Wellington.

 

“Here is what the will actually says.    

 

To the Right Honorable Henry Montagu Lord Rokeby as a  mark of mv gratitude for his many kindnesses to me the legacy or sum of fifty pounds to purchase a ring if he so pleases. And in case  the said Lord Rokeby shall die in my life time then I give and bequeath the said sum of fifty pounds to his daughter the Honorable Elizabeth Montagu for her own use. 

 

“Has he died?”

 

“Yes, not long ago.

 

“£50 for a jewel or ornament  to be given to Colonel Hussy Hearle. He was Lt. General in the Royal Engineers, and no doubt had been in the Crimean War and knew Mary from that. 

“To Count Gleichen she gave her husband’s diamond ring plus £50. Also £50 to his eldest daughter and her best  pearl ornaments and also gave 19 guineas to each of the other children. Again here are her own words.

To His Serene Highness the Count Gleichen the diamond ring given to my late husband by his Godfather Viscount Nelson and the legacy or sum of fifty pounds. To the oldest daughter of the said Count Gleichen who shall survive me my best set of pearl ornaments. To each of the children of the said Count Gleichen other than his eldest daughter who shall survive me the legacy or sum of nineteen pounds nineteen shillings. 

“Then she gave 19 guineas to dozens of people, many of them in Jamaica. And £300 to her sister in Jamaica plus money to her nephew.

To my nephew Edward Ambleton now residing at Kingston in the Island of Jamaica the legacy or sum of one hundred pounds to enable him to purchase a house for his residence to which purpose it is my desire (but without imposing any trust upon him) that he should devote such legacy. 

“Edward is the son of her late half brother also called Edward, who she worked with in Panama.

“She also had cousins and nieces and nephews of herself or her husband in Jamaica and in Ireland who she gave money to - sometimes 19 guineas, sometimes more.” 

“Why 19 guineas?”

“I presume that tax is payable on gifts over £20.”

“What about her friend Sally? Did she get anything?”

“Her name is Sarah Kent. “

Sarah Kent the wife of my late husband's nephew William Kent the legacy or sum of ten pounds ten shillings and also my best bedstead and bedding and also two pairs of linen sheets and one pair of calico sheets and one white counterpane.

“It seems odd giving things like sheets and if she was such a good friend, surely 10 pounds is a bit of an insult, considering she gave 19 guineas to most people. Is her husband still alive?”

“No, he died last year. But as far as sheets, Mary also gave her sister some bedding. 

To my said sister Louisa Grant all the rest and residue of my household linen and also my watch and  all my jewellery trinkets and ornaments of the person except the diamond ring herein before specifically bequeathed and also all my wearing apparel

“Some of the bequests are related to the two  houses she owned in Jamaica. One was being lived in by Edward Ambleton and one by Elizabeth Salmon. She was very complicated putting down what should happen if the various people should die - and what should happen to the homes. The end result is that whatever is left, she gives to her sister. I can’t imagine you are very interested in all that.”

“Not really. But she certainly believed in sharing her riches as widely as she could, which is very commendable.”

“Then comes her big bequest to Sally, to go with the sheets.

And as to the rest and residue of my real and personal estate whatsoever and wheresoever (except estates (if any) vested in me as trustee or by way of mortgage) but including the monies stocks funds and securities held upon trust for my benefit by the said Count Gleichen Lord Rokeby and Colonel Hussey Fane Keane under the trusts of a certain deed bearing date the first day of June one thousand eight hundred and seventy six over which I have a general power of appointment by Will (and the present securities of which are now lodged with my Agents Mes Pieurs Cox and Company of Craig's Court Army Agents) I give devise bequeath and appoint the same but subject to the payment of mv debts funeral and testamentary expenses and the legacies given to the said Sarah Kent in addition to the legacy herein before bequeathed to her such articles of furniture as my executors herein after named and appointed shall in their or his absolute discretion think fit to appropriate and give to her but without any trust or direction to them to give or appropriate to her any such articles unless they or he in their or his absolute and uncontrolled discretion think fit so to do. And I  direct that the rest and residue of my furniture ( or the whole thereof in case my executors shall not think fit to allot and appropriate any portion thereof to the said Sarah Kent ) and also all my other household effects pictures prints and engravings, plate linen and china shall be sold by my executors hereinafter named and that the produce of such sale shall fall into the residue of my personal estate,

“Also she had money which had been invested for her by those men listed as getting the gifts of rings. They were her sponsors.”  

“Did she give anything to William Day, who was her partner in the Crimea?”

Thomas Day of Nos. 38 and 39 Gracechurch Street in the City of London

the legacy or sum of nineteen pounds nineteen shillings.

“What about William Russell?”

“No he isn’t mentioned at all, which does seem strange, given as without his help, her cause would not have been known to most people.”

“I know you met her in Scouteri, but did you have any contact with her when she was back in England?”

“In 1856 there was a celebration dinner for 2000 Soldiers who had fought in the War, and I was there as the guest of honour. She also attended, and was mentioned and applauded and much was made of her.  I did see her and we acknowledged each other across the room, but didn’t speak.”

“It seems odd to me that she had such royal contacts.”

“She was friends with three of Queen Victoria’s children, The Dukes of Edinburgh and Cambridge as well as the Prince of Wales as well as the Princess of Wales, and I am sure they were generous in their support of her. Count Gleichen is half nephew to Queen Victoria, and was the only son of Prince Victor. He was a sculptor and carved a bust of Disraeli, but also one of Mary Seacole.”

“What about the other people she mentioned? How did they relate to her?”

“Mr. Farquharson is an eminent gentleman and magistrate. Both of the men were her executors, but only he survived. She had written the will some five years before her death.”

To Amos Henriques of 67 Upper Berkeley Street Portman Square aforesaid the legacy or sum of nineteen pounds nineteen shillings. To Julia Henriques the wife of the said Amos Henriques the legacy or sum of nineteen pounds nineteen shillings  

 I give. and bequeath to the said  Henriques and William Neilson Farquharson of the Thatched House Club Saint James's Street their executors administrators and assign the sum of three hundred pounds sterling to be raised by them out of my residuary personal estate and to be held by them upon trust to invest the same in or upon some or one of the stocks funds or securities in or upon which trustees are or may for the time being be empowered by law to invest trust monies under their control. And upon further trust to pay the interest dividends or annual proceeds of such sum of three hundred  Jamaican pounds of the stock funds and securities for the time being representing the same/or at their discretion from time to time to apply the same  for the benefit of Ernest Phineas Henriques one of the children of the said Amos Henriques during his life and after his death as to the said sum of three hundred pounds and the stocks fund and securities for the  time being representing the same and the future dividends interest and annual proceeds thereof upon trust for Edward Nathaniel Henriques and  Josephine Henrigues, children of the said Amos Henriques in equal shares as tenants in common. 

“Amos Henriques was a cousin of Mary’s and a surgeon who worked at Hahnemann Hospital, which had been converted for the use of homeopathy. Mary was very involved in the benefits of homeopathy. The rest of this six page document is pretty much legal jargon for the benefit of the executors.”

“Thank you for sharing that with me. And I read the book you lent me. She certainly had a full and interesting life. Although she no doubt suffered much from discrimination.”

“In my opinion she had nothing to complain about.”