THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT of George Henstredge (1811-1886)

George HENSTREDGE was born in Ringwood Hampshire and baptised in 1811, son of Thomas HENSTREDGE and Elizabeth PITT. He married Eliza WILCOX who came from Wimbourne Dorset on 8th May 1830 in Ringwood. Eliza maintained contact with her parents siblings in Dorset as her Son Henry lived with her mother and father (William and Sarah WILCOX) working on their 40 acre farm. Eliza Died in 1860 and was buried in Ringwood.

George continued to live in Ringwood residing in Christchurch Street near the town centre, in 1881 his occupation was given as “Haulier”. When he wrote his will in 1879 he noted that his daughter Lavina Augusta, “is now and has been for some time past of unsound mind and an inmate in the lunatic asylum at Fareham”. The asylum at Fareham was the County Asylum and later became known as Knowle Mental Hospital. It was decommissioned in 1996, and has since been converted to a housing and industrial estate. George also made provision for another of his daughters Jane Eliza who lived with him in his old age as his House Keeper. George died in 1886, aged 75.

This will is transcribed and the original is available from the Hampshire Record Office, Winchester. The reference for the will is:
[5M62/23 page 373] - Registered copy will of George Henstredge of Ringwood, haulier.
Details of other documents are available through their online catalogue .The transcription below is approximate and may contain errors etc. I have where possible checked facts.

THIS IS THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT of George Henstredge of Ringwood in the County of Southampton, Haulier. A appoint James Etheridge of Ringwood in the County of Southampton, Baker and Edmund Low of the same place Inn Keeper to be the executors and trustees of this my Will and I declare that all my husts and powers here in after deposed and vested in my trustees shall or may be excised by the survivors or survivor of them or the heirs executors or administrators of such survivor or other the trustee or trustee for the time being of this my Will.

 I devise and bequeath all my real and personal estate unto my  Nipon trust that my trustees shall sell, call in and convert into money the same or such part thereof as  shall not convert of money and shall with and out of the monies produced by such sale calling in and conversion, and with and out of such part  of my personal estate convert of money pay my funeral and testamentary expenses and debts, and shall stand possessed of the said sending hust monies Upon trust to divide the same into ten equal parts and pay one tenth part there of unto each of my children Namely Henry. Mary Ann, Mark, Kezia, Thomas, John, Lavinia Augusta and George and the remaining two tenth parts thereof unto my Daughter Jane Eliza  who now lives with me as my housekeeper. Provided always that if any child of mine shall die in my lifetime leaving a child or children who shall survive me and shall attain the age of twenty one years or marry   under that age then and in every such case the last mentioned child or children shall take ( and if more than one equally between them) the share which his her of their parent would have of and in the residuary hust funds if such parent had survives me provided always and I hereby further declare that if either of my said children shall die in my lifetime unmarried then the share of his her or them dying of and in the residuary hust funds shall be equally divided between and amongst the survivors or survivor of them my said children.

And whereas my said daughter the said Lavinia Augusta Henstredge is now and has been for some time past of unsound mind and an inmate in the lunatic asylum at Fareham now I hereby direct and my will is that if and in case the said Lavinia Augusta  Henstredge shall at the time of my decease shall be of unsound mind and in inmate  in the said Asylum that all bequests here in before made by me in favour of her the said Lavinia Augusta Henstredge shall be absolutely null and void and my will shall be read as if no such bequests to her my said daughter had been made and I direct that in such case the share of and in my said residuary hust funds here in before given  to my Daughter Lavina Augusta as aforesaid shall be paid by my said trustees unto such persons as would under the aforesaid provisions be entitled there to in case the said the said Lavinia Augusta Henstredge should die in my life time unmarried and I direct that the shares of my said daughter respectively shall be for their sole and separate use and free from the debts contends and engagements of and their present or future husband and the  receipts of my said daughter respectively shall alone be a sufficient discharge for the monies payable to them respectively under this my will in witness where of I have here into set my had this tenth day of January One thousand Eight Hundred and Seventy Nine.

The mark of X George Henstredge.

Signed and declared by the said George Henstredge as and for his last will and testament in the presence of us both being present at the same time who at his request in his presence and in the presence of each other have hereinto subscribed our names as witnesses ( the said George Henstridge being an illiterate person the said will was read over to him and he made his mark hereto in our presence.

Robert Durrant                        Clerks to M H S Davy

Edward Hills                                       Soli Ringwood Hants.

At Winchester on the eleventh day of October 1886 administration with the Will arrange of personal estate and effects of George Henstridge late of Ringwood in the County of Southampton, Haulier, Deceased who died on the sixteenth day of July 1886 at Ringwood aforesaid  was granted to Jane Eliza Henstredge Spinster Daughter of the said deceased on if the residuary Legacies named in the said will having been first sworn  James Etheridge and Edmund Low the executors names in the said will having respectively pronounced the Probate and execution thereof effects under £300 / 33^rd Section

Extracted by H S Davy
Solicitor Ringwood.

HENSTRIDGE, HENSTRETCH, RINGWOOD, HAMPSHIRE, PARISH RECORDS, WILLS, IBSLEY, FRY, WILCOX, WILLCOCKS Copyright 2007 , updated 2008, recoded 2010