Ancient, Curious, and Famous WillsHarris, Virgil M. (Virgil McClure)
History
Ancient, Curious, and Famous Wills
Harris, Virgil M. (Virgil McClure)
Wills
The Reverend Langton Freeman, rector of Bilton, Northamptonshire,
England, desired in his will that his body should be left undisturbed on
the bed whereon he died till it could no longer be kept, that it was
then to be carried, bed and all, decently and privately to the
summer-house in his own private garden at Whilton. The bed with the body
on it was then to be wrapped in a strong double winding-sheet, and to be
treated in all respects as was the body of our Lord. The doors and
windows of the summer-house were then to be secured, and the building
planted round with evergreens and fenced with dark-blue palings. This
eccentric will was conscientiously obeyed. The fence and even the trees
have now disappeared, and the summer-house is in ruins. Some years ago
an entrance was effected through the roof, and the deceased was found
completely mummified, without any wrappers, one arm lying down by the
side, the other across the chest.
WILL OF A NEW YORK SPINSTER
A spinster of New York desired that all the money she should die
possessed of, might be employed in building a church in her native city,
but stipulated that her remains should be mixed up in the mortar used
for fixing the first stone.
WILL OF A RICH JEWESS
A rich Jewess residing in London died in 1794. Having all her days
regretted not to have passed her life in the ancient and celebrated
city illustrated by the presence and the great deeds of David, Solomon,
the prophets, the Maccabees, and others, she resolved that at all events
her mortal remains should await there the day of their resurrection. She
accordingly ordered by her will that her body should be carried from
England to Jerusalem, to be buried there. Two of her coreligionists
established in London were chosen by her to accompany her body and
fulfil her last wishes; these gentlemen were gratified each with a
legacy of four hundred pounds to pay their expenses.
ROBERT FABYAN
There are some extremely curious and valuable clauses in this will which
would be too long to transcribe, and probably tedious to the majority of
readers. It is dated 1511. Those who wish to read it in its entirety are
referred to vol. ii., “Testamenta Vetusta,” page 498.
We will confine ourselves to a portion of his instructions for his
“little tumbe of freestone, upon the which I will be spent liij _s._ iv
_d._ att the moast; and in the face of this tumbe I will be made too
plates of laten, ii figurys of a man and a woman, with x men children
and vi women children; and over and above the said figurys I will be
made a figure of the Fader of Heven, inclosed in a sonne; and from the
man figure I will be made a rolle toward the said figure of the Fader,
and in hit to be graven, ‘O Pater in cœlis;’ and from the figure of the
woman another lyke rolle, whereyn to be graven, ‘Hos tecum pascere
velis;’ and at the feet of the said figurys I will be graven thes ix
verses folowing:
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