The Will of Charles Dickens
Note: the original will (as with most
wills of the period) was written without punctuation or paragraph
breaks. The layout of the text has been adjusted to make it
easier to read but the content has not been altered in any
way.
I Charles Dickens of Gads Hill Place Higham
in the County of Kent hereby revoke all my former Wills and
Codicils and declare this to be my last Will and Testament
I give the sum of one thousand pounds free of legacy duty
to Miss Ellen Lawless Ternan late of Houghton Place Ampthill
Square in the County of Middlesex
I give the sum of nineteen guineas to my faithful old servant
Mrs Anne Cornelius
I give the sum of nineteen guineas to the daughter and only
child of the said Mrs Anne Cornelius
I give the sum of nineteen guineas to each and every domestic
servant male and female who shall be in my employment at the
time of my decease and shall have been in my employment for
a not less period of time than one year
I give the sum of one thousand pounds free of legacy duty
to my Daughter Mary Dickens
I also give to my said Daughter Mary an annuity of three
hundred pounds a year during her life if she shall so long
continue unmarried such annuity to be considered as accruing
from day to day but to be payable half yearly the first of
such half yearly payments to be made at the expiration of
six months next after my decease If my said Daughter Mary
shall marry such annuity shall cease and in that case but
in that case only my said Daughter shall share with my other
children in the provision hereinafter made for them
I give to my dear Sister in law Georgina Hogarth the sum
of eight thousand pounds free of legacy duty
I also give to the said Georgina Hogarth all my personal
jewellery not hereinafter mentioned and all the little familiar
objects from my writing table and my room and she will know
what to do with those things
I also give to the said Georgina Hogarth all my private papers
whatsoever and wheresoever and I leave her my grateful blessing
as the best and truest friend man ever had
I give to my eldest Son Charles my library of printed books
and my engravings and prints
I also give to my said Son Charles the silver salver presented
to me at Birmingham and the silver cup presented to me at
Edinburgh and my shirt and shirt pins and sleeve buttons
and I bequeath unto my said Son Charles and my Son Henry
Fielding Dickens the sum of eight thousand pounds upon trust
to invest the same and from time to vary the investments thereof
and to pay the annual income thereof to my Wife during her
life and after her decease the said sum of eight thousand
pounds and the investments thereof shall be in trust for my
children (but subject as to my daughter Mary to the proviso
hereinbefore contained) who being a Son or Sons shall have
attained or shall attain the age of twenty one years or being
a Daughter or Daughters shall have attained or shall attain
that age or be previously married in equal shares if more
than one
I give my watch (the gold repeater presented to me at Coventry)
and I give the chains and seals and all appendages I have
worn with it to my dear and trusty friend John Forster of
Palace Gate House Kensington in the County of Middlesex aforesaid
And I also give to the said John Forster such manuscripts
of my published works as may be in my possession at the time
of my decease
And I devise and bequeath all my real and personal estate
(except such as is vested in me as a trustee or mortgagee)
unto the said Georgina Hogarth and the said John Forster their
heirs executors administrators and assigns respectively Upon
trust that they the said Georgina Hogarth and John Forster
or the survivor of them or the executors or administrators
of such survivor do and shall at their his or her uncontrolled
and irresponsible direction either proceed to an immediate
sale or conversion into money of the said real and personal
estate (including my copyrights) or defer and postpone any
sale or conversion into money till such time or times as they
he or she shall think fit and in the meantime may manage and
let the said real and personal estate (including my copyrights)
in such manner in all respects as I myself could do if I were
living and acting therein it being my intention that the trustees
or trustee for the time being of this my Will shall have the
fullest power over the said real and personal estate which
I can give to them him or her
and I declare that until the said real and personal estate
shall be sold and converted into money the rents and annual
income thereof respectively shall be paid and applied to the
person or persons in the manner and for the purposes to whom
and for which the annual income of the monies to arise from
the sale or conversion thereof into money would be payable
or applicable under this my Will in case the same were sold
or converted into money
And I declare that my real estate shall for the purposes
of this my Will be considered as converted into personalty
upon my decease
And I declare that the said trustees or trustee for the time
being do and shall with and out of the monies which come to
their his or her hands under or by virtue of this my Will
and the trusts thereof pay my just debts funeral and testamentary
expences and legacies
And I declare that the said trust funds or so much thereof
as shall remain after answering the purposes aforesaid and
the annual income thereof shall be in trust for all my children
(but subject as to my Daughter Mary to the proviso hereinbefore
contained) who being a Son or Sons shall have attained or
shall attain the age of twenty one years and being a Daughter
or Daughters shall have attained or shall attain that age
or be previously married in equal shares if more than one
provided always that as regards my copyrights and the produce
and profits thereof my said Daughter Mary notwithstanding
the proviso hereinbefore contained with reference to her shall
share with my other children therein whether she be married
or not
And I devise the estates vested in me at my decease as a
trustee or mortgagee unto the use of the said Georgina Hogarth
and John Forster their heirs and assigns upon the trusts and
subject to the equities affecting the same respectively
And I appoint the said Georgina Hogarth and John Forster
Executrix and Executor of this my Will and Guardians
of the persons of my children during their respective minorities
And lastly as I have now set down the form of words which
my legal advisers assure me are necessary to the plain objects
of this my Will I solemnly enjoin my dear children always
to remember how much they owe to the said Georgina Hogarth
and never to be wanting in a grateful and affectionate attachment
to her for they know well that she has been through all the
stages of their growth and progress their ever useful self
denying and devoted friend
And I desire here simply to record the fact that my Wife
since our separation by consent has been in the receipt from
me of an annual income of six hundred pounds while all the
great charges of a numerous and expensive family have devolved
wholly upon myself
I emphatically direct that I be buried in an inexpensive
unostentatious and strictly private manner that no public
announcement be made of the time or place of my burial that
at the utmost not more than three plain mourning coaches be
employed and that those who attend my funeral wear no scarf
cloak black bow long hatband or other such revolting absurdity
I direct that my name be inscribed in plain English letters
on my tomb without the addition of "Mr" or "Esquire"
I conjure my friends on no account to make me the subject
of any monument memorial or testimonial whatever I rest my
claims to the remembrance of my Country upon my published
works and to the remembrance of my friends upon their experience
of me in addition thereto
I commit my Soul to the mercy of God through Our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ and I exhort my dear children humbly
to try to guide themselves by the teaching of the New Testament
in its broad spirit and to put no faith in any man's narrow
construction of its letter here or there
In witness whereof I the said Charles Dickens the testator
have to this my last Will and Testament set my hand this twelfth
day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
sixty nine - Charles Dickens - Signed published and declared
by the above named Charles Dickens the testator as and for his last
Will and Testament in the presence of
us (present together at the same time) who in his presence
at his request and in the presence of each other have hereunto
subscribed our names as witnesses - G Holsworthy 26 Wellington
Street Strand - Henry Walker 26 Wellington Street Strand.
I Charles Dickens of Gadshill Place near Rochester in the
County of Kent Esquire declare this to be a Codicil to my
last Will and Testament which Will bears the date the twelfth
day of May one thousand eight hundred and sixty nine
I give to my son Charles Dickens the younger all my share
and interest in the weekly Journal called "All the Year
Round" which is now conducted under Articles of Partnership
made between me and William Henry Wills and the said Charles
Dickens the younger and all my share and interest in the Stereotypes
stock and other effects belonging to the said Partnership
he defraying my share of all debts & liabilities of the
said Partnership which may be outstanding at the time of my
decease
And in all other respects I confirm my said Will
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand the second
day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred
and seventy - Charles Dickens - Signed and declared
by the said Charles Dickens the testator as and for a Codicil
to his Will in the presence of us present at the same time
who at his request in his presence and in the presence of
each other hereunto subscribe our names as witnesses - G
Holsworth 26 Wellington Street Strand - H Walker 26 Wellington
Street Strand
Proved at London with a Codicil 19th July 1870 by the oaths
of Georgina Hogarth Spinster and John Forster Esquire the
Executors to whom Admon. was granted.
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