In this article
Everyone’s legacy is different and no one understands this better than our wills, trusts and probate solicitors in Brighton. And while Brighton is renowned for embracing the liberal, from what we’ve seen, the contents of most people’s wills are still wonderfully ordinary – for the most part. But regardless of the financial value of the contents within the will, it’s still one of the most important documents that you will ever write. Hence, our wills solicitors advise that you seek legal advice when writing a will.
Luckily though, the world is full of weird, wacky and mildly eccentric individuals, and equally bizarre wills. A word of caution: some of the wills outlined in this article left themselves vulnerable to being contested and led to an overruling. Our specialist wills, trusts and probate solicitors will ensure your will is airtight, so however extraordinary your will is, you’ll still have peace of mind over the distribution of your possessions.
If you have any questions about writing or updating a will, please visit our wills, trusts and probate page or contact us directly.
5. Estate Left to Strangers.
Our wills solicitors, like anyone, imagine winning the lottery. But, to win the lottery without even buying a ticket must come in nothing short of a miracle. The Portuguese aristocrat Luis Carlos de Noronha Cabral da Camara made this miracle a reality for 70 lucky strangers.
Luis’ process to decide the lucky individuals was straightforward. He randomly chose 70 people’s names from the Lisbon phone directory and wrote them in as beneficiaries. Understandably, some of the beneficiaries’ responses to this news was that it was a scam. Mainly due to most, if not all, the recipients not even knowing this man existed before the will.
4. $12 Million in a Will to the Dog.
Our wills solicitors, like anyone, imagine winning the lottery. But, to win the lottery without even buying a ticket must come in nothing short of a miracle. The Portuguese aristocrat Luis Carlos de Noronha Cabral da Camara made this miracle a reality for 70 lucky strangers.
Luis’ process to decide the lucky individuals was straightforward. He randomly chose 70 people’s names from the Lisbon phone directory and wrote them in as beneficiaries. Understandably, some of the beneficiaries’ responses to this news was that it was a scam. Mainly due to most, if not all, the recipients not even knowing this man existed before the will.
3. A Legacy of Revenge.
Our wills solicitors highlight that there can be various motives behind the creation of a will. Although a will is often considered a way to help your friends and loved ones, this is not always the case.
Multi-millionaire Wellington Burt made sure he made his wealth inaccessible to his family for almost a century. He died in 1919 and incorporated a ‘spite clause’ into his will to pass on his fortune 21 years after the death of his last surviving grandchild. The last surviving grandchild died in 1989. This meant the 21-year countdown finished in 2010. As a result, 12 people discovered they were the beneficiaries of a strange 91-year-old will.
The exact cause of Wellington’s spitefulness isn’t known, but it’s said to have risen from a family feud.
And he wasn’t a total Scrooge. Wellington left small annual payments to each of his children and former staff amounting a few thousand dollars each year.
Except for one daughter who received nothing.
2. Friends’ Weekend Away.
It’s a warming thought to think that our closest friends will raise a glass to us to celebrate our lives when we’ve gone. However, Rodger Brown took this one step further. The 67-year-old left behind a secret inheritance of £3,500 to seven of his closet mates. The hidden legacy came with an accompanying condition to spend the money on a weekend getaway to a European city. Not ones to disobey the last wishes of a benevolent soul, Rodger’s friends kindly obliged.
One beneficiary spoke with the South Wales Evening Post on how they spent the money. Berlin was the destination of choice. Also, the recipient was quoted in the interview saying, “We spent most of it on beer, the rest we wasted.”
1. A Magician’s Code.
Harry Houdini is one of the most notorious magicians of all time. He was well known for his stunts which left everyone in the room scratching their heads. Therefore, it may not come as a surprise that he had one final trick left up his sleeve, which he put in his will.
The great magician left a coded list of 10 words in his will to his wife. This list was to become known as ‘the Houdini code’ and thought to be a way for Houdini to communicate with his wife beyond the grave.
Did his poor wife receive anything else? We’d like to hope so, otherwise Houdini’s wife would have been putting his code straight to work.
How can Britton and Time Solicitors help?
We know how stressful and costly boundary disputes can be. That’s why our initial consultations with our boundary dispute solicitors offer you:
- Unlimited time to go through the details of your case and ask any questions you may have
- An overview of your legal standpoint and your available options
- A precise time and fee estimate for your case
To arrange your initial consultation with one of our solicitors, simply call us on 020 3007 5500.
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