SD1993. Will of John Kenyon
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 23, 257–258 (in part).
West Cowes
26 November 1856
I John Kenyon of Devonshire Place and Cowes Esquire revoke all former Wills and Codicils made by me & declare this to be my last Will I devise & bequeath all the Estates vested in me by way of mortgage or on trust to my friends Robert Hawthorne of 5 Lime St. Square Esqre & James Booth of Hyde Park Square Esqre their heirs executors administrators & assigns upon the trusts on which such estates are now vested in me I devise & bequeath all my real estate of whatever kind (except the Cottage at Wimbledon hereinafter given to Miss Bayley) to the said Robert Hawthorne & James Booth their heirs executors administrators & assigns upon trust to sell the same at their absolute discretion & apply the proceeds of such sale as part of my residuary Estate And I declare that the receipts of the said Trustees shall be sufficient discharges to the purchasers of such estates without the joining of any other persons I appoint—the said Robert Hawthorne & James Booth executors of this my Will & I direct that each of them shall be answerable for his own acts & receipts only & not the one for the other of them & neither of them shall be chargeable except for his wilful defaults I give the following legacies viz: To my Executor Robert Hawthorne twenty thousand pounds To my Executor James Booth Five thousand pounds To my friend Miss Bayley Five thousand pounds To my Sister in Law Louisa Kenyon Two thousand pounds To my Cousin Elizabeth Browning Wife of Robert Browning Four thousand pounds To the said Robert Browning Six thousand five hundred pounds To my Cousin Lorenzo Hall Seven thousand five hundred pounds To my Cousin Thomas Hall One thousand pounds To Solomon Peck of Cumberland St Seven thousand five hundred pounds To Bryan W. Procter Six thousand five hundred pounds To Dr Henry Southey eight thousand pounds To my Cousin Lieut Coll Thomas Tulloch nine thousand pounds To the Revd Charles Penrose son of The Revd John Penrose two thousand pounds To Miss Arabella Barrett & her Sister Henrietta Cook each one hundred pounds To the son & daughter of the late Mrs Henry Nelson Coleridge each Two hundred & fifty pounds To Miss Catherine Southey daughter of the late Robert Southey three hundred pounds To each of the other daughters of the said Robert Southey One hundred pounds To Mrs Roberts 42 Upper Baker Street Five hundred pounds To Mrs Welch of South-Sea five hundred pounds To Mrs Sark Cambridge Terrace One hundred pounds To George Burgess of Bayham St, Camden Town & if he should not be living at my demise to his children One thousand pounds To Mrs Eliza Smith 15 Imperial Square Cheltenham One hundred pounds To Thomas Reynolds late in Australia Five hundred pounds To Harford Jones late of Jesus College Two hundred pounds To Mrs Wilke of Ramsgate Two hundred pounds To Mrs Henry Hazlefoot of Boreham Essex Two hundred pounds To the Revd Stephen Dowell son of Stephen Dowell of Pulteney St deceased Six hundred pounds & to each of the daughters of the said Stephen Dowell deceased One hundred pounds To Mrs Sandford Niece of my late friend Thomas Poole my copy of the Warwick Vase & five hundred pounds & if she should not be living at my death then to her children equally among them To my old & faithful servants the following Annuities for life Mary Ann Adams Sixty pounds Jane Freeman Sixty pounds James Davy One hundred Mary Jane Forty pounds Mrs Elizabeth Dowsett Forty pounds I give to my Servant Thomas Hall a Legacy of One hundred pounds to be put in the Savings Bank or otherwise invested for him till he attains 21 years of age & to William Bull Fifty pounds I direct the sum of Two thousand pounds to be invested & to be divided amongst such of the three children of the late Andrew Crosse by Cornelia Crosse his widow as shall attain twenty one years of age or being a daughter marry under that age the income in the meantime to be paid to their Mother the said Cornelia Crosse for their maintenance I bequeath the sum of Five hundred pounds to each of my friends next named—Louisa Courtenay, Antonio Panizzi, John Forster & the Revd Rogers Son of the late Police Magistrate– To Caroline Bell & Georgina Bell each Two hundred pounds– To Margaret Swayne late Miss Eagles five hundred & twenty five pounds To Giovanni Aubrey Bezzi Two hundred pounds To Mrs Caroline Bezzi one hundred & five pounds– To Miss Agnes Gallow one hundred & five pounds– To George Scharfe Junior of Torrington Square Five hundred pounds & I absolve him from all debt– To Mrs Isabella Short & if she should die before me to her children One thousand pounds– To Captn Prince & his wife an Annuity of Forty pounds for their joint and several lives– To Miss Prince their Daughter Five hundred pounds– To my God-daughter the Daughter of General Llewellyn Two hundred pounds– I give to each of my friends next hereinafter named One hundred pounds viz: Walter Savage Landor, Henry F. Chorley, Henry Crabb Robinson, John Hardwick late Police Magistrate, John Penn Allen, Sir Charles Fellowes, Mrs Jameson, Miss Mary Harness, & each of the two children of Mrs Bayne of the Regents Park– I give an Annuity of Thirty pounds for his life to Barker a blind man now receiving an Annuity from me through Messrs Drummond. I direct my Executors to lay out four hundred pounds at their absolute discretion for the benefit of William Jay a natural son of the late Captn Jones R.N. & I give One hundred pounds for the benefit of Manarry a natural son of the said Captn Jones In like manner I give to John Simpson a person of colour now living on the Estate of Vale Royal in the Parish of Trelawney in Jamaica Five hundred pounds– I give to John Simpson (or Thomas, not being sure of his name) the reputed natural son of one of my Cousins One hundred pounds I give to University College Hospital Gower St Five thousand pounds which I direct to be paid out of my pure personal estate I give to my Cousin Rosamund Whitmore Widow of the late Felix Whitmore an Annuity of Two hundred pounds for her life I give to her daughter Mrs Hatchet & her son each One thousand pounds to the unmarried daughter of Rosamund Whitmore Two thousand pounds & I direct the sum of Two thousand pounds to be invested by my Executors & the income to be paid to the other married daughter of Mrs Whitmore for her separate use for life & upon her death I direct the sum so invested to be divided equally amongst such of her children if any as shall attain the age of twenty one or being daughters shall marry under that age the income of their respective shares to be applied for their maintenance in the meantime I give to my Cousin John Simpson of Dee Bank in Cheshire Ten thousand pounds I direct the sum of Ten thousand pounds to be invested by my Executors & the income to be paid to my Cousin Amelia Jones daughter of my late uncle John Simpson for her separate use for her life & upon her death I direct her principal sum so invested to be divided equally amongst such of her children if any as shall attain the age of 21 years or being daughters marry under that age the income of their respective shares to be applied for their maintenance in the meantime– I give to the daughter of my late Cousin Eleanor S. Bradley the sum of Ten thousand pounds if & when she shall attain the age of 21 years but not otherwise & I direct my Executors to apply such part of the income of the said ten thousand pounds as they in their absolute discretion think fit for her maintenance in the meantime I direct Two thousand pounds to be invested by my Executors and the income thereof to be paid to Elizabeth Raby Bridges for her separate use for life & upon her death I direct the principal sum so invested to be divided equally amongst such of her children if any as shall attain the age of 21 years or being daughters marry under that age the income of their respective shares to be applied for their maintenance in the meantime I give all my furniture books pictures prints & articles of virtu or such of them as I have not given to them in my lifetime to Miss Bayley and James Booth equally between them I direct all my Legacies be paid free of Legacy duty which is to be paid out of my residuary estate I give to Miss Bayley her heirs & assigns absolutely my Cottage at Wimbledon formerly in the possession of James Booth together with all the furniture therein I give to my friend Panizzi All the Wines in my Cellars in Devonshire Place & at Cowes I give to my Executors the sum of Three hundred pounds to be invested in the manner which they may deem most convenient to keep in decent-repair the tomb of the Curteis family in Lewisham Churchyard—the tomb of Mary Curteis in Wapping Churchyard & the tomb of James Virgo Dunn in Leamington Churchyard I give to my friend Miss Fanny Beale of 55 Gloucester Place as a mark of my respect for herself & for her family five hundred pounds I give to Miss Watt of 55 Manchester Square as a mark of my respect two hundred pounds I give to Zoe King daughter of Mr King of Bristol Two hundred & fifty pounds I give all the residue of my estate property & effects of whatever kinds after satisfaction of my debts legacies & funeral & testamentary expenses to the said Robert Hawthorne & James Booth their heirs executors administrators & assigns to be divided equally amongst them as tenants in common for their own benefit Dated the 26th day of November 1856——John Kenyon——Signed by the Testator John Kenyon as his last will in the presence of us, who in his presence & in the presence of each other attest the same at his request–
Susan Clarke Hyde Park Square London
Mary Ann Fox 51 Oxford Terrace Hyde Park
1st codicil——I direct that One hundred pounds be given to Mrs Eagles the widow of my late friend the Revd John Eagles I give the sum of Five hundred pounds to my Executors Robert Hawthorne & James Booth to be disposed of in the following manner viz: One hundred pounds to some Cancer Hospital, one hundred pounds to some Fever Hospital each of them to be selected by them & the remaining three hundred pounds to be bestowed as occasion may arise in whatever way they think I should approve I leave in addition to the bequest in my will of Two hundred pounds to Mrs Henry Hazlefoot of Spout Cottage Boreham three hundred pounds more to her making together Five hundred pounds I give to the Revd William Coghlan of Gloucester One hundred pounds free of Legacy duty & to his Sister Mary Coghlan also of Gloucester One hundred pounds I give to the Revd Sir Broderick Hartwell Baronet Five hundred pounds To the Revd William Bradstreet Hardress near Canterbury two hundred & fifty pounds Dated this 26th day of November 1856——John Kenyon West Cowes——signed by the Testator John Kenyon as the 1st Codicil to his Will dated the 26th day of November 1856 in the presence of us who in his presence & in the presence of each other attest the same by his request——Mary Ann Fox 51 Oxford Terrace Hyde Park——Susan Clarke Hyde Park Square.
2nd codicil——I revoke the bequest in my will of One thousand pounds to Mrs Hatchett & also the one of One thousand pounds to her son Dated the twenty eighth day of November 1856——John Kenyon, West Cowes——Signed in the presence of us who in the Testator’s presence attest the same by his desire——Mary Ann Fox 51 Oxford Terrace Hyde Park——Susan Clarke Hyde Park Square
I John Kenyon do make this Codicil to my Will I revoke the directions that my pecuniary legacies shall be paid free of Legacy duty & I direct that such of my pecuniary legacies only as do not exceed Five thousand pounds each shall be free of legacy duty Dated the 29th day of November 1856——John Kenyon——Signed by the Testator as a Codicil to his Will in the presence of us who in his presence & in the presence of each other attest the same——Wm Carter Hoffmeister M.D. Cowes——Willm Cass M.D. Cowes.
In the Prerogative Court of Canterbury
In the Goods of John Kenyon Esquire deceased
appeared personally Susan Clarke of No 39 Hyde Park Square in the County of Middlesex Spinster and made oath that she is one of the subscribed witnesses to the second Codicil to the last will and Testament of John Kenyon late of Devonshire Place in the County of Middlesex and of West Cowes in the Isle of Wight in the County of Southampton Esquire deceased the said Codicil being now hereunto annexed and bearing date the twenty eighth day of November One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six And she further made oath that on that said twenty eighth day of November One thousand eight hundred and fifty six the said Testator duly executed the said Codicil by signing his name at the foot or end thereof in manner the same now appears thereon in the presence of this Appearer and of Mary Ann Fox Spinster the other subscribed witness thereto both of whom were then present at the same time and both of whom also at the same time attested and subscribed the said Codicil in the presence of the said Testator and of each other——Susan Clarke—on the 13th day of December 1856 the said Susan Clarke was duly sworn to the truth hereof—Before us—M.C.M. Swabey Sur:—Pot E.W. Wadesdon Noty Pub.
proved at London with three Codicils 19th of December 1856. Before the worshipful Maurice Charles Morttius Swabey Doctor of Laws & Surrogate by the oaths of Robert Hawthorn (in the Will written Hawthorne) Esqre and James Booth Esqre, the Executors to whom admon was granted having been first sworn duly to administer.
Publication: None traced.
Source: Copy at Public Record Office, London.
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