This is the last Will and Testament of me William Bligh of Durham Place, Lambeth in the County of Surrey, Esquire, Captain in his Majesty's Navy and also Governor General and Commander in Chief in and over his Majesty's Colony of New South Wales. I direct that all my just debts and funeral and testamentary expences be in the first place paid and satisfied out of my personal Estate as soon as conveniently may be after my decease.
I give and bequeath unto my daughter Harriet, the Wife of Henry Barker, the sum of one hundred pounds of lawful money of Great Britain, to be paid to her as soon as conveniently may be after my decease in order to in order to place her upon an equality with my Daughter Mary Putland who has already received from me the sum of two hundred pounds.
I give unto each of my four younger Daughters Elizabeth, Frances, Jane and Ann, the sum of two hundred pounds to be paid or transferred to them upon their attaining the age of twenty one years, or day of marriage with or without the consent of my dear Wife, which shall first happen,
And I direct that the ///// shall be invested in the public funds of Great Britain in the names of my Executors and that the dividends to arose therefrom shall in the mean time be paid be paid and applied in such manner as I shall hereinafter direct concerning the dividends to arise from the Residue of my personal Estate I give and bequeath all the Rest, Residue and Remainder of my personal Estate and Effects whatsoever and wheresoever unto and for the use of the Right Honourable John Earl of Darnley and Dugall Campbell of Saltspring Estate in the Island of Jamaica Esquire my Executors hereinafter named, their executors, administrators and assigns upon trust nevertheless as soon as conveniently may be after my decease absolutely to sell and dispose of all such parts of my Personal Estate and Effects, (except as hereafter mentioned) as shall not consist of money or securities for money and as shall be in their nature saleable by public auction or private Contact and in such manner as they my said trustees shall think most adviseable and also to derive and get in all debts and sums of money that shall be due or owing to me at my decease, and to convert into money all other parts of my personal Estate, and my will is and I direct that they , my said trustees and the survivor of them his executors and administrators shall stand and be possessed of all the clear monies arising from such sale or sales and to ////// and got in as aforesaid together with all other the Residue of my said personal Estate (after payment of my debts, funeral and testamentary expences and legacies) Upon trust to lay out and invest the same in their or his names or name in some or one of the Government Stocks or Funds of Great Britain or other Government Securities and to stand and be possessed thereof upon trust for and during the life of my said Wife to pay one moiety or equal half part of the Dividends, interest and annual product of such Stocks, Funds or securities to my said Wife for her own sole separate and independant use and not to be liable to the debts, contracts or engagements of any husband with whom she may hereafter intermarry and for which her receipt alone notwithstanding her Coverture shall be sufficient discharge to my said Executors so as such receipt be signed and given by my said Wife after the dividends shall become due and not by anticipation
And upon further trust, to pay and dispose of the remaining moiety or half part of such dividends and interest unto and equally between my four younger Daughters Elizabeth, Frances, Jane and Ann, or such of them as shall be unmarried at the time of my decease.
And I direct and declare that it shall and may be lawful for my said trustees upon the marriage of any or either of my said four younger Daughters with the consent or my Wife during her lifetime, to be testified by writing under her hand, to transfer to her or them so marrying such share of and in the principal Stocks, Funds or securities to the interest and dividends whereof she or they would be entitled under the trusts hereinbefore declared during the life of my said Wife, but otherwise us transfer or division of the said Stocks, funds or securities shall be made until after the death of my said Wife as hereinafter directed and declared and from and after the decease of my said Wife,
I direct that they my said Trustees and Executors and the survivor of them his executors and administrators shall stand possessed of and interested in the said Stocks, funds and securities to be purchased with the produce of my said Estate and the dividend, interest and annual proceeds thereof in trust for all my Daughters Harriett Barker, Mary Putland, Elizabeth Bligh, Frances Bligh, Jane Bligh, and Ann Bligh, or such of them as shall be living, and the Issue of such as shall be dead, in equal parts, shares and proportions, the shares of such of them as shall be living and shall have attained the age of twenty one years or be married to be transferred to them immediately, and the shares of such of them as shall be under the said age and unmarried to be transferred to them upon their attaining the same or marrying, which shall first happen, and the interest and dividends thereof in the mean time to be paid and applied in and towards their support and maintenance, and the share or shares of the Issue of such of my said daughters as shall be dead to be transferred to such issue respectively in equal proportions upon their attaining the age of twenty one years, or if females upon them marrying before that age and the interest dividends and annual produce in the mean time to be in vested in the public funds to accumulate for his, her or their benefit and in case any or either of my said daughters shall happen to die before her or their share or shares of and in the said principal Stocks, funds and securities shall become payable or transferable without leaving any lawful issue her or them surviving, I direct that such share or shares of her or them so dying both as to the principal and as to the interest dividends and annual proceeds thereof shall from and after her or their decease sink into and be considered as part of the residue of my personal Estate and it is my Will and I hereby further direct that the interest and dividends to become payable to my Daughters under the bequest hereinbefore contained shall until they respectively attain the age of twenty one years or marry before that age be paid to their Guardian or Guardians for the time being for their support and maintenance,
And my Will is and I do declare that my said Executors shall permit and suffer my dear Wife Elizabeth Bligh to have the use and occupation of my said Dwellinghouse with the appurtenances in Durham Place aforesaid to reside therein with my unmarried Children for and during the term of her natural life, if she shall so long continue a Widow, without paying any rent or other compensation for the same to my said Executors, and from and after her decease, or ceasing to be a Widow as aforesaid shall permit and suffer such of my Daughters Elizabeth, Frances, Jane and Ann as shall be then single and unmarried and such of them as shall respectively continue unmarried to have the like use and occupation of my said Dwellinghouse with the appurtenances without paying any rent or other compensation for the same until the youngest of my unmarried daughters shall attain the age of twenty one years, and from and after the period last mentioned I direct that the same shall sink into the residue of my personal Estate.
And I direct that the Ground rent and taxes of and for my said Dwellinghouse and its appurtenances shall be paid and sustained by and out of my personal Estate. And my Will is and I also direct that my said Executor shall within three months next after my decease raise an Inventory in writing to be taken of all my household furniture, plate, linen, china, books, pictures, prints, wines, liquors and other effects in my said Dwelling house and shall permit the same to remain and continue therein to be used by my said Wife and my Daughters, the occupier or occupiers of the said house for the time being during such time as she or they shall reside in and occupy the said house and from and after the expiration of the said trusts I direct that the said household furniture, plate, linen, china, books, pictures, prints and other Effects shall sink into and become part of the Residue of my personal Estate, but I direct and declare that it shall and may be lawful to and for my said Executors, Trustees at any time after the decease of my said Wife, or her marrying again and before the youngest of my Daughters unmarried shall have attained the age of twenty one years with the consent and approbation of such of my Daughters intitled to the use and occupation of my said Dwellinghouse, furniture and effects who shall have attained the age of twenty one years and of the Guardian of such of my said Daughters who shall be under that age to sell and dispose of the said house, furniture and effects and to lay out and invest the monies arising by such sale deducting the expences attending the same in the public funds or upon Government securities in trust to pay, apply and dispose on the dividends, interest and annual produce thereof from time to time unto and amongst all my Daughters who would have been intitled to the use and occupation of the said Dwelling House and Effects under the trusts aforesaid in equal shares and proportions for such time only as they would have been intitled to such use and occupation, and from and after the expiration of the trust lastly hereinbefore declared I direct that the Stocks, funds and securities so to be purchased as aforesaid and the Dividends interest and annual produce thereof shall go in such monies as is herein directed of and concerning the said house and Effects in case the sale thereof had been delayed until the youngest of my Daughters unmarried shall have attained the age of twenty one years.
And it is my Will that my said Executors shall be at liberty to proceed to the sale of my premises in the Parish of Marylebone in the County of Middlesex or not as they may think fit
And I hereby nominate, constitute and appoint the said Earl of Darnley and Dugall Campbell Executors of this my Will and my said dear Wife Elizabeth during her life, and after her death the said Earl of Darnley and Dugal Campbell Guardian and Guardians of my Infant and unmarried children and my Will is and I do hereby declare that the receipt and receipts of my said Trustees or the survivor of them or the heirs and executors or administrators of such survivor shall be good and sufficient discharge or good and sufficient discharges to the purchaser or purchasers of all or any part of my said Real and Personal Estate and his, her or their heirs executors and administrators for the money to arise from the sale thereof and that such purchaser or purchasers shall not be answerable or accountable for any loss misapplication or nonapplication of the said purchase money or any part thereof or be obliged to see to the application and disposition thereof or of any part thereof and I direct that they my said Trustees Executors or either of them their or either of their heirs executors or administrators shall not be charged with or accountable for any more of the trust monies Estates and Premises than they respectively shall actually receive or shall come to their respective hands by virtue of this my Will nor with or for any loss that shall happen to the same or any part thereof so as such loss happen without their wilful default nor one of them for the other of them or for the acts, deeds, receipts or disbursements of the other of them but each of them only for his own acts, deeds, receipts or disbursements.
And also that it shall and may be lawful for them my said Trustees and Executors and each of them their and each of their heirs executors and administrators in the first place by and out of the trust Estates monies and premises to deduct retain to and reimburse him and themselves all such loss, costs, charges and expences as they or either of them shall respectively sustain expend or be put unto by reason of the trusts hereby in them reposed or the execution thereof at any time relating thereto.
And lastly I hereby revoke annul and make void all and every former and other Will and Wills by me at any time heretofore made and declare this to be my last Will and Testament,. In Witness whereof I the said William Bligh have hereunto and to two other parts of this my last Will and Testament contained in six sheets of paper set my hand to the first five sheets thereof and to the sixth and last sheet thereof my hand and seal this twenty fourth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and five Wm. Bligh.
Signed, Sealed Published and Declared by the within named Testator William Bligh as and for his last Will and Testament in the presence of us who in his presence and at his request and in the presence of each other have hereunto and to two other parts thereof set our hands as Witnesses R Gatty, Angel Court, Throgmorton Street,
Tho. Gatty his Clerk.
On the 20th April 1818 Admon. (Williamo) of the Goods & P of William Bligh of Farmingham House in the Co.of Kent Esqr. a Vice Admiral of the Blue in his Majesty's Navy, deceased, was granted to Harriett Maria (in the Will written Harriett) Barker (Wife of Henry Aston Barker Esqr.) Elizabeth Bligh (Wife of Richard Bligh Esqr.) & Frances Bligh Spr. the Daurs. & three of the Exors Legatees being first sworn duly to Admr. – The Rt. Honble John Earl of Darnley the survg. Exor. //// & Residl. Legatee in trust named in the Will having first //////////, and Elizabeth Bligh the Wife of the Testator & Residl. Legatee for life, dying in his lifetime.
Cliff Thornton, September 2003