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We can control what happens to our estate and
property while we are alive and breathing, but what happens to your finances
once you die? That’s exactly where Wills come into the picture as it gives you
the chance to control your legacy from beyond the grave.
This matter embodies utter seriousness in all its
glory but some mischievous souls wish to wreak havoc from six feet under.
They’d love to have the last word and the last laugh which is why their Wills
are quite imaginative leaving everyone behind in quite the dilemma.
For many, Will is not just a list of
instructions; it’s the chance to leave a loved-one with a final considerate
gesture or show an optimistic relative how much you preferred Mr. Whiskers,
your beloved cat over them.
So for this reason alone and because we love a
healthy dose of mockery ourselves, we bring to you the 8 most peculiar Wills to
give your imagination a spurt of motivation...
1. William Shakespeare’s The “Second Best Bed”
Mrs Shakespeare aka Anne Hathaway was given the
cold shoulder by the famous writer from beyond the grave. In his Will,
Shakespeare left his beloved wife his “second-best bed” while a big chunk of his
possessions went to his daughter Susanna. Antony Nixon, who is a partner at the
Thomas Eggar LLP proposes that today this Will could easily be contested.
Shakespeare’s wife could certainly file a claim under the Inheritance
(Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, that her husband’s Will didn’t
make ‘reasonable financial provision’ for her and appeal the court to award her
more.
2. A Rose A Day
Jack Benny, the legendary comedian from the
states left a very peculiar but touching instruction in his Will when he died
in 1974. He made a provision in his Will
for the florist to deliver one long-stemmed red rose to his home every day
after his death. His widow Mary Livingstone brought this touching gesture to
light shortly after his demise. She further added that the florist was
instructed to do so every day for the rest of her life.
3. A Nameless Donation “To Clear
The National Debt”
A democratic and a public-spirited donor made a
half-million pound donation to Britain back in 1928 and its present
net worth is more than £350m. Regrettably, the nameless donor was very
particular about the way he wished for that money to be spent – it is to be
passed on only when it is enough to clear the entire national debt.
Unfortunately the total national debt currently stands at more than £1.5tn and
so the money is completely untouchable.
4. A Boozy Weekend
We’d all love it if our friends will clink
glasses and drink to us once we are gone but Roger Brown made sure that this
actually happens. The 67- year old lost his life battling prostate cancer in
2013 and he left behind a covert bequest of £3,500 to seven of his closest
friends with the condition that they use it for a boozy weekend getaway in a
European city. After spending the weekend away in Berlin, one of the
beneficiaries Roger Rees told the South Wales Evening Post, “We spent most of
it on beer, the rest we wasted.”
5. A Brand New Husband
For some resentful spouses, the last Will is
basically the last chance to offend and mock their life partner one last time.
German poet Heinrich “Henry” Heine took this
opportunity to make slight of the situation and get back to his wife Matilda.
Henry left his estate to her in 1856 on the condition that she remarry so that
there will be at least one man to regret his death. Phew!
Nixon cautions that this joke would not go as
planned if it were made today. If Henry failed to make any other provision in
his Will, Matilda could possibly eliminate the condition disclaiming Henry’s
gift. As per the law in force today, Matilda would inherit all of Henry’s
estate absolutely and unconditionally as Henry left no children.
6. A Legacy Of Bitterness
Wellington Burt, a millionaire from Michigan
wielded his Will to put his massive wealth out of his family’s reach for almost
a whole century. When he died in 1919, his Will was discovered much to
everyone’s dismay that his enormous fortune would not be passed on until 21
years after the death of his last surviving grandchild. The last relative died
in 1989 and the 21-year countdown ended on November 2010. After that 12 people
found out that they were beneficiaries of a very strange Will known as the “legacy of bitterness”, and they shared a
fortune whose net worth was estimated to be around $110m.
7. Seventy Beneficiary From the
Phone Directory
Things like these have the probability of
happening only in movies or perhaps daydreams. Portuguese member of the
aristocracy Luis Carlos de Noronha Cabral da Camara, left his gargantuan
fortune to seventy strangers picked randomly out of a Lisbon phone directory in
his Will. A 70 year old beneficiary told Portugal’s Sol newspaper that she
thought it was a cruel joke as she’d never heard of the man.
While these Wills are standing proof of epitome
of hilarity, it’s rife with risks. It is best that we seek caution while
drafting Wills and take the matter seriously into consideration. If you must
insist of playing a joke or include an odd request in your Will, ensure to see
if that makes the document invalid and avoid doing anything that cold deem your
Will null and void.
Drafting a Will has never been easier as you can
now easily download a free will template and get going. In
case you have out of the ordinary requests, you’re better off using the
non-legally binding letter of wishes.
