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This is the last and only Will
and Testament of me Sophia Biddle of
Longham in the
Parish of Hampreston in the County of
Dorset Widow I nominate and
appoint Isaac Steele of the Town and
County of Poole Esquire and my
Nephew Samuel White White the Younger
Esquire and Robert Davy of
Ringwood in the County of Southampton
Gentlemen to be Executors
of this my Will And I give to each of
them my said Executors the
legacy or sum of Twenty five pounds in
consideration of the trouble
they will have in the execution of their
office I give and bequeath to
Waring Alexander Biddle Son of my late
Husband Waring Biddle my
four silver corner dishes and stands my
silver coffee biggin my best
silver tea pot my silver sugar bason and
my silver cream ewer my
silver handled table knives and my silver
desserts knives and forks my
large silver plateau and a pair of silver
candlesticks and branches I
give and bequeath all the rest of my
silver plate and all plated articles
belonging to me at the time of my decease
and my carriages and
carriage horses and all my household
goods and furniture books prints
pictures linen china glass wine spirits
and other liquors fuel provisions
and other consumable articles and all
other the household effects not
hereinbefore by me bequeathed which shall
be in and about the house
and premises in which I now reside at
Longham aforesaid (excepting
only the books hereinafter by me given to
my said Nephew Samuel
White White the Younger) unto and equally
between the said Waring
Alexander Biddle and his Sisters
Elizabeth Rolles Biddle Anna Maria
the Wife of Charles Francois Albert
Houdant of St. Valery Sur Somme
in France and Augusta Ross Patey the
Widow of Russell Patey late a
Lieutenant in Her Majesty’s Royal
Navy deceased the three Daughters of
my said late Husband the respective
shares of the said Elizabeth Rolles
Biddle Anna Maria Houdant and Augusta
Ross Patey to be for their
respective sole and separate use and
benefit and free from marital
control and their respective receipts to
be sufficient discharges to my said
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Executors for the same shares And I
empower in case of dispute my
said Executors to make partition and
division of the said silver plated
articles household furniture carriages
horses books pictures linen china
and household effects between and among
the said Waring Alexander
Biddle and his said three Sisters I give
and bequeath my gold watch with
the chain and seals thereunto belonging
which were left to me by my late
Aunt Mary Manning deceased And also my
Encyclopedia Britanicica and
my Bible and Testament in two volumes
which were left to me by my
late Aunt Ann White deceased unto my said
Nephew Samuel White White
the Younger Son of my Brother Samuel
White White I give and bequeath
my small Geneva Gold Watch with the
appendages thereunto belonging to
my Nephew William Wadham White Son of my
said Brother Samuel White
White I give and bequeath the legacy or
sum of Fifty pounds (free from
legacy duty) to my Domestic Servant
Martha Bowers if in my service at
the time of my decease And I give and
bequeath the legacy or sum of
Ten pounds to each and every other
Domestic Servant who shall be in my
service at the time of my decease and
shall have been in my service for
twelve calendar months preceding my
decease And in this bequest I desire
to include my present Gardener John
Burbage and my Coachman Thomas
Insell but not my other out-door nor my
Farm Servants I give and
bequeath to my said Brother Samuel White
White the legacy or sum of
One thousand pounds I give and bequeath
an annuity or yearly sum of
Six pounds ten shillings (free from
legacy duty) to my former Servant
Elizabeth Clewett now residing with her
Daughter at the School House in
Corfe Mullen in the said County of Dorset
during her the said Elizabeth
Clewetts life by weekly payments of Two shillings
and six pence each on
Saturday in every week clear of all
deductions the first of such payments to
be made on the first Saturday after my
decease And I direct that my
said Executors shall invest in their
joint names a sufficient sum in Bank
Three pounds per Centum Consolidated
Annuities to answer and satisfy
with the dividends thereof the said
annuity And that until such
investment the said annuity shall be paid
out of my general personal
estate And that at the decease of the
said Elizabeth Clewett the stock
constituting the fund for the payment of
the said annuity shall sink into
my residuary personal estate I give and
bequeath the legacy or sum of
One thousand pounds to the said Isaac
Steele Samuel White White the
Younger and Robert Davy In trust to
invest the same sum in their
names in or upon the public stocks or
funds of Great Britain or upon real
security in England or Wales with power
to vary the investment from time
to time for any other of the like nature
and during the joint lives of
James Horne of Clapham Common in the
County of Surrey Esquire and
my Sister Mary Ann Horne his Wife and the
life of the survivor of
them to pay the dividends interest and
annual proceeds of the same sum
or the investment thereof unto them the
said James Horne and Mary
Ann his Wife and the survivor of them and
their his or her assigns for
their his or her own benefit And from and
after the decease of the sur-
vivor of them as to the same sum or the
investment thereof In trust
for such person or persons and for such
intents and purposes as she my
said Sister Mary Ann Horne by any deed or
deeds writing or writings
with or without power of revocation to be
by her sealed and delivered in
the presence of two or more Witnesses or
by her Will or Codicil or other
Testamentary Writing shall from time to
time notwithstanding her coverture
and whether covert or sole direct or
appoint And in default of such direc-
tion or appointment or so far as the same
if incomplete shall not extend
In trust for her my said Sister Mary Ann
Horne her executors adminis-
trators and assigns I give and bequeath a
like legacy or sum of One
thousand pounds to the said Isaac Steele
Samuel White White the Younger
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and Robert Davy In trust to invest the
same sum in their names
in or upon the public stocks or funds of
Great Britain or upon real
security in England or Wales with power
to vary the investment for
any other of the like nature and during
the joint lives of Benjamin Kidd
of Godalming the said County of Surry
Esquire and my Sister Caroline
Kidd his Wife and the life of the
survivor of them to pay the dividends
interest and annual proceeds of the same
sum or the investment thereof
unto the said Benjamin Kidd and Caroline
his Wife and the survivor of
them and their his or her assigns for
their his or her own benefit And
from and after the decease of the
survivor of them as to the same sum
and the investment thereof In trust for
such person or persons and for such
intents and purposes as she my said Sister
Caroline Kidd by any deed or
deeds writing or writings with or without
power of revocation to be by her
sealed and delivered in the presence of
two or more witnesses or by her
Will or Codicil or other Testamentary
Writing shall from time to time not
withstanding her coverture and whether
covert or sole direct or appoint
And in default of such direction or
appointment or so far as the same if
incomplete shall not extend In trust for
my said Sister Caroline Kidd her
executors administrators and assigns I
give and bequeath the legacy or sum
of One hundred pounds to the Deaf and
Dumb Asylum in the Kent Road
in the Borough of Southwark in the County
of Surry I give and bequeath
a like legacy or sum of One hundred
pounds to the Lancasterian School in
the Borough Road in Southwark aforesaid
And I direct that the said
several legacies of One hundred pounds
and One hundred pounds shall be
paid to the Treasurer for the time being
of the said Asylum or other the
Principal Officer thereof if there be no
Treasurer and to the Trustees or
Head Master for the time being of the
said School to be applied to the
general purposes and for the general
benefit of the said Asylum and
School respectively I give and bequeath
the legacy or sum of Two hundred
pounds to the Rector for the time being
of the Parish of Hampreston in the
Counties of Dorset and Southampton In
trust to invest the same sum of
Two hundred pounds in his name in the
public stocks or funds of Great
Britain and to pay and apply the annual
dividends and interest of such
stocks or funds for the benefit and
support of the National School at
Longham aforesaid I give and bequeath the
legacy or sum of Three hundred
pounds to the said Waring Alexander
Biddle and the Rector and Church-
wardens for the time being of the said
Parish of Hampreston In trust to
invest the same sum of Three hundred
pounds in their names in the public
stocks or funds of Great Britain and to
pay and divide the annual dividends
and interest of such stocks or funds at
Christmas in every year unto and equally
between three poor Men and three poor
Women resident at Longham in the
said Parish who shall be of good conduct
such six poor Men and Women
to be selected at the discretion of the
said Trustees for the time being of
the said bequest of Three hundred pounds
but without distinction of or in
respect of religious creed And I direct
that the said bequest shall be
called “The bequest of Sophia
Biddle the Widow of Waring Biddle Esquire”
and that no part of the annual dividends
or interest of the stocks or funds
to be purchased with the said sum of
Three hundred pounds shall ever be
paid or applied or be bestowed as or by
way of substitute for or instead or
on account of any parochial relief or
relief out of any Poor rate And I will
and declare that upon the death of the
said Waring Alexander Biddle the
stocks or funds in or upon which said sum
of Three hundred pounds
shall have been invested and shall be
then standing shall be transferred
into the names of the Rector and
Churchwardens of the Parish of Hampreston
aforesaid for the time being and that the
said bequest shall be thenceforth
administered and applied in manner
aforesaid by such Rector and Churchwardens
for the time being I direct that the
aforesaid legacies of One hundred pounds
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One hundred pounds Two hundred pounds and
Three hundred pounds
given for Charitable purposes shall be
paid clear of legacy duty and
exclusively out of such part of my
personal estate not specifically bequeathed
as may lawfully be given for such
purposes And that such legacies shall
abate only in case there should be no
other fund for the payment in full
of the other legacies given by me in
which case I direct that such charitable
legacies shall abate before any other
legacy And as to all the residue
and remainder of the personal estate and
effects whatsoever and where-
soever not hereinbefore by me
specifically bequeathed of which I shall be
possessed And as to all the real estate
which I shall be seized of or entitled
to at the time of my decease or over
which respectively I have or shall have
any disposing power I give devise and
bequeath the same and every part
thereof unto my Nephews and Nieces the
Children of my said Brother Samuel
White White and of my said Sisters Mary
Ann Horne and Caroline Kidd to
be divided equally between and amongst
such of the said Children (except
as to my Nephew William Driver Kidd) as
shall be living at my decease
and the issue of such of them (except as
aforesaid) as shall have died in my
lifetime as tenants in common and not as
joint tenants and their respective
heirs executors administrators and
assigns the issue of any deceased Child or
Children taking only such part as his her
or their respective Parent or
Parents if living at my decease would
have taken and such issue if more than
one of any deceased Child to take such
their Parents share equally between
and amongst them as tenants in common and
not as joint tenants And I
declare that the share of my said Nephew
William Driver Kidd shall be
held upon the trusts following (that is
to say) Upon trust to pay the income
thereof unto him my said Nephew William
Driver Kidd or his assigns during
his life And after his decease as to the
same share In trust for all and
every the Children and Child of my said
Nephew William Driver Kidd
who being Sons or a Son shall attain the
age of twenty one years or
being Daughters or a Daughter shall
attain that age or marry and if more
than one in equal shares their his or her
heirs executors administrators and
assigns And if there shall not be any
Child of my said Nephew William
Driver Kidd who being a Son shall attain
the age of twenty one years or
being a Daughter shall attain that age or
be married then the same share
shall be held In trust for the Brothers
and Sisters of my said Nephew
William Driver Kidd who shall be living
at his decease and the issue of such
of them as shall have died in his life
time as tenants in common and not
as joint tenants and their respective
heirs executors administrators and assigns
the issue of any deceased Brother or
Sister taking only such part as his her
or their respective Parent or Parents if
living at the decease of the said
William Driver Kidd would have taken and
such issue if more than one of
any deceased Brother or Sister to take
such their Parents share equally
between and amongst them as tenants in
common and not as joint tenants
And I declare that the receipts in
writing of my said trustees or trustee shall
be sufficient discharges for and from all
liability for the loss misapplication
or nonapplication or to see to the
application of the monies payable to them
or him under this my Will And that the
surviving or continuing trustees
or trustee or the executors or
administrators of the surviving trustee shall by
writing under their or his hands and
seals or hand and seal appoint trustees
or a trustee to supply every vacancy
occasioned by the death going to reside
beyond the seas resignation or incapacity
of any present or future trustees
or trustee and that every new trustee
shall have the same estates and powers
as if hereby appointed And that all
necessary conveyances transfers and
other acts shall be made and done to give
effect to every such appointment
And that no trustee shall be answerable
for any other trustee nor for
involuntary losses though he join in any
receipt or other act for conformity
And that every trustee may out of the
trust property retain and pay and
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allow to his co-trustee and co-trustees
all costs charges and expenses
incident to the trusts And I revoke all
my former Wills Codicils and Testa-
mentary Dispositions In witness whereof I
the said Sophia Biddle the
Testatrix have to each sheet of this my
Will contained in six sheets of
paper subscribed my name this thirteenth
day of December one thousand
eight hundred and fifty six –
Sophia Biddle – Signed by
the said Sophia Biddle the Testatrix in
our joint presence who have affixed
our signatures hereto in her presence and
in the presence of each other the
words “free from legacy duty”
in two places and the words “and my Coach-
man Thomas Insell” and the word
“Driver” in several places having
been first interlined – Richard
Brown Clerk to Mr. Davy Solr. Ringwood
– William White Longham Taylor.
Proved at London the 16th day
of July 1857 Before the Judge by
Isaac Steele Esqre. the Nephew &
Robert Davy Esqre. two of the Exors
to whom Admon was granted the said Isaac
Steele having first made
a solemn & sincere Declaration or
Affirmation according to Act of Parlia-
ment & the said Robert Davy having
been first sworn by Comon. duly
to administer Power reserved of making
the like Grant to Samuel White
White the Younger the other Executor when
he shall apply for the same.
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