George Gordon of Beech Lodge Great Marlow, written 1814 proved 1825 by which time he had moved to Great Milton Oxfordshire.
A very long will which is summarized here.
All debts, funeral and probate expenses to be paid.
Appoints trustees his dear brother James Gordon paymaster of His Majesty's 2nd regiment of foot, John Elmslie Esquire senior of B...Street, Oxford Street, Middlesex [London] and Charles Forbes Esquire of Fitzroy Square Middlesex [London]. They are to sell his house at Red Pits Marlow [Beech Lodge] and the land and appurtenances belonging to it by private sale or public auction for the best possible price, separately or in one lot.
They also get in trust all his moneys (including the house sale profits), debts, securities for money, stocks and funds and any residual property of his not left to anyone elsewhere in the will. This is also all to be sold for profit. All monies realized from this lot to be invested and the profits to go to his dear wife Jane while she remains unmarried for the maintenance and education of his children while they are under 21 [who are not individually named in the will but there was a daughter Jane as she is mentioned in the probate]. If wife Jane she remarries and has not previously appointed someone to receive these profits in her place for the children or if she dies without leaving a will or other instructions as to the same then the trustees take over this aspect [e.g they keep the money and use it themselves for the children's care]. When the children reach 21 or earlier if they marry they themselves get equal shares of the money.
Wife Jane gets £200 for her own immediate needs as soon as possible after her husband's death. She also gets all the household goods and implements, furniture, plate [silverware], trinkets, wearing apparel, pictures, china,glass, wine, liquors and linen in his house at the time of his death except his watch which is to go to his eldest son (not named).
Executors of the will his wife while she remains unmarried and the trustees. She is guardian to the children while married, otherwise the trustees.
Witnessed by Roland (Wimburn?) of Chancery Lane, George Spence his clerk, and John James Webb.
Codicil written 1814= trustee John Elmslie has died so in his place James Elmslie of [place left blank] is appointed in his place. Also specifies that his wife I'd to get the investment profits in quarterly payments. The executors are each to receive £20 for a ring. Testator signed but had no witnesses.
Second Codicil 1824= testator is now of New Milton Oxfordshire. If the investment profits amount to more than £1000 a year the excess is to be divided between his children. Once again there were no witnesses to this codicil.
At a probate hearing Roland Wimburn? and Adam Wallace Elmslie appeared to swear to the authenticity of the handwriting and signature of the deceased in the submitted will and codicils. They say that they went to the house of .... Cruickshank after the death of the testator with testator's daughter Jane Gordon and retrieved the submitted will and codicils from a portmanteau. It is not explained why these papers were in Cruickshank's possession.
Transcribed and then summarised from a will at the National Archives, Kew by me Charlotte Day.
Note:
George Gordon was originally of Banffshire Scotland.
Jane his widow died in London in 1867, aged 83, never having remarried. She was the daughter of John Elmslie Esquire, probably the deceased trustee mentioned in the will. George and Jane's daughter Jane married John Wallace Harris and died of scarlet fever in 1842. On the same day her daughter Charlotte succumbed to the same disease, as did days later her son Harry. Source= The Patriot, 10th October 1842, British Library Archives accessed via the BNA.
Beech Lodge was already let to others by 1819 and it looks like the then tenants went on to buy it after George Gordon's death.
©Marlow Ancestors.
