Reference
Z450/2-314
Title
Records relating to the estate of William Harbett, farmer, Toddington, deceased
Date free text
19th C
Production date
From: 1800 To: 1899
Admin/biog history
In April 1847 William Harbett, a farmer of Toddington died. He was unmarried (although he had planned to marry Eleanor Goodwin of Shenley in 1838 [see Z450/3] and a breach of promise case ensued) and his affairs were left in confusion. A few years previously, on 14 January 1843, he had conveyed his property in Westoning and Toddington to trustees [Z450/4] in which he made provision for the situation after his death – which provision varied from his will of 24 October 1846 [Z450/21] so a legal case to sort the matter out was necessary after his death. There was a further complication – one of his eight heirs under the trust deed, Harriett Hillyard Attlee, was illegitimate. She had died a few years before him and being legally without heirs, a complete sale of her share of the property was not possible. Add to this a dispute over Mr. Harbett’s life assurance of £1300 [Z450/52-62] taken out to guarantee a mortgage loan of £1800, dated 12 May 1846 [Z450/7], and which the assurance company concerned – the Scottish Union, tried to repudiate after Mr. Harbett’s death on the grounds that he was a drunkard and had killed himself by drinking, and the complications for his executors and trustees was considerable.
The problem regarding the will and trust deed was sorted out by a deed of 24 July 1850 [ Z450/20] releasing most of the property to Thomas Wright Richards, of Barford, Northamptonshire, farmer, who would pay off all debts (including a mortgage debt) and funeral expenses, and then divide the remainder as nearest corresponded to the disposition in the deed. The situation regarding Harriett Hillyard Attlee’s share was also sorted out. The purchaser of the property, the Reverend J. Coventry Campion, only received a title to seven eighths of the property and the remaining one eighth of the purchase money was to be retained by him until a proper conveyance would be made. A further complication was that some of the property was copyhold – who did her share revert to? [The Lord of the Manor, it was decided].
The dispute over the life assurance policy was complicated by the fact that the assurance with the Scottish Union was arranged by Mr. W. Hunt, after another company, the Farmers’ Life Office, had refused the business, and Mr. Hunt (or rather his wife) was a beneficiary under William Harbett’s will. This seemed to ‘wear a fraudulent aspect’. The case was eventually compromised by payment by the Scottish Union of £500.
Archival history
The collection was received from Leicester Record Office and had obviously formed part of a larger collection. It proved very difficult to sort out for listing but the policy was adopted of cataloguing the deeds and correspondence in detail but only to bundle list the numerous accounts received for payment after Mr. Harbett’s death.
Level of description
sub-fonds
Persons/institution keyword
Keywords