The Will of Wilhelmine Vera Thompson 1883 - 1955       Dated 21 July 1954
(Note: Some Punctuation, Highlighting, and space added for clarity.)


This is the last Will of me, WILHELMINE VERA THOMPSON, of The Hall, Egglescliffe, near Stockton-on-Tees, in the County of Durham (formerly of Sockburn Hall, near Darlington, in the same County) Widow of Stanley Miller Thompson.

  1. I REVOKE all Wills and testamentary dispositions made at any time heretofore by me, and declare this to be my last Will.

  2. I APPOINT my daughter Annie Vera Evans, my grand-daughter Rosemary Vera Evans, the Right Honourable Thomas Sivewright Baron Catto of Cairncatto, and William Arthur Shapland, of 17 St. Helen's Place, Bishopsgate, in the City of London, Chartered Accountant (hereinafter called "my Trustees"), to be the Executors and Trustees hereof, and I give and bequeath to each of them, except my daughter, if they shall respectively prove my Will, the sum of One hundred pounds, free of duty for their trouble in so doing.

  3. I GIVE AND BEQUEATH to Emily Gwendoline Lynas (who was formerly my maid), the sum of Two hundred pounds, free of duty, and to the following servants of mine who shall be in my service at the time of my death, and not then be under notice to leave, whether given or received, the following legacies all free of duty, namely,
    1. To my chauffeur, Ralph Lynas, the sum of Two hundred pounds.
    2. To my Gardener, John Young, the sum of Two hundred pounds.
    3. To my daily servant, Elizabeth Atkinson, the sum of Twenty pounds.
    4. To each of my indoor and outdoor servants (other than those named in this clause, and any employed part-time, or in the way of casual work) the sum of Five pounds for each complete year of service with me.
    Each of the legacies shall be in addition to any moneys owing to them respectively, by me, at my death.

  4. SUBJECT to the payment of the legacies hereinbefore given and bequeathed, and my debts, and funeral and testamentary expenses, and the estate and other death duties, leviable at my death in respect of all property passing under this my Will and the estate duty on all property (if any) disposed of by me under a disposition made by me in my lifetime by way of gift or other disposition inter vivos in respect of which estate duty may become payable on my death (all of which payments shall be made primarily out of my personal estate) I give devise and bequeath and appoint unto my Trustees all the real and personal property whatsoever and wheresoever of or to which I shall be seized, possessed or entitled at my death or over which I shall then have a general power of appointment or disposition by Will or of which I shall then be tenant in teil in possession (hereinafter called "my Residuary Estate") UPON TRUST if my said daughter shall survive me to hold out of the annual income thereof (A) during the joint lives of my said daughter and my grand-son Christopher Gwilym Douglas Evans, and so long as the said Christopher Gwilym Douglas Evans shall be under the age of twenty-one years, an annuity of Four hundred pounds for the maintenance, education, or benefit of the said Christopher Gwilym Douglas Evans and (B) during the joint lives of my said daughter and my grand-son Kenneth Vaughn Douglas Evans, and so long as the said Kenneth Vaughn Douglas Evans shall be under the age of twenty-one years, an annuity of Four hundred pounds for the maintenance, education, or benefit of the said Kenneth Vaughn Douglas Evans, AND SUBJECT thereto, UPON TRUST as to capital and income for my said daughter absolutely if she shall survive me, but if my said daughter shall predecease me then, (subject as aforesaid) my Residuary Estate shall be held IN TRUST for all or any the children or child of my said daughter who shall survive me and shall have then attained or shall thereafter attain the age of twenty-one years and if more than one in equal shares.

  5. EACH of the said annuities referred to in Clause 4 hereof shall be charged upon the annual income of my Residuary Estate and shall be payable only out of the said annual income but so that resort shall be made to the income of a subsequent year or years to make good in respect of any annuity continuing in any such subsequent year any deficiency in that annuity in any preceding year or years but with no right whatsoever to resort to capital. The said annuities shall rank equally and shall commence from the date of my death and be deemed to accrue from day to day but shall be payable quarterly or in such other installments (not being less than once per annum) as my trustees shall from time to time determine the first payment to be made at the expiration of three calendar months or such other period not exceeding twelve calendar months after my death as my Trustees shall determine. My Trustees may either themselves pay or apply the said annuities or either of them for or towards the maintenance, education, or benefit of the respective annuitants or may pay the same for that purpose to the parent or guardian of the annuitant without liability to inquire concerning any other fund that may be available for the same purpose or the ability or liability of such parent or any other person to provide for the maintenance or education of the annuitant and without liability to see to the application of the said annuitian or either of them or any part or parts thereof for the said purpose so that the receipt of the said parent or guardian shall be a complete and final discharge to my Trustees in respect of moneys applicable for the maintenance, education, or benefit of any annuitant which are paid to his parent or guardian.

  6. NOTWITHSTANDING that under the trusts hereinbefore declared the annuities referred to in Clause 4 hereof are directed to be paid out of the annual income of my Residuary Estate I DECLARE that my Trustees may at any time with a view to the due administration or distribution of my estate if it shall be deemed convenient so to do appropriate and retain a sufficient part of my Residuary Estate, or of the investments representing the same as a fund for answering by the annual income thereof the said annuities and the expenses incidental to the payment thereof respectively, AND I FURTHER DECLARE that if the annual income of the appropriated fund shall at the time of appropriation be sufficient to satisfy the said annuities or such of them as shall for the time being be payable no annuitant shall have any claim against or right to resort to any part of the capital or income of my estate (other than the annual income of the appropriated fund) for the payment of his annuity, and further that if the annual income of the appropriated fund shall at any time prove insufficient for payment in full of the said annuities resort shall be had to the income of a subsequent year or years to make good in respect of any annuity continuing in any such subsequent year any deficiency in that annuity in any preceding year or years but with no right whatsoever to resort to capital, AND subject as aforesaid, the surplus income (if any) of the said fund shall be applicable as income of the un-appropriated part of my Residuary Estate, AND I ALSO DECLARE that when the said annuities shall cease, the appropriated fund shall be held upon the same trusts as are hereinbefore declared concerning the un-appropriated part of my residuary estate.

  7. TRUST moneys may at the discretion of my Trustees be invested in the purchase of or at interest upon the security of such stocks, funds, shares, securities, or other investments of whatsoever nature and wheresoever and whether involving liability or not upon such personal credit with or without security as my Trustees shall in there absolute discretion think fit to the intent that my Trustees shall have the same full and unrestricted power of investing and transposing investments in all respects as if they were absolutely entitled thereto beneficially AND I DECLARE that my Trustees in there absolute discretion may retain the whole or any part or parts of my estate for as long as they shall think fit, however doubtful or hazardous, or wasting may be the nature or description of the property and that they shall have the fullest power and discretions of an absolute owner of dealing with my outstanding assets and of giving time to and compounding with my debtors without being responsible for any loss which may thereby accrue to my estate.

  8. I HEREBY DIRECT and declare that no trustee of this my Will who may be a Director of, or interested in any Company in which I am, or my estate is interested or being a member at a firm which is employed or engaged in connection with my estate, shall thereby be prevented from exercising all or any of the powers, authorities, and discretion's vested in a trustee of my Will, or be accountable to my estate for, or in respect of, any profit or advantage which he or she may derive from any such directorship or interest and any Trustee of this my Will being a person engaged in any profession or business may be so employed and act and shall be entitled to charge and be paid all professional or other charges for any business done by him or his firm in connection with the trusts hereof including acts which a trustee could have done personally.

    1. Any of the powers and authorities hereby given to or vested in my Trustees may at any time be exercised by a majority of my Trustees without the concurrence or with merely the formal concurrence of any trustee who by reason of illness, infirmity, or temporary absence abroad may be unable or unable without inconvenience to take an active part therein and such a trustee may in order to facilitate business by power of attorney or otherwise empower any of the other trustees to use his or her name for execution or signature of documents for any of the purposes of this my Will without being responsible for loss and all acts and proceedings of the majority of my trustees shall in such case be as valid and effectual as if they had all concurred therein.
    2. Any Trustee who shall dissent from any exercise of any such powers or authorities shall nevertheless concur in executing or signing any document or doing any act necessary for giving effect to the exercise of any such powers or authorities by the majority of my Trustees without being responsible for loss.
    3. Any Trustee who or whose wife, husband, or issue may be interested pecuniarily or otherwise in the result of any exercise of a discretion vested in my Trustees may if he or she so thinks fit, leave the real exercise of such discretion to his or her co-trustees or co-trustee for the time being concurring therein merely as a formal party.

  10. THE POWER of appointing a new Trustee or new Trustees of this my Will shall be vested in my said daughter Annie Vera Evans during her life.

  11. I DECLARE it is my desire that my body be cremated and the ashes be placed in an urn beside my husband's ashes, at Sockburn Church, Girsby, near Darlington aforesaid.

  12. I WISH to record that the sole reason I have made no provision in this my Will for my two older grand-children, Rosemary Vera Evans, and Robert Owen Douglas Evans, is that they have already been provided for by their grandfather, my late husband.
IN WITNESS whereof I have to this my Will contained in this and the preceding three sheets of paper, set my hand this Twenty first day of July, One thousand nine hundred and fifty four.
W. Vera Thompson

SIGNED and DECLARED by the said WILHELMINE VERA THOMPSON, as and for her last Will, in the presence of us, both present at the same time, who at her request, in her presence, and in the presence of each other, have hereunto set our hands as witnesses:
(Names Unreadable)

On the 11th day of May 1955 Probate of this will was granted to Annie Vera Evans, of Worsail Hall, Yarm, Yorkshire, wife of Henry Kenneth Douglas Evans, daughter of deceased; Rosemary Vera Evans, of Worsall Hall, aforesaid, spinster grand-daughter of deceased; and William Arthur Shapland, of 17 St. Helens Place, Bishopsgate, in the City of London, chartered accountant; three of the executors, named in the said will. The Right Honourable Thomas Sivewright Baron Catto of Cairncatto, the other executor named in the said will having renounced probate thereof.


Wilhelmine Vera Thompson of The Hall, Egglescliffe, near Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, widow, formerly of Sockburn Hall, near Darlington, County Durham,
Died on 7 February 1955, at Rutson Hospital, Northallerton, Yorkshire.

£11,282 17s 0d