Quaker Family History Society

Will of Hannah Maria KNIGHT, Spinster of Reading, Berkshire

Will 23 May 1890   Codicil 8 July 1892   Probate 17 September 1894

Summary.

Biographical Notes.

·         Parents: Charles Knight (1800-1864) and Sophia (nee Watson) (1802-1885) of 69 Fore Street, City of London, Cheesemonger

·         Date of Birth: 9 October 1834 at 69 Fore Street, City of London.

·         Profession:  Schoolmistress

·         Meetings: Gracechurch MM then Reading MM.

·         Date of Death: 19 March 1894 at Saint Aubyn, Alexandra Road, Reading, Berkshire.

·         Burial: Friends’ Burial Ground, Reading, Berkshire.

·         She was the second child of Charles and Sophia Knight, and had an elder sister Sophia Knight (1832-1886), and a younger brother Charles (1839-1874).  Her father was admitted to The Retreat in York in 1857, and the rest of the family then moved to Reading.  She and Sophia lived with their mother and brother and ran a small girls school from home in the 1860s and 1870s.  

Highlights of Will

·         Name of Executors: Thomas Wootton, Gentleman of Howard Drive, Cressington, Liverpool, Lancashire, and Herbert Huntley Boorne, Gentleman of Sydenham House, Reading, Berkshire.  She left each of them £20 for their trouble.

·         She left Harvey Thompson Knight a large gold watch, silver tea pot, two silver cream jugs and a share of her residual estate.

·         She left Arthur John Knight the remainder of her plate and a share of her residual estate.

·         She left Mary Cook all her household linen, a third share of the property left to her by her late uncle Edmund Temple Watson, half the remainder of her jewellery, and a share of her residual estate.

·         She left Martha Ann Wootton all her clothing, a third share in the property left to her by her late uncle Edmund Temple Watson, half the remainder of her jewellery, and a share of her residual estate.

·         She left Ellen Weston a third share in the property left to her by her late uncle Edmund Temple Watson, and a share of her residual estate.

·         She left Joseph Watson £200, to be divided equally between his children if he died during her lifetime, which he did.

·         She left Ada Mary Wootton £50.

·         She left Gertrude Knight £50.

·         She left Kathleen Mary Cook £50.

·         She left Elizabeth Knight £50.

·         She left Emily Watson £50 in the will and £100 in the codicil.

·         She left Marian Shore £100 and two gold brooches and a ring in the codicil.

·         She left her Friend Caroline Lamb £20.

·         She left Eliza Bale £20.

·         She left her Friend James Boorne, who managed her affairs, £100.

·         She left Mr. Oliver Calley Morris, surgeon, £50.

·         She left John Knight a share of her residual estate.

·         She left John Thompson a share of her residual estate.

·         She left Lucy Linney a share of her residual estate.

Transcriber’s and Editor’s Notes

This is one of a series of linked Knight family wills, including her sister Sophia Knight (1886).  Harvey Thompson Knight (1836-1907), Arthur John Knight (1839-1911), John Knight (1838-1905), Elizabeth Knight (1841-1935), John Thompson (1838-1895), Lucy Linney (nee Knight) (1836-1907) Ellen Weston (nee Watson) (1852-) Martha Ann Wootton (nee Watson) (c.1843-1921) Mary Cook (nee Watson) (c.1840-1925) were her cousins.  Edmund Temple Watson (1804-1886) and Joseph Watson (1813-1892) were her uncles.

Will as transcribed from a copy of the original document

(Original line and page breaks preserved as far as possible)

I Hannah Maria Knight of Saint Aubin Alexandra Road Reading

in the County of Berks Spinster hereby revoke all former Wills and testamentary disposi-

tions and declare this to be my last Will  I appoint Thomas Wootton of Howard Drive Cres-

sington Liverpool in the County of Lancashire Gentleman and Herbert Huntley Boorne of

Sydnenham House Reading aforesaid Gentleman (hereinafter called my Trustees) to be the

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Executors and Trustees of this my Will I give my large gold watch silver tea pot and two

silver cream jugs to Harvey Thompson Knight of 249 Evering Road Upper Clapton in the

County of Middlesex and I give all the remainder of my plate to Arthur John Knight of 25

Ashmont Road Crouch End in the same County And if either of them the said Harvey Thompson

Knight or Arthur John Knight or both of them shall die in my lifetime then I give the

share of each of them to his children to be distributed between them by my trustees in

such manner as shall be agreed on between their said children or in case of any differ-

ence as shall be settled by my Trustees whose decision shall be final I give all my house

hold linen to Mary Cook wife of Frederick Cook of Bulstrode Hemel Hempstead in the County

of Hertford Farmer or if she should die in my lifetime to her children to be divided be-

tween them in the same manner as in the case of the plate directed I give all my wearing

apparel to Martha Ann Wootton Wife of said Thomas Wootton or if she should die in my life

time to her children to be divided between them in the same manner as in the case of the

plate directed As to all my estate and interest of and in the property comprised in the

Will of Edmund Temple Watson deceased late of Horton Lodge Slough in the County of Buck-

inghamshire I give devise and bequeath the same Unto and to the use of Mary Cook aforesaid

the said Martha Ann Wootton and Ellen Weston Widow of Benjamin Weston of Hemel Hempstead

aforesaid for their sole and separate use respectively in equal shares I bequeath the fol-

lowing legacies that is to say The sum of Two hundred pounds to Joseph Watson of Mount

Barker South Adelaide South Australia or in the case of his dying in my lifetime the like

sum equally among his children The sum of One hundred pounds to my friend James Boorne

of Sydenham House Reading aforesaid as a recognition of his kindness in managing my affairs

or in the event of his predeceasing me to his five children equally between them The sum

of Fifty pounds to Ada Mary Wootton daughter of the same Thomas Wootton The sum of Fifty

pounds to Gertrude Knight daughter of Harvey Thompson Knight aforesaid The sum of Fifty

pounds to Kathleen Mary Cook daughter of the said Frederick Cook The sum of Fifty pounds

to Emily Watson of Donnington Villa London Road Reading aforesaid Spinster The sum of

Fifty pounds to Elizabeth Knight sister of John Knight of    Rendeyvous Street Folkestone

Chemist The sum of Fifty pounds to Mr Oliver Calley Morris Surgeon of London Street Read-

ing aforesaid for the kindness and skill and I and my family have received from him The sum

of Twenty pounds to my friend Caroline Lamb of Adderbury West in the County of Oxfordshire

Spinster The sum of Twenty pounds to Eliza Bale Widow of Joseph Bale of 89 Tottenham Court

Road London The sum of Twenty pounds apiece to my said trustees for their trouble in the

execution of the trusts of this my Will I devise and bequeath all my real and personal

estate not hereby otherwise disposed of unto my Trustees Upon trust that my Trustees shall

sell call in and convert into money

the same or so much thereof as shall not consist of money

and shall with and out of the moneys produced by such

sale calling in and conversion

and with and out of my ready money

pay my funeral and testamentary expenses and debts and the

legacies bequeathed by this my Will or any Codicil hereto and I bequeath the whole of such

my residuary estate (after such payments as aforesaid) unto and to the following persons to

be equally divided between them that is to say to the said Harvey Thompson Knight the said

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Arthur John Knight the said John Knight of Folkestone John Thompson of 155 High Street

Southampton in the County of Southampton Gentleman Lucy Linney (wife of George Linney of

Saffron Walden in the County of Essex Schoolmaster) the said Mary Cook the said Martha Ann

Wootton and the said Ellen Weston for their sole and separate use respectively And I de-

clare that the said Herbert Huntley Boorne and any future trustees of this my Will who may

be a Solicitor shall be entitled to charge my estate for all business done by him in re-

lation to my estate or the trusts of this my Will in the same manner as he would have been

entitled to charge my Executors and Trustees for the same if he had not himself been an

Executor or Trustee but had been employed by my Executors and Trustees to do such business

as their Solicitor In Witness whereof I the said Hannah Maria Knight have to the two pre-

ceding sheets of this my Will (the whole whereof is contained in three sheets of paper)

and to this third and last sheet hereunder set my hand this twenty third day of May One

thousand eight hundred and ninety - Hannah Maria Knight - Signed and de-

clared by the said Hannah Maria Knight as and for her last Will and Testament in the pre-

sence of us (both being present at the same time) who at her request in her presence and in

the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses -

Fred Martin

Solicitor Reading - Eliza Ilsley St Aubin Alexandra Road Reading Domestic Servant

This is a Codicil to the last Will and Testament of me Hannah

Maria Knight of Saint Aubin Alexandra Road Reading in the County of Berks Spinster which

Will bears date the twenty third day of May One thousand eight hundred and ninety I give

to my Cousin Emily Watson the sum of One hundred pounds I also give to my Cousin Marian

Shore the sum of One hundred pounds also my gold brooch

with amethyst my gold brooch

with Onyx Stone and my hair ring

with a pearl cross for her own absolute use I also give to Mary Cook and Martha Ann Wootton

who are respectively mentioned and referred to in my said Will the remainder of my jewelry

to be equally divided between them And I desire that the several legacies given by my said

Will and by this my Codicil shall be paid to the several legatees free of legacy duty and

that the several gifts made by this my Codicil shall be taken by the several persons en-

titled to the same in addition to any legacy or gift legacies or gifts which I have given

and made to them by my said Will And I further direct that in case the said Mary Cook and

Martha Ann Wootton and Ellen Weston Harvey Thompson Knight Arthur John Knight John Knight 

John Thompson and Lucy Linney also respectively mentioned and referred to in my said Will

or any or either of them shall die in my lifetime leaving children her him or them surviv-

ing then and in every such case the child or children of her him or them so dying shall

take (and if more than one equally between them) the share which her his or their parent

would have taken of and in my residuary trust estate if such parent had survived me and

attained the age of twenty one years And in all other respects I confirm my said Will In

Witness whereof I the said Hannah Maria Knight have hereunder set my hand to this Codicil

to my said Will this eighth day of July One thousand eight hundred and ninety two –

Hannah Maria Knight - Signed and declared by the said Hannah Maria Knight as and for

a Codicil to her last Will and Testament in the presence of us (both being present at the

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same time) who at her request in her presence and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed

our names as Witnesses - Alexr Beall Solr Reading - Martha Harris Servant to the said Miss Knight

On the 17^th day of September 1894 Probate of this Will with a Codicil thereto was granted to Thomas

Wootton and Herbert Huntley Boorne the Executors

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Be it Known, that at the date hereunder written, the last Will and

Testament with a Codicil thereto

of Hannah Maria Knight of St Aubyn

Alexandra Road Reading in the County

of Berks Spinster

deceased, who died on the 19^th day of March 1894

at St Aubyn aforesaid was proved and registered in the Principal

Probate Registry of Her Majesty’s High Court of Justice, and that administration

of the personal estate of the said deceased was granted by the aforesaid Court

to Thomas Wootton of Glenthorn Mount

Avenue Ealing in the County of Middlesex

Gentleman and Herbert Huntley Boorne

of Hazelmere Bromley in the County of Kent

and of Nos 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the said County of

Middlesex Gentleman the Executors

named in the said Will – they having been first sworn well

and faithfully to administer the same.

Dated the 17^th day of September 1894

Gross value of Personal Estate £5063 – 17 – 3

Resworn April 1895 £5609.13.11

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