The Family of John and Jane Ascroft: Wills

John Ascroft

This is the Last Will and Testament of me, John Ascroft, of The Lodge, Croston in the county of Lancaster, Yeoman.

I devise and bequeath all the real and personal estate which shall belong to me at my decease unto my dear wife Jane absolutely but as to estates vested in upon trust or by way of mortgage subject to the equities affecting the same respectively and I appoint my said wife sole Executrix and Trustee of this my Will and guardian of my infant children.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this Eleventh day of May One Thousand Eight Hundred and Seventy Six.

[signed] John Ascroft

Signed by the Testator John Ascroft as and for his Last Will and Testament in the presence of us present at the same time who at his request, in his presence, and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses, the word "April" having been struck out and May in lieu inserted previously to the execution hereof.

[signed] William Banks, Solicitor, Preston, J. E. Underhill, his clerk

On the 18th of October 1905 Probate of this Will was granted at Lancaster to Jane Ascroft, widow, the sole Executrix.

John Ascroft, of the "Lodge", Croston, Lancashire, Yeoman, died 15 September 1905. PROBATE Lancaster
18 October 1905 to Jane Ascroft, Widow. Effects: £2634 6s 7d.

Jane Ascroft

This is the Last Will and Testament of me, Jane Ascroft, of The Lodge, Croston in the county of Lancaster, Widow.

I appoint my son James Norris Ascroft, Harry Cartmell of Preston in the said county, Solicitor, and George Shaw of Preston aforesaid, Solicitor's Clerk (hereinafter called my Trustees) to be the Executors and Trustees of this my Will.

I bequeath a legacy of fifty pounds free from duty to my son John Ascroft. I devise and bequeath all my real and personal estate whatsoever (except what I otherwise dispose of by this my Will or any Codicil hereto) unto my Trustees upon trust that my Trustees shall at such time or times as they shall judge expedient sell call in and convert into money such parts thereof as shall not consist of ready money and shall out of the monies to arise from such sale calling in and conversion and out of my ready money pay my debts, funeral, and testamentary expenses and the legacies given by this my Will or any Codicil hereto and the legacy duty on legacies given free from duty and shall hold the residue of such monies (hereinafter called the residuary trust monies) upon the trusts and subject to the directions hereinafter contained concerning the same.

I direct my Trustees to hold the residuary trust monies in trust for all my children who being sons attain the age of twenty-one years or being daughters attain that age or marry under that age, in equal shares and if there shall be only one such child the whole to be in trust for that child. Provided always that if any child of mine shall die in my lifetime leaving a child or children living at my death who being a son or sons attain the age of twenty-one years or being a daughter or daughters attain that age or marry under that age then and in every such case the last mentioned child or children shall take (and if more than one equally between them) the share which his hr or their parent would have taken in the residuary trust monies if such parent had survived me and attained the age of twenty-one years.

I direct that all property or monies to which any female shall become entitled under this my Will shall be for her sole and separate use.

I direct that my Trustees may at their discretion resort to use and apply the whole or any part of the income or any accumulations hereof and also any part not exceeding one half of the capital of the vested contingent or presumptive share to which any infant shall be entitled under this my Will for the maintenance, education, advancement, preferments in the world, or otherwise for the benefit of such infant as my Trustees in their absolute and uncontrolled discretion shall think proper.

I direct that my Trustees may at their discretion instead of acting personally employ and pay a solicitor or any other person to transact any business or do any act of whatever nature required to be done in the premises including the receipt and payment of money and that any Trustee hereunder being a solicitor or other person engaged in any profession or business may be so employed or act and shall be entitled to charge and be paid all professional or other charges for any business whether strictly professional or not or for any act done by him or his firm in connection with the trust including acts which a Trustee not being a solicitor or other person engaged as aforesaid could have done personally.

I direct that all the trusts and powers hereinbefore contained and given to my Trustees shall devolve upon and and be exercisable by the survivor of them or other the Trustees or Trustee for the time being of this my Will and I hereby revoke all testamentary dispositions heretofore made by me.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this Seventh day of October One Thousand Nine Hundred and Five.

[signed] Jane Ascroft

Signed by the said Jane Ascroft as and for her Last Will and Testament in the presence of us present at the same time who in her presence and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses.

[signed] Robert Wood, Anthony Holden, Clerks with W. Banks & Co., Solicitors, Preston

CODICIL

This is a Codicil to the Last Will and Testament of me, Jane Ascroft, of The Lodge, Croston in the county of Lancaster, widow.

Whereas by my said Will dated the seventh day of October one thousand nine hundred and five I have given a legacy of fifty pounds free from duty to my son John Ascroft, now I hereby revoke the said legacy and in lieu thereof I bequeath to my said son John Ascroft a legacy of one hundred pounds free from duty and in all other respects I hereby ratify and confirm my said Will.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this Second day of April One Thousand Nine Hundred and Eight.

[signed] Jane Ascroft

Signed by the said Jane Ascroft as and for a Codicil to her Last Will and Testament in the presence of us present at the same time who in her presence and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses.

[signed] Catherine McNulty, Johnson House, Ulnes Walton, Elizabeth Henderson, The Lodge, Croston

On the 28th of April 1909 Probate of this Will and Codicil was granted at Lancaster to James Norris Ascroft, Harry Cartmell, and George Shaw, the Executors.

Jane Ascroft, of The Lodge, Croston, Lancashire, Widow, died 18 February 1909. PROBATE Lancaster
28 April 1909 to James Norris Ascroft, Joiner, Harry Cartmell, Solicitor, and George Shaw, Solicitor's Clerk.
Effects: £1624 13s 1d.

NOTES:
1:	When John Ascroft wrote his Will in 1876 his youngest child was James Norris Ascroft, who was about six months old.
2:	At the time of writing her Will in 1905, Jane Ascroft's only child under 21 years of age was John, then aged 19 years.
3:	The above information is taken from a transcripts of the Wills held at the Lancashire Archives.