19th century will....dot!!!

[scatty mare]

I'm hoping dot.hawkes can help me if she reads this, but any help would be gratefully received. I've obtained the Will of my Gt Gt Gt Grandfather who died in 1895. He leaves property to his trustees and family, and a cash sum of �223 7s 10d. He bequeaths an annuity of �23 and 8s to his wife, and I was wondering how much the annuity would equate to in today's terms. i.e. Would it keep her in the lap of luxury, or just pay for her gin and scratch cards? Thanks in advance.

[heathfield]

�23:8s in 1895 is not a lot. It equates closely to �1800 p. a . ( �34.62 a week) in 2005, based on the Retail Price Index. Since this is under half an OAP pension, she'd have to go easy on the gin!

[angeldraws]

I didn't realise dot hawkes was that old....... :-)

[CheekyChops]

There is a currency converter on the National Archives website, you put in the amount in old money, select the year that it was from and it will tell you what it would be worth today.

Go here: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency/de fault0.asp#mid

[dot.hawkes]

the issue is not what it would be worth today, but what it would have bought her then, also, where this annuity came from, and how long after his death did she survive, i.e. how many annuities did she recieve? something like this can raise other resear\ch options, did he have a rental income from other property that he intended this annuity to be raised from? It is interesting. Also, if she remarried would the annuity stop? Which was often the case. A woman with an income to support herself meant only short term independence, perhaps his intention was that she was supported until she could remarry.

[scatty mare]

Thanks everyone for your help. And thank you dot! The strange thing is, we had no idea he had married twice until reading his Will, where he mentions his 'dear wife Ann' - we then found out that after the death of his first wife he remarried in 1880 at the age of 75! The proceeds from the sale of his propeties (minus a small investment to satisfy the annuity) were divided equally amongst his children, so it seems she received a token sum, and survived him by only 6 years. You're right, it has given quite a few leads for further research. Thanks again.