St. Mary's beacon., 1858-04-22


! Unsigned bequest to one. John Bacon. who
\ would have been the residnary legatee had no,
I Mr. Jcnnens, as Lis servant stated. foreotteu
bis spectacles on going to his solicitors to sign
the testarncntary instrument which he finaIfs
neglected to sign altogether In his iron chez
/ the key of which could not be found till after
a long search, hid m a mortgage deed, there
were bank notes Of the year 1874 to the amouni
Of nineteen thousand pounds, and several thou
sand new gnipeas. About twenty tlaoilsassl!
pounds wefe found, in money and bank nos. Il.
At his town. and country houses, and
and "a ValnalIss nal Which Lad been en III seno't Il
tie bankers, unopened, since her decase in
l1G1. He was reported to have always kept
fifty thousand pounds in his bankers hands
for any sudden emergency, and had not made
draft for the last fourteen years of his life.
He was very regular and exact in all his ac-
counts, insomuch that he even noticed the ex-
cess Of his household bills over their usual
weekly amount. His expenses were about
three thousand pounds a year, although his
property was estimated at not less than two
millions He was considered the richest pri-
vatc individual in England. On the 29th OF
July, ten days after his decease, his body was
inferred in the family vault at Acton church.
with much funeral pomp, and, in compliance
with hls instructions, All inscription was put on
the monument in the church giving the lineage
of the family and an account of Action Hall.
The family genealogy, as it is to he found in
the Townsend Collection in the Herald's Col
legc. will show the heirShip to the immense
estate, both personal and real. John JcDnens,
of Birmingham, left a son, Humphrey Jen-
mems of Erding and Neither Whitacre. in the
county Of Warwick. Humphrey bv Mary.
daughter of John Milward, of Snittenton. coun-
" Derby, had isSue. Charles .Jcnncns. eldest
son, from whom dcsccnds Earl Howe and Ro-
bert Jennens, the father of William Jennens,
u Acton Place. Also, two daughters, Esther,
who married William Hammer, Esq. and Ann.
who married Sir Clement Fisher, Bart, of
PackingtOn. From Esther descended William
Lyon, Esq, afterwards Earl Bcauchamp :
and from Ann descended Lady Mary Finch.
who married William Niscount Andover. As
Tie will of Mr.. JcnnenS, without signature.
could not convey bis estate, letters Of admins
tration. with the will annexed, were immedi-
atciy granted to VIM. Lyon. ESD and the
Hon. Mary, NiscOuntcss Dowager Andover.
the Cousins german once removed and next of
kin of the deceased. As next of kin the per
sonality was shared between these parties.
while the real estate descended to the tcstator 5
heir-at-law, George Augustus William CurZon,
infant grandson Of Earl Howe, and from him
to the present Earl Howe. In September.
1898, the effects OF William Jenncns, mt Acton
Place, were advertised for a week in the Times,
over the signatures of the administrators and
the hclrs-at-law. and at the close of the month
an auction was held at Acton Hail of the fur
nlturc, library. pictures, old china, and other
movcabcS OF the mansion. Acton Hall had
been formerly the scat of the Daniels. and sold
by them To Robert Jcnnens. who began to re-
build IL, which, though 4 fine structure was
never completely finished The buiIdin. con-
tanned itty-tOur apartments, and was richly
adorned with fine tapestry, which was torn
from the walls and sold at the auction with tic
other furniture. The walls were decorated
with some fine paintings by Snyders, of ami
mails. fruit pieces, &c. and in one room was
shown bed, the furniture of which was said
10 have been lined with the shirts of King
William III, the godfather of William Jennens.
Notwithstanding the regular descent of the
property, a bill was filed in chanccry in 1910
by several persons of the name OF Jennens
and Lord Bcauchamp was cited to bring tl.i
, the administration into court The .JenneDs
iSNlLb VIC Iil(SISSG Vi 1IOTu 1DCauCnaml
and Lady Andovcr, asserting themselves to be
! cousins german thrice removed; but did not
set forth their own interest as paramount to
that Of lord Bcauchamp, the surviving adj
ministrator. The court held that a "a person
in possession of an administration is not bound
to PROFOUND his interest till the party calling
( IN question the grant as first propoundcd
and proved his The administration had
been i'll undisturbed possession for twelve
years, and as the Jennens party had no inter-
est to set forth, they instituted no further suit
and that has been the extent of the litigation
III respect of the property. Lord Howe. hav-
ing another seat. did not reside at Acton Place
and the hall fell into decay. The courts be-
came oyergrOwn with grass and weeds. and in
1925 Lord Howe offered the estate for sale
aud ordered the hall to be demolished. As
late as 1852 the English journals gave publici-
ty to statements to the effect that one John
Martin, of Maldon had fallen heir to the ,Jen-
mems property. The story arose from the fact
that a gentleman of that name quite advanced
i'll years, who had fancied himself the rightful
heir, was called to London to sign some instru-
ment, and thinking that by his signature he
had secured the estate he gave it out to the
journals. But it was Immediately contradicted,
as have been similar statements made subse-
qnently, and notwithstanding the statutes OF
limitation many persons still indulge the pleas
ing fancy that they are NEXT OF KIN.