Charity threatens to contest will

onlyroz

I remember when I owned a leasehold flat in Wandsworth, I had to pay ground rent of "one peppercorn" every year.

Fly_Baby

meritaten wrote: »

I think the solicitors have done quite well by the sisters so far - remains to be seen if they are capable of seeing off this charity! I will NEVER EVER put any money their way now after the letter I just saw! greedy barstwards!

I am sure many, if not all of the readers of your thread, will feel the same so would be glad to know the name of the charity - can you reveal it after all?

puddy

ive already guessed its the animal one

DVardysShadow

Fly_Baby wrote: »

I am sure many, if not all of the readers of your thread, will feel the same so would be glad to know the name of the charity - can you reveal it after all?

I would suggest not naming them until they have accepted their lot.

meritaten

No - I wouldnt dream of naming them! I understand that the legal team are just trying to maximise the money for the charity - its the way they worded the letter that infuriated me - and upset mum and her sisters (threatening to contest, or delay matters to run up costs and even suggesting meeting with the sisters without solicitors present!). But, its a very worthwhile charity and I wouldnt suggest that others not support them. just be aware that if you wish to leave them (or any other charity) a bequest in your will - please be specific about the amount!
No, it wasnt an animal charity! my aunt was NOT fond of animals.

meritaten

daska wrote: »

Ditto my nan in 1905 or thereabouts - but we don't even know her adoptive parents' name! Sometimes I find myself staring at the census records wondering exactly which 'next door neighbour' it was that stole her from her mum (was supposed to be temporary but they refused to return her LOL) If you get involved in researching your family tree it's amazing how often you find kids unofficially adopted by neighbours, one of my GGGetc uncles stumped me because I couldn't find his birth certificate, the previous census had a child with the same first name but different surname and it was only when I was looking through their next door neighbours on the census return before that and noticed the family had the matching surname name that I got the clue I needed, sure enough I then found his birth certificate and his mother's death certificate all fitted in.

my nan did find out she was 'adopted' and sent for her birth certificate. so we did know her real mothers name. we still are not sure of her real father - but we think it may be the man her adopted mother married (purely because nan found out she was adopted when she walked in on her mother and this stranger and her mother bluntly stated 'oh this is your father' when introducing them! she didnt bother explaining she had once been married to him! I only found that out a couple of years ago! her adoptive mother was a very harsh, secretive very moralistic, woman - and we howled with laughter when we realised that the man Nan called Dad and her 'Mam' had been living together for twenty years or so before actually marrying (not long after the visit from 'This is your father') and funnily enough - the house was bought for nan a few months later. hmmmmmmm makes one wonder!!!

I knew the real mothers name which was unusual and where my nan was born - so I wrote to people with that surname in the area. One elderly gentleman replied on behalf of the family saying that the mum had married a few years later and that her sons and daughters knew nothing about her illigitimate child. He was very nice and said it wasnt talked about in the family but his mum had told him in strict secrecy and although he would personally love to have met her (Nan had died by then) he would prefer that her other children not know.
I respected this and its ok by me. The sad thing though - my Nans mother died only 6 years before my nan did.

mountainofdebt

I used to work for a charity and I knew they had a team of people who role was specifically dealt with legacies and was to actively encourage people to leave the charity a leagcy in their wills.

I also know they had employed the services of a london based firm whose role was to specifically to search out wills that had mentioned a legacy to the charity......the next step would be to write to the executor to ask how the administration of the estate was progressing.

OP - does the charity begin with T?

DVardysShadow

mountainofdebt wrote: »

OP - does the charity begin with T?

Let's not go there ....

meritaten

lots of charities begin with T!
I dont want to identify them. Its a very worthwhile charity and I wouldnt want anyone to withold their support. Just want people to realise that if you want to leave money to a charity in their will, be SPECIFIC in the amount! otherwise they charity will try to maximise the amount they get and not give a damn about the other beneficiaries! and its NOT just this charity - most of the large ones apparently do this according to our solicitor!

meritaten

update

The charity has now dropped their demand of thousands and now have decided they will close the matter if the sisters give them £500 pounds (each) as a 'donation' to the charity!
The sisters immediate reaction is to say 'bu99er off'! they are annoyed to say the least! my own advice to mum is to pay them, wind up the estate and then take revenge by exposing these awful bullying, blackmailing tactics to the media!
What do you all think?