Toronto Estate Law Blog : Toronto Estate Lawyer : Hull & Hull Law Firm : Trust Mediation and Succession Planning : Serving Ontario, Ottawa, Mississauga, Hamilton

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Apart from the moral obligation to benefit family discussed in yesterday's blog, a testator may feel an ethical obligation to benefit charity.  This is another way of leaving a legacy.  If the testator performed volunteer work for a specific charity, a testamentary bequest can be seen as a natural extension of a lifetime commitment to a cause. 

Of course, the groundwork for a legacy may be laid outside of the testamentary context.  For example, consider the inter vivos donations made by Michael DeGroote to McMaster University leaving a legacy not only of financial support but by the naming of McMaster's business and medical schools in recognition of Mr. DeGroote's generosity.

Testators who were generous to charities in their lifetime often will similarly wish to benefit those same charities in their Wills. Indeed, a charitable bequest in a Will to a charity to which the testator had a history of donating is useful evidence in support of the validity of a Will.  Conversely, a significant charitable bequest to an entity entirely unknown to the testator may (in certain circumstances) raise a red flag. 

David M. Smith - Click here for more information on David Smith.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

In honour of Victoria Day, celebrated in Canada on the last Monday of May on or before May 24, and considered the first long weekend of the summer, I thought I would consider the terms of the last Will and Testament of Queen Victoria.

Queen Victoria was born on May 24, 1819, and died on January 22, 1901. She became Queen at the age of 18, and reigned as monarch for over 63 years, being the longest reigning monarch in history. She had 9 children (she was predeceased by 3 of her children), including her successor to the throne, Edward VII.

Unfortunately, very little information can be found online about Queen Victoria’s Will. However, while searching, I discovered that a legacy of sorts was recently sold at auction in Scotland. Queen Victoria’s stockings (circa 1870) were sold earlier this year for 8,000 pounds (about $12,000 CDN).                                                    

The prior owner, Mary Youings, said that her late mother gained possession of the stockings around 1910. She said that she did not know the circumstances of how her mother gained possession of the stockings. The Telegraph reported that upon Queen Victoria’s death, her undergarments and much of her wardrobe were distributed to members of the royal household.

In July, 2008, Youings sold a pair of Queen Victoria’s 50” waist bloomers for 4,500 pounds.

I hope you enjoyed your Victoria Day Weekend, and got a “leg up” on summer.

Paul E. Trudelle - Click here for more information on Paul Trudelle.