- Aims to fill a gap in the current historiography of royal wills
- Uncovers the dilemmas within wills against a backdrop of imperial and political strife
- Draws upon multiple sources such as the Royal Archives
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- About this book
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This is the first book on Royal Wills since 1780 and aims to take over where the previous ones (in 1775 and 1780) left off. Therefore the period 1509 to 2008 is covered. It aims to uncover the many dilemmas and conundrums they have had to deal with, against a backdrop of Imperial splendor and political strife, society scandals and in later instances, a disintegrating infrastructure. This period covers the wills of Henry VIII, Edward VI and George I, which all sought to divert the accepted rules of succession; the wills of Queen Charlotte and George III, which brought into sharp focus the differences between State and Personal property; and the wills from Prince Albert to the present day (with a few exceptions) which sought to exclude the public from seeing their contents, in devices known as ‘closing’ and ‘sealing up’ the wills. The authority by which the latter was done has been seriously questioned in signal cases in 2007 and 2008. Sources drawn upon include not only the Royal Archives, but the Kilmorey Papers in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, and the Teck Letters in Wellington College, where Prince Frank received much of his early education. The sealed will of Prince Frank of Teck, the brother of Queen Mary and great-uncle of the present Queen, is the seminal chapter in this study.
- About the authors
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Michael L. Nash is a well-known legal and royal historian, consultant and broadcaster who teaches at the University of East Anglia, UK. He is a Judge of the Diocesan Tribunal of East Anglia and royal historian of BBC Radio Norfolk. He has contributed over 200 articles to legal and historical publications and this book is the result of a thirty year gestation.
- Table of contents (10 chapters)
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The Strange and Secret History of Royal Wills
Pages 1-8
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Against Ancient Law and Custom: The Wills of Henry VII, Lady Margaret Beaufort, and James IV of Scots
Pages 9-22
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Tampering with the Succession
Pages 23-47
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Tampering with the Succession Part II: The Wills of George I
Pages 49-60
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The Jewels of the Kingdom
Pages 61-85
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Table of contents (10 chapters)
Bibliographic Information
- Bibliographic Information
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- Book Title
- Royal Wills in Britain from 1509 to 2008
- Authors
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- Michael L. Nash
- Copyright
- 2017
- Publisher
- Palgrave Macmillan UK
- Copyright Holder
- The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s)
- eBook ISBN
- 978-1-137-60145-2
- DOI
- 10.1057/978-1-137-60145-2
- Hardcover ISBN
- 978-1-137-60144-5
- Softcover ISBN
- 978-1-349-95882-5
- Edition Number
- 1
- Number of Pages
- XII, 217
- Number of Illustrations
- 1 illustrations in colour
- Topics
