244 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



REMARKABLE TRIALS AND LAW CASES. 



TESTAMENTARY CAUSES. 



Prerogative Court, Doctors' 

 Commons. — Slack and Others, by 

 their Guardian ,\ . Slack. — This was 

 a proceeding relative to the will 

 of Thomas Cartwright Slack, Esq. 

 late of Gravel-lane, Aldgate, Lon- 

 don, and of Kentish-town, Mid- 

 dlesex, deceased. 



The deceased was burnt in his 

 house at Kentish-town on the 23d 

 of November last, and died, leav. 

 ing a widow and six children, 

 minors. lie was posse3se<l of 

 personal property to the amount 

 of about 16,O0Ol. and a small free- 

 hold estate valued at about 1 ,.5(X)1.; 

 and being a freeman of Loudon, 

 his widow would be entitled to 

 four-ninths of the personal pro- 

 perty in case of intestacy. His 

 Avill, made in August 1814, was 

 burnt with him ; but the con- 

 tents of it, as stated in an affida- 

 vit of one of the giiardians of the 

 children, were propounded by liira 

 and the other g-uardians on their 

 behalf, as tlie residuary legatees 

 named in it, and opposed, merely 

 for the puqwse of obtaining the 

 decision of the Court, by Mrs. 

 Jane Hester Slack, the uidow. 

 The contents of the will, as stated 

 in the affidavit, Avcre to this ef- 

 fect : — The deceased gave to his 

 brother, Joseph Albin Slack, Esq. 

 the caniages and horses he might 

 posisess at Uis death ; to his wife 



all the rest of his property for her 

 life, and at her death to his chil- 

 ren, in such proportions as she 

 should appoint ; but in default of 

 such appointment, then amongst 

 them equally ; and he appointed 

 his wife, his brother, and his bro- 

 ther-in-law, the Rev. Thomas 

 ■VA'Tiite, executors of his will, and 

 trustees and guardians for his 

 children, with power to apply a 

 portion of their shares of his pro- 

 perty towards their advancement 

 in the world . 



It appeared from the evidence 

 in support of the will, that the 

 deceased had ever expressed his 

 intention to die testate, and had 

 aiTanged with his brother-in-law, 

 the Rev. Thomas White, that they 

 should be each other's executors. 

 He had great conBdence in his 

 brother, Joseph Albin Slack, Esq. 

 who deposed, that upon one of 

 their meetuigs to arrange the af- 

 fairs of their deceased father, in 

 the latter part of July, or begin- 

 ning of Aug-ust 1814, the deceas- 

 ed requested him to make an 

 apj)olatmeut for their next meet- 

 ing at his the deceased's house, as 

 be wanted, he said, to speak to 

 him alrout making his will. Mr. 

 J. Slack left town for Scotland on 

 the 8th of August, but a day or 

 two previously he went to the de- 

 ceased's house, and at night, 

 when the family had retired to 

 bed^ and they were left alone, the 



I deceased 



