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Original poster

Did your grandparents leave you anything in their will?

85 replies

Gwanda · 26/08/2023 21:45

My Grandmother died 2 years ago. Her husband died when I was a small child.

I was very close to her. Her son is my father, and we are pretty much NC. She had a daughter, and another son that she was NC with since the 1980s.

Her death was not unexpected, but still devastating.

I’m not sure how to word this without sounding grabby. But I am very surprised to not have received anything in her will. She often spoke about jewellery that she wanted me to have. It’s been two years, so I presume I would have been contacted by now.

So I was just wondering, how normal is it for a grandparent to leave money or items of sentimental value to their grandchildren? Or does it all go to their children? If that is the case, I will never have anything of my grandmother’s.

OP posts:
StSwithinsDay · 26/08/2023 22:03

My mother in law is leaving £40,000 each to each of her 8 grandchildren who range in age from 29 to 9.

NoTouch · 26/08/2023 22:03

In my family I have only seen dc get inheritances not dgc. Same with friends, and I have never heard of a dgc being grabby and expecting something, it certainly didnt even cross my mind when I lost any of my grandparents.

In ds's fucked up family he got a small inheritance from his paternal grandmother but only because her only child, his alcoholic dad had drunk himself to death before she died. Dh's nephew got the lot from his grandmother, dh's mum, and she left nothing to her 3 dc including dh or her other 4 dgc.

HoppyOne · 26/08/2023 22:03

No. I don’t know any grandparents that have left to grandchildren but I do know many children who have gifted some of their inheritance to their own children.

Getting worked up about inheritance is like getting worked up about not winning the lottery.

WhiteLightTrainWreck · 26/08/2023 22:03

Luckily I have all but one of my grandparents. So no idea on the contents of their wills.
Dh's grandmother skipped the children and everything was split between the grandchildren and great grandchildren.

StSwithinsDay · 26/08/2023 22:04

Her daughter and 2 granddaughters will have her jewelry.

OneFrenchEgg · 26/08/2023 22:04

Mine left me £40,000 and some jewellery but the jewellery was given/chosen while they were alive. Which was nice as I heard the history of it.

SockQueen · 26/08/2023 22:04

Two of mine died before I was born, so nothing.

My grandma didn't specifically leave me anything in her Will but when her sons (my dad and his brothers) were dividing up her personal property, they allowed us all to choose an item of her jewellery. None of it was terribly valuable - I chose a brooch which my grandpa had given her on one of their first dates, so a nice memento.

When my grandpa then died, he had a savings account of some kind which was divided between the grandchildren - I think I got about £3k as my share. I was an impoverished final year med student at that point so sadly it mostly went on paying bills that the NHS bursary failed to cover.

I think if you want a memento or something, you need to talk to whoever her executors were. Doesn't need a big confrontation.

honeyfox · 26/08/2023 22:04

Three of the four had nothing to leave.

But my darling maternal grandmother left me and my sibling her house. I was very close to her. It had been transferred to my mother by my grandfather many years prior as he was a bit paranoid about the government taking everything. He was right, it would have been partly taken for my granny's care. Unfortunately my mother died ten years before Granny. Granny had a right of residence for her lifetime and paid all bills so we never had much to do with it until she died. We had to sell as we couldn't afford to keep it or buy each other out as it needed extensive renovation. It didn't make much but it meant we could keep photos, personal possessions which meant the world to me.

Redglitter · 26/08/2023 22:05

My Gran had no real estate to speak of. We were all (5 grandchildren) given the chance to pick something we wanted. My Mum & her sister got what was left

My Mum has put her 2 grand daughters in her will. They get 5% each of her estate & they've each chosen a piece of jewellery they'd like

EwwSprouts · 26/08/2023 22:07

My grandmother gave me her engagement ring while she was still alive. The will was split between her three sons (my father being one of them).

EmmaPaella · 26/08/2023 22:07

Nothing was left to grandchildren but we were allowed to choose a few things (none of monetary value) that meant something to us. I chose a jug from Germany. My DM has most of her jewellery but later kindly gave us a couple of things.

HamishTheCamel · 26/08/2023 22:08

My grandma left me her jewellery (mainly costume jewellery, not expensive) in her will. I was her only granddaughter, she left named items to her grandsons too.

whenindoubtgotothelibrary · 26/08/2023 22:08

No, and I didn't expect them to. Everything went to my mother, as it should have done. Another relative of a similar age (who I was much closer to, and who didn't have children of her own) unexpectedly left me a substantial sum though.

Noicant · 26/08/2023 22:09

Nope and I would give it directly to my only child unless I thought she wasn’t going to be able to manage it (i.e. substance abuse problem) in which case I’d consider skipping a generation for a chunk of it.

HerRoyalNotness · 26/08/2023 22:09

My GF left all the DGC a horse each. Nothing from anyone else

DoAWheelie · 26/08/2023 22:09

I don't know anyone who inherited anything from their grandparents. Everything usually goes to the next generation.

There was some stuff my nana wanted me to have, but she meant she wanted my mother to have it first and then pass it to me when she goes rather than skipping over my mother. Mostly her jewelry and china sets. She just didn't want them going to the boys and we were the only girls in a very large male dominated family.

Grendell · 26/08/2023 22:10

In the 1970s all 6 minor-aged grandchildren were each left $5,000 USD from a shared grandfather per his will. I never actually collected my part. My parents kept it as they did all monetary gifts I received while underage - but that's a different post entirely.

That's the only one though.

Original poster
Gwanda · 26/08/2023 22:10

Thanks for the replies. I have no idea about her will. I presume my dad was the executor of the will.

I will ask my aunt about the jewellery.

I couldn’t go to her funeral because there was a travel ban in place (covid).

I’m not money grabbing, but would
love some jewellery to remember her by. She was always so well turned out

OP posts:
mast0650 · 26/08/2023 22:11

No it just went to their children. Or would have done if my grandmother hadn't outlived my mother. I wouldn't have expecting anything different. But I can see it is a bit different if you are NC with your parent.

Peanutbutter11 · 26/08/2023 22:11

This reply has been withdrawn

The OP has privacy concerns, so we've agreed to take this down now.

GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut · 26/08/2023 22:12

DGM left me and my cousins physical things from her house that she knew we liked. Money / property was left to her DC.

Our parents / aunts / uncles also asked us to come and take anything we wanted when the house was being cleared. I've got some lovely sentimental (to me) things that remind me of DGM and are worth more to me than anything 'valuable' would have been. Things I remember her using or touching. Her recipe book with her writing in. Things like that.

Butteredtoast55 · 26/08/2023 22:12

No but my parents gave me and my brother a gift from what my maternal grandfather left my Mum. He wasn't wealthy at all and his house now (22 years later) sold recently for £85,000 so it wasn't a lot of money but it was just enough to be really helpful and much appreciated.
When my Mum died everything was split between me and my brother but I dealt with the estate and she wanted me to deal with her personal effects. I gave my nephew my dad's watch and my nieces had mums wedding ring and eternity ring. My DC didn't have anything specific.

Once the estate was settled I gave my DC something from my half and my brother gave his children money towards their house deposits.

Ohyesreally · 26/08/2023 22:14

I didn't get anything from my grandparents. It was all given to their two children. A friend of mine got 20k from his Nan, as did his sister. Tbh, I thought it would have been a nice gesture to give me something but I think they were traditional and the traditional thing to do is to pass it onto the next generation. Their daughter bummed around for a number of years on it and blew it on expensive purchases... Took the piss imo after her parents were careful their whole lives which is why she got left a decent amount.

Ohyesreally · 26/08/2023 22:16

Does anyone know, if you request a copy of a will a number of years later, is the executor notified of the request and who made it?

elliejjtiny · 26/08/2023 22:16

My granny left all the grand children and great grand children a specific sum each and then the rest was divided between her children. I inherited when my paternal grandparents died but only because my dad died before they did so me and my siblings got my dad's share between us.