Would you want to know if family had cheated you out of an inheritance?

[CushionCover2]

For background my grandfather was very generous to me and my siblings, when he died I was late teens and my mum told me he died without a will therefore everything went to her and her brother, she gave me and my siblings about £1,000 each out of her inheritance. I don’t know the size of his estate but I’d estimate around £250k.

Today my uncle told me, as part of another story, that when he did probate for my grandfather they’d had to track down the witness to his will and it had been a bit difficult because they’d moved etc.

Later on I said offhandedly that I thought grandfather hadn’t left a will, did they find one in the end? And uncle denied there being a will and said they did probate without so I just left it and started talking about something else, but it got me thinking so I looked on the probate website and there is a probate certificate with will, I can pay £10 for a copy.

Should I request a copy and find out if I was supposed to inherit or leave it to keep good family relations? My mum has spent all the money so even if I was supposed to inherit I doubt there’s any money left to give me.

Doubly makes a good point.

Also you may find there are statements in it that may cause upset. My DDs obtained a copy of my ExHs will because he’d promised them they would be taken care of and then got pretty much nothing. It turned out he’d left almost everything to his new DW and the girls were not even mentioned by name only referred to as descendants. They were very hurt by this. I suspect they’d (ExDH and his DW) not used a solicitor and had simply looked at being tax efficient. ExDH had probably agreed with his DW that she would make sure her will passed on his share to the girls. That’s not going to happen as DW has used the money to buy a house for her DS.

I’d want to look at it as I’d want to know if my family were lying arseholes. That would then determine just how much care I might want to administer when they were in failing health.

DH has recently been in the position of checking, as it appeared that what the family had been told for years was not true - but that only came out not when the DGPs died some years ago (having had 4 DCs), but their only DD (DH's DAunt) died last year, and the entire estate of the DGPs went to 1 side of the remaining family and ignored the other 2. Causing great ill-will, but while most people on the other 2 sides are unhappy (very!), they are also pragmatic and not terribly surprised.

Have you ordered a copy CushionCover2

My grandfather told me he'd left the grandchildren a house each, shortly before he died. My DF was executor and all we got was £50 each.
I'm sorely tempted to buy a copy of the will but wouldn't know how to broach the subject with my very elderly father.

I know of at least two other wills where the executors didn't fulfil a bequest, my DH was one who as a beneficiary didn't get anywhere near what he had been told would be his.
Nothing you can do if executors don't fulfil the contents of a will as far as I can tell, they can just deny its existence and gain for themselves.

Unfortunately I think old people sometimes lie as well. I had years of looking after an elderly neighbour, it got really onerous as I had my own parents to care for as well. As she needed more and more she used to say things like "Oh you'll have a nice surprise when my will is read". I didn't believe a word of it, as I knew she had a golden boy nephew (who never darkened her door) who would be left everything. When she died I never heard another word about it 😂 I suspect that's what's going on when GF say things like "I'm leaving you a house each". They're feeling vulnerable and using any carrot to get company or help.

I would buy it given they lied about their being a will. Why would they lie unless it benefited them? It could be a positive lie that perhaps you did have the thousand in the will but perhaps other grand kids were ignored- favouritism that your mum and Uncle didn't want know and so pretended no will and gave everyone the same amount.

Or it could be for more unpleasant reasons.

Juells we had the same in my family. Elderly relative stringing us along, saying we’d get their money and whoops! they left it to charity.

You already know that your Uncle lied about there being a will so the burning questions for me would be

1. was he the sole executor and did he lie to your Mother about the will? your mum made a big fuss about there being no will so maybe she really didn't know.

2. if he did lie to your mum did he split the estate equally or as per the will?

3. if your mum knew about the will why did she lie to you?

I personally would want to know the truth even though its too late to do anything, if my uncle lied about a will to my mother in order to prevent her from inheriting everything that was bequethed to her then i don't think I would be able to forgive him, and I would speak to him about it, if my mum lied about a will in order to prevent me from benefitting I'm not sure how I would feel or what I would do.

It is also possible that your uncle lied about the will to your mother because it favoured him and he wanted the estate to be shared equally.

I had no idea you could request copies of wills. My nan's cousin was an amazing gentleman and quite wealthy. Nan was always very close to him. When he sadly passed away his daughter told my mum that all the cousins were mentioned in the will. However nothing was ever mentioned again. We were always too polite to say anything.

I would definitely want to see it.

I've just ordered a couple - inspired by this thread - not because I think I will be owed any money...but I an intrigued to clarify something (pretty sure lies have been told - they definitely have about other things). I bet I'm not the only one who has on the back of this thread...

Did you order it CurtainCushion2?

Have you looked at it yet, OP? 👀

I would order it too!

Did you order?

Any update op?

I know that MN is not a soap opera but come on OP, it’s not really fair to do the whole intriguing set up and then leave us hanging!

If she has ordered it, it takes time to arrive! Birth certificates take about a month, I imagine wills are similar.

@Sashkin ive ordered a couple of wills recently, they take up to 10 working days to come through

How did you get on, OP?

I am thinking your grandfather did update something in his will, but because the witness to that could not be found that it proceeded without a will.
I would get a copy regardless for my genealogy notes.

Following

Tiddly if will go be through Probate its fraud not to distribute the will according to deceased!! Very very serious.. If didn't go through I e less than 5 grand or something then yes not much you can do but clearly not much there to start with.

Over x amount all wills need Probate then you can order it on it line.

If there was a problem with the will, eg witness details, then the will would simply not have been granted probate and wouldn't be on the list to obtain.

I'd be ordering a copy and checking it through.

AFAIK, executor of a will is legally liable to ensure assets and money is distributed in strict accordance with the will, and I believe could be prosecuted if this isn't done.