62
NOTES AND QUERIES. uo s. x. JULY 25,
First I give and bequeath to my dearest wife Sarah
Stoddart twenty two pounds per annum to be paid
at half yearly payments on the two most usual days
of payment which shall happen after my decease
which sum of twenty two pounds with the pension
of thirty pounds per annum which will be allowed
to her from Government as my widow will enable
her to live in a handsome and comfortable manner
the said sum of twenty two pounds I direct to be
paid out of the rents profits and issues of the houses
and Tanyard given to me by my grandfather Thomas
Stoddart [1] Also I give to my said wife (during
the term of her natural life) my present dwelling-
house and pleasure garden [2] on condition it is
kept in its present form and state together with
whatever part of the furniture of the house she may
chuse to make use of Item I give to my beloved
son John Stoddart and his heirs for ever all that
my house outhouses stables and Tanyard situate
lying and being in Saint Ann's Street in the City of
New Sarum aforesaid [3] but subject to the before
mentioned bequest to his mother Also I give to my
said son John Stoddart the Lease from the Revd.
John Cleevey of my house stables and garden in
Cathereine Street in the City of New Sarum afore-
said [4] Also I give and bequeath to him all my
property in the short annuities And I give and
bequeath unto William Benson Earle Esquire of the
Close of New Sarum and unto my said son John
Stoddart In trust and to the use and benefit of my
dearly beloved daughter Sarah Stoddart until she
shall have attained the age of twenty five years or
until she shall marry with their consent and
approbation before that time all that house malt-
house garden and premises which I purchased of
Mr John Willis for the term of his natural life [51
but it is my direction that the insurance which I
have made on the life of the said Mr. Willis shall
be duly kept up yearly and paid for out of the rents
of the said premises if occupied if not occupied then
to be paid out of any other part of her income so
that she may be entitled to and receive the four
hundred pounds assured by that policy Also I give
and bequeath unto the said William Benson Earle
Esquire and John Stoddart In trust as aforesaid
for my daughter Sarah Stoddart all my property in
the five per cent Bank Annuities and also all sums
of money due to me Bonds Notes or other securities
for money I give unto them In trust as aforesaid
Also I give and bequeath unto the said William
Benson Earle and John Stoddart In trust as afore-
said the small house outhouse and garden late in
the occupation of Mr. Henry Sutton [6] and after
the decease of my wife I give the remainder of the
land and houses which I purchased of Mr. Lowdell
[7] unto them In trust as aforesaid for the sole use
and benefit of my said daughter Sarah Stoddart
Also I give unto them the unexpired term of the
Lease of my garden in Bugmore held under the
Corporation of New Sarum [8] for the use of my said
daughter And my Will is that if either of my
children John or Sarah Stoddart shall die before
they attain the age of twenty five years then that
child's part or legacy shall go to the survivor And
all the rest and residue of my money and other
effects not hereby otherwise disposed of after
payment of my just debts and funeral expenses I
do' here by direct to be equally divided between my
son and daughter John and Sarah Stoddart And
lastly I do make and appoint the said William
Benson Earle Esquire and my said son John
Stoddart Executors In trust of this my Will
hereby revoking all former Wills by me made In
Witness whereof I have to this my Will set my
hand and seal the second day of January in the
thirty fifth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord
George the Third by the Grace of God of Great
Britain France and Ireland King Defender of the
Faith and so forth and in the year of our Lord one
thousand seven hundred and ninety five. Jno
Stoddart [L. S.]. Signed sealed published and
declared by the said John Stoddart the Testator to>
be his last Will and Testament in the presence of
us who have hereunto subscribed our names as
witnesses in the presence of the said Testator and
of each other John Goodfellow Senr John Good-
fellow Junr.
(a) In this will there is no mention of any Winterslow possessions. The properties- marked 1 and 3 (the figures are mine for facility of reference) are identical ; 2 and 7 are another property, also situate in Salis- bury, as is item 4. I am led to conclude- that 5 is also in St. Ann Street, Salisbury ; whilst 6 is clearly the house in the same- street, then let at 4Z. 10s. per annum, which Hazlitt suggested that Sarah Stoddart should sell to help to provide funds with which to start their new life. Hazlitt' s share of the provision was to be a simple- affair " and I will borrow 100Z." Two grey-brick buildings now stand on the site of this cottage and the house which in 1826 was let by Dr. Stoddart to Dr. Thomas at 28Z. per annum. (This Stoddart house, by the way, was a residence of some interest. A drawing of it now before me shows it to have been in those days a fairly important house, with a bay-window on the first floor.. This gave light to a large banqueting-hall having an arched ceiling. Entering the house from the street, one had to descend two steps.)
The garden (8) is also in Salisbury.
I am afraid the Winterslow cottager worth 120Z. a year will have to be ignored by future biographers of Hazlitt.
(b) I gather from this will that Sarah Stoddart' s meanness in money matters was inherited from her father, who, we find, left his widow 22Z. per annum, which with her Government pension of 30?. provided her with 1Z. a week a sum which the Lieu- tenant considered would " enable her to- live in a handsome and comfortable manner," after paying for all repairs to the house and defraying the expenses incident to the upkeep of the pleasure garden, which had to be " kept in its present form and state." Although his widow was to have for her life- time " whatever part of the furniture she may chuse to make use of," Sarah had evi- dent intentions on some of it, otherwise Mary Lamb would have had no occasion.
