LORD CURZON'S WILL.

Shannon News, 6 October 1925, Page 3

LORD CURZON'S WILL.

A 111 MAN DOCUMENT. The will of the late Marquis Curzon, of Keddloston, probate of which has been granted, bequeaths to the nation, announces the "Daily Mail," Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire, and Bodiam Castle, Sussex, both of which estates he acquired for the express purposes of preserving the historical ruins upon them. He did so, convinced that beautiful and ancient buildings which recall the life and customs of the past are not only an historical document of supreme value, hut are a part of the spiritual and aesthetic heritage of a nation, imbuing- it with reverence and educating'its taste.

The document was revised by Lord Curzon only a few hours before the performance of the operation from which he did not recover. The final amendments, all in pencil, are as; precise and couched with ciarity as distinctive as that of the passages considered and drafted at leisure. Lord Curzon's solicitor made the following' comment on the will:; —■ "From beginning' to end it reads like a book to the preparation of which immense care and study had been devoted, and the caligraphy is exceptionally fine. The result was that it was proved with very slight difficulty." Lord Curzon desired that the two castles, their grounds, and the other properties he purchased shall be open for all time to the. public on payment of a reasonable fee, which he fixed for the present at Is. Other public bequests are:

Tne great collection of Eastern objects of art .acquired in travel and in India, given to the nation through the Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington. Books, prints, and relics relating to the residence, death and burial of the Emperor Napoleon, at SI. Helena —believed to be the most complete collection in existence —through the Bodleain Library of Oxford University, or alternatively, the British Museum. A duplicate bound set. of the special correspondence of Lord Cxirzon while Viceroy of India and of Hie papers connected with his. resignation, through the British Museum. The residue of the personal property is left: to Lady Curzon, "whom," he says, "I love, and who has given me love and happiness." To her also the rights in his books, manuscripts, papers, and correspondence are bequeathed. The gross value of Lord Curzon's real and personal estate (apart from settled estates) has been sworn at £354,894, and the net personality at £:;02,709.