The will of Henri Maillardet - 1830

Mutters

Mutters

I am not bossy, I just have better ideas.
I have transcribed some of the will, enough to get a basic idea of the content but not enough of it so that I can understand what it all actually means.

I'd be grateful for any help to fully transcribe it and any general thoughts regarding the content.
 

Attachments

Oh I should have said, mine is the first on the page. The second will is for someone else.
Sorry. :(
 
Here is my attempt. Notes are in square brackets, as are expansions of abbreviations. I have used a squiggle (~) in place of the line fillers used in the document. Sorry the text is so small: I had to reduce the font size so that the lines would match the ones in the original.

[in the margin]
Henry otherwise Henry Nicola otherwise Nicolas Maillardet

Translated from the French

Be it known to whom it may concern. This is my last Will and ~
Testament Having but one Child living of the name Frederic Edward Maillardet I by
the present Will constitute him sole heir Immediately on my decease he may take possession
of every thing belonging to me after having paid such small accounts as may be due Feeling
a kind concern for my Grandchildren it is my will and desire that they all be favoured ~~~
equally as if they were my own The little I now possess consists of some moveables and
immoveables and about nine hundred pounds sterling due to me from George Home ~~
Esqre of the Arcade in Dublin which he is to pay (to?) me by Instalments to wit forty ['eight' inserted] pounds ~
per quarter until the completion of the sum due My Title deeds and Contract are in the ~
hands of Mr Richard Miliken Bookseller of Grafton Street Dublin There has been due
to me for these twenty four years past in Chancery Three hundred and thirty five pounds or
thereabouts on three bonds of two hundred pounds each together six hundred pounds sterling
on which bonds I have received two hundred and eighty pounds eleven shillings sterling ~
the balance dur including about fifteen pounds for Interest being in the whole three ~~~ ~~
hundred and thirty five ~~ ~~ ~ Prior to leaving England I left my three Bonds with Louis ~
Duval Esqre of No. 2 Lincolns Inn Square who is charged to receive payment thereof for my
account As my son does not enjoy a good state of health in case of his happening to depart
this life before me his Widow Marie Maillardet and his Children shall be the only heirs
and Proprietors of such Capital &c(?) &c(?) as may remain after my decease Signed in the presence
of Witnesses this twenty second day of August One thousand eight hundred and twenty seven
(Signed) Henry Nicola Maillardet aged 82 Years / / The Witnesses (signed) Ferdinand
Penly(?) / / Hanri Lenormand Done in Duplicate

Faithfully Translated from the French hereto annexed London the twenty fourth
day of August 1830 LS Robt H Phipps Not Pub

[The 'LS' (which is circled in the will) means locus sigilli, i.e. place of the seal; this indicates that there was a seal here in the original document; 'Not Pub' probably means Notary Public.]

Proved at London 27th August 1830 before the Judge by the Oath of Frederic Edward
Maillardet the son the sole Heir or Executor to whom Adm[inistrati]on was granted being first ~
sworn by Com[missi]on duly to Adm[iniste]r.

[Marginal note]
4 [circled; may be an indication of the number of pages in the original will?]

On the 26th April 1833 Adm[inistrati]on with the
Will annexed of the Goods Chattels & Credits
of Henry otherwise Henry Nicola otherwise
Nicolas Maillardet late of Malinas(?) in
the Netherlands deceased left ~ ~
unadministered by Frederic Edward
Maillardet deceased whilst living the
Son sole Executor Heir or Executor and
Residuary Legatee named in the said Will
was granted to Mary Maillardet
Widow the Relict and Administratrix
of the Goods of the said Frederic
Edward Maillardet being first
sworn by Commission duly to admini[iste]r
The said Frederic Edward Maillardet
died Intestate.

I see that the TNA catalogue entry for this will has the place name as Medinas but I am not sure about that: second letter looks more like an 'a' to me and I think the third one is an 'l' so I have opted for Malinas. One possibility is that is meant to be Mechelen in Flanders. A footnote in the Wikipedia article about this city says 'amongst the many other language and spelling variants during its history, the city may have been referred to as Malina, Maalinas, Machlines, Machlinia, Maclines, Maglinia, Magliniensis, Malinensis, Malisnacensis, Maslinas, Mechlineensis, Mechlinensis, Mechlinia, Mechliniensis, Mechlinium, Meclinia, and Meglinia.'

Now that I've transcribed the will I also need to sit down and study the content a bit. It is unusual in several ways! More later but have to do some boring stuff now in preparation for work tomorrow . . .
 
Thank you, not read it yet but need to let you know I am studying it.
Ooooooh! :)
 
Thank you again. You have certainly filled in all the gaps (of which there were many) for me.

Further notes:
I don't have Frederic's death, it must have been between 1830 and 1833. He was a dentist.

His widow, Mary (Widdhouse) died in 1854 in St. Saviours Workhouse, Southwark, Surrey.

Frederic and Mary had four children. Louisa 1816, Henrietta 1821, Henry 1824 and Mary 1826. None of the children, as far as I can make out had any money at all. Henry 1824 is my line and he was a Vellum Binder living in Southwark, he also died in the workhouse.

Thanks again. I suspect I will read it over and over though I still don't know if I will understand it.
 
Though the will is short it is an unusual one and raises a number of questions. Here are some of them:

'Feeling a kind concern for my Grandchildren it is my will and desire that they all be favoured equally as if they were my own': might that suggest that not all the grandchildren were his own?

Did Henri ever got back the rest of the money owed by George Home? Perhaps not, to judge from 'The American Masonic Register and Literary Companion' of 7 Nov. 1840, which has a fascinating account of the rise and fall of entrepreneur George Home and his 'Arcade' in Dublin:

books.google.co.uk/books?id=SVhJAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA75

What were his 'title deeds and contract' and why had he left them with a bookseller in Dublin? Had he invested in George Home's property empire and then lost his money when the bubble burst?

What were the three £200 bonds and why had it taken 24 years to get some of the money due to him? Did he get the rest of the money back? (Are there any Chancery records that might shed light on these questions?)

Sorry Mutters, I have more questions than answers!
 
Please don't apologise, I am delighted that you have the same questions as I do.
Though, I had not registered "as if they were my own" in the same way, I was thinking he meant "as if they were my own children.
I've checked back and Louisa was baptised at St. Annes, Soho on 18 Dec 1816 which was where Frederick and Mary married in 1814. She died a spinster.
Henrietta, Henry and Mary were all baptised together on 11 Oct 1826 at St. Mary, Bryanstone Square.
But that is not to say that one or more was not Frederick's children. :(

The other questions, I just don't know or know how to find out.

I have a note on a scrap of paper of a case argued and determined in Kings Bench in the 52nd year of George III, Weeks v Mailardet.

I do know that Henry travelled around exhibiting his automations and did spend time in Dublin but I don't have any dates for his Irish exhibitions.

It just seems quite sad that his descendants ended up in the slums and workhouses of London. I doubt Henry would have ever imagined that would happen. :(

Thank you Huncamunca, I'll try to delve further,
 
Mutters said:
I do know that Henry travelled around exhibiting his automations and did spend time in Dublin but I don't have any dates for his Irish exhibitions.
Click to expand...
​
You might be able to fill in more details of his whereabouts by looking at newspaper archives. 'Freeman's Journal' (a Dublin paper) of 21 November 1821 has a long advertisement beginning thus:​
​
MR. MAILLARDET​
MOST respectfully informs the Nobility, Gen-​
try, &c. &c. of Dublin and its Vicinity, that he has​
opened for their inspection,​
AT THE ROTUNDA, CAVENDISH-ROW,​
HIS​
MECHANICAL MUSEUM​
Containing the following Automaton Figures​

​
There follows a long list, with details of the actions of some of the figures, which included 'La Belle Roxalana' (a musical lady), 'The Juvenile artist', 'The Little Spaniard, an animated Rope Dancer', 'An Old Necromancer', a humming bird, 'a Phenomenon Automaton Pedestrian', 'a beautiful gold serpent', 'a Siberian mouse, an Ethiopian caterpillar, an Egyptian lizard and an aranea'. Admittance was 1s. 8d. (half price for children under 12).​
​
Now I don't know if Henri is trying to tell us something, but just as I found this last night in the British Library 19th Century Newspapers, a programme started on TV about the history of automata. It was quite fascinating. Perhaps you can catch one of the repeats:​
​
bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0229pbp​
 
There are also several adverts for "Mr Maillardet, Surgeon Dentist and Cupper" of Spring Street, Portman Square, London. Have you seen these?

Best wishes
Ann
 
Thank you both,

Not seen the Irish Article re Henri I'll take a look at that and I should be able to catch a repeat of the program.

The Surgeon Dentist must be Frederick and I haven't seen them either. Where will I find them please Ann?
 
I'll send you an e-mail, but I just had to reproduce one of the adverts as I think it is priceless :eek:

From the London Morning Post of 1st May 1810
ARTIFICIAL and NATURAL TEETH.- Mr MAILLARDET, Dentist, respectfully informs the Nobility and Gentry, that he continues practising that ART but most particularly adjusting Artificial and Natural Teeth combining ease, elegance, and utility, never removing but by desire of the person, any decayed tooth or stump, as they are extremely serviceable in fixing them by his superior method, Mr M fixes the most difficult teeth without tying them, or causing the least pain, by which means they are not only made so convenient as to be taken out and put in without trouble but of the greatest utility, as it is the only means hitherto known by which a loose tooth can possibly be secured, and will grow as fast again as ever. Mr M's terms are moderate, and will be agreed on before any operation is begun, and should the person not be perfectly satisfied, no charge will be made. No. 6, Upper Spring-street, Baker-street, Portman Square.

Best wishes
Ann
 
as it is the only means hitherto known by which a loose tooth can possibly be secured, and will grow as fast again as ever
Click to expand...

Oh my goodness, he knew how to grow teeth :eek: I hope he was not taking advantage of his dad's automaton knowledge. ;)

Thanks Ann.
 
Good grief, I hadn't thought of that - I can just see a newly grown molar jiggling about to music......well, I can't, but it does boggle the mind! :eek:

Ann
 
Wow! I'm so glad to have found this thread. I am a direct descendant of Jean Henri Nicholas Maillardet. He is my 5x great grandfather (on my father's side). I have done a fair bit of research into the family and, although, none of what you seem to have discovered is new to me it's great that we have the same information. It certainly is Malines/Mechelen where Henri died. I visited a few years ago but, sadly, the cemetery no longer exists.
 
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