| Abstrakt: |
Frances Burney d'Arblay's original will of 6 March 1839, housed at the National Archives, Kew, has hitherto remained unseen by Burney scholars. This article provides an annotated transcription, followed by photographs of the document. We have identified, as far as possible, all the individuals named in the will and have also clarified, in our commentary, Burney's references to financial matters, while elucidating various obscurities and legal complications. We demonstrate that the will was drawn up jointly by the imaginative novelist Burney and her lawyer Alfred Turner: an odd collaboration, which produced a highly idiosyncratic document. We also indicate the relationship between the will and an undated memorandum written by Burney as a form of rudimentary testamentary instructions for Turner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
