“Even for the purpose of drawing up his will, which he wrote on the 26th May, 1798,” says Moore, “no person at all connected with his own family was allowed to have access to him, and Mr. John Leeson, who executed the instrument, sat in a carriage at the door of the prison, while Mr. Stewart, the government surgeon, communicated between him and the prisoner during the transaction.”
“I, Lord Edward Fitzgerald, do make this as my last will and testament, hereby revoking all others; that is to say, I leave all estates, of whatever sort I may die possessed of, to my wife, Lady (Pamela) Fitzgerald, as a mark of my esteem, love, and confidence in her, for and during her natural life, and on her death to descend, share and share alike, to my children, or the survivors of them; she maintaining and educating the children according to her discretion; and I constitute her the executrix of this my last will and testament.
“Signed, sealed, and delivered, May the 26, 1798.
“In presence of ... Alexander Lindsay.
“George Stewart.
“Samuel Stone.”
Will of Garrick
David Garrick, who was born at Hereford in 1716, was originally intended for business, and consequently was sent to an uncle settled at Lisbon as a merchant, but showing no aptitude for this calling nor yet for the law, to which he applied himself subsequently, he plunged into the life of a comedian, and first appeared at Ipswich in 1741. In October of the same year, however, he came out in London, and obtained great success at one of the small theaters in the character of Richard III. In 1742 he went to Dublin, where he was enthusiastically received, and thence returned to London, where his fame and fortune were shortly made. At length, in 1747, he was able to purchase Drury Lane Theatre, obtained a renewal of its privileges, and retained the management for nearly twenty years; for on the 10th of June, 1776, he took leave of the public, and retired after obtaining £2200 for what had originally cost him £320. His withdrawal from the stage was universally and profoundly deplored; he only survived his retirement three years, but he died full of honors and possessed of considerable wealth. His death took place in London on Wednesday, 20th of January, 1779.
The stir made by his funeral was surprising, but scarcely greater than that produced in Paris a century later, at the interment of Déjazet: the procession was formed by seventy mourning-coaches, twenty-four of which were filled by the élite of English society. Arrived at Westminster Abbey, the corpse was met by the Chapter; the Bishop of Rochester officiated, and the remains of Garrick were interred close to the monument of Shakespeare.
There is nothing remarkable in his will, which disposes of his fortune in a spirit of fairness, liberality, and benevolence. It was made the year previous to his death:
“I, David Garrick, at this present occupying my house in the Adelphi, do deposit in the hands of Lord Camden, of the Right Hon. Richard Rigby, of John Patterson, and of Albany Wallis, Esquires, my house at Hampton-on-the-Thames, in the county of Middlesex, with the two islands dependent thereon, the temple and the statue of Shakespeare, my house in the Adelphi, with the furniture and pictures contained in the two said houses, to be delivered up to Eva Maria Garrick, my wife, in order that she may enjoy the same during her natural life, and that she may reside there.
“I give and bequeath to my said wife all my linen, plate, china, horses, carriages, and wine that may be contained in my cellars in both my houses.