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Description

Sometimes the changes taken account of in a new edition of Williams on Wills are changes in taxation, sometimes changes in the law of succession. This time, in the 10th edition, they are mostly changes in the law of succession, and changes which can be broadly characterised as the law catching up with social change and with changes in professional practice. The most obvious example of catching up with social change is the amendments to the intestacy rules which apply to deaths on or after 1 October 2014 by virtue of inheritance and Trustees’ Powers Act 2014. The 1925 intestacy rules, like the old estate duty surviving spouse examination (by which tax was payable on the first death, but not the second) reflected a society in which the function of wives was to give birth and bring up children, and when the important thing, when it came to success to property, was to ensure that the children inherited the maximum compatible with providing the widow with just about enough to live off until she died. The revised rules from 1 October 2014 under which, in cases where there are issue of the intestate, the window or widower receives a fixed cash legacy plus half the remainder of the estate absolutely, reflects modern attitudes to marriage as an equal partnership. The inheritance tax spouse exemptions, as compared with the estate duty surviving spouse exemption, shows a similar evolution.
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Contents
VOLUME 1 – THE LAW OF WILLS
PART A   NATURE OF WILLS
Chapter 1    Nature of a will
Chapter 2    Joint and mutual wills
Chapter 3    Contracts relating to wills
PART B    CAPACITY AND DISPOSING INTENT
Chapter 4    Testamentary capacity
Chapter 5    Knowledge and approval
Chapter 6    Rectification
PART C    WHAT DISPOSITIONS MAY BE MADE
Chapter 7    What may be disposed of by will
Chapter 8    Interests which may be created by will
Chapter 9    Who may benefit under a will
PART D    FORM OF WILL AND EXECUTION
Chapter 10    Form of Will
Chapter 11    Signature
Chapter 12   Attestation
Chapter 13    Presumption of due execution
Chapter 14    Alterations, interlineations and erasures
Chapter 15    Incorporation of unattested documents
Chapter 16    Wills of soldiers, sailors and airmen
PART E    REVOCATION, REPUBLICATION AND REVIVAL OF WILLS
Chapter 17    Revocation by marriage or civil partnership
Chapter 18    Voluntary revocation
Chapter 19    Conditional revocation and dependent relative revocation.
Chapter 20   Codicils
Chapter 21    Revival
Chapter 22    Republication
PART F   WILLS WITH FOREIGN ELEMENT
Chapter 23    Form of wills where foreign property or domicile is involved
Chapter 24    Wills with a foreign element: essential validity and construction and
exercise of powers of appointment
PART G    EXECUTORS, TRUSTEES AND GUARDIANS
Chapter 25    Executors
Chapter 26    Special administrators for settled land
Chapter 27    Trustees
Chapter 28    Appointment of Guardians
PART H    CONTENTS OF WILLS
Chapter 29    Appropriation
Chapter 30    Legacies
Chapter 31    Abatement and refunding of legacies
Chapter 32    Interest and income on legacies
Chapter 33    Annuities
Chapter 34    Conditions generally
Chapter 35    Particular Conditions
chapter 36    Secret trusts
Chapter 37    Conversion
Chapter 38    Residuary gifts
Chapter 39    Exercise of powers by will
Chapter 40    Powers of appointment-miscellaneous matters affecting the exercise of the power
PART I    FAILURE OF GIFTS
Chapter 41    Ademption
Chapter 42    Election
Chapter 43    Estoppel
Chapter 44    Satisfaction
Chapter 45    Acceptance of a gift
Chapter 46    Disclaimer of gift
Chapter 47    Lapse
Chapter 48    Failure of gift
PART J    CONSTRUCTION OF WILLS: GENERAL PRINCIPLES
Chapter 49    Functions of the court of construction
Chapter 50    General Principles of construction
Chapter 51    Presumptions
Chapter 52    Inconsistencies and transposition and rejection of words
Chapter 53    Uncertainty
Chapter 54    Context and Meaning of words
Chapter 55    Meaning of particular words
Chapter 56    change of ‘or’ into ‘and’ vice versa
Chapter 57    Evidence admissible in a court of construction-extrinsic evidence
Chapter 58    Inaccuracy of description-falsa demonstration
PART K    CONSTRUCTION OF WILLS: PARTICULAR RULES RELATING TO PROPERTY
Chapter 59    Descriptions of property—will speaks from death
Chapter 60    General descriptions of property
Chapter 61     Accessories follow principal gift
Chapter 62    Unlimited gifts of income or unlimited charges
Chapter 63    Description by locality
Chapter 64    Particular descriptions of property
PART L    CONSTRUCTION OF WILLS: PARTICULAR RULES RELATING TO PERSONS
Chapter 65    Time for ascertaining the donees
Chapter 66    Class gifts – rules of convenience
Chapter 67    Survivorship
Chapter 68    Alternative donees
Chapter 69    Descriptions of donees by number
Chapter 70    Commorientes
Chapter 71    Relationship by blood and affinity
Chapter 72    Illegitimacy of donees
Chapter 73    Persons en ventre sa mere
Chapter 74    Gifts to children
Chapter 75    Adopted children
Chapter 76    Gifts to ‘issue’
Chapter 77    Gifts to next of kin
Chapter 78    Gifts to ‘heir’
Chapter 79    Gifts to ‘family’, to ‘relations’, and to ‘representatives’
Chapter 80    Gifts to ‘wife’ and ‘husband’
Chapter 81    Other descriptions of donees
PART M    CONSTRUCTION OF WILLS: PARTICULAR RULES RELATING TO BENEFICIAL INTERESTS
Chapter 82    Quantity of interest given
Chapter 83    Absolute and life interests
Chapter 84    Entailed interests
Chapter 85    Gifts to a person and his children or to a person and his issue
Chapter 86    Concurrent gifts – joint tenancy and tenancy in common
Chapter 87    Distribution per capita and per stirpes
Chapter 88    Cumulative and substituted gifts
Chapter 89    Successive interests
Chapter 90    Accruer clauses
Chapter 91     Conditional gifts
Chapter 92    Option to purchase
Chapter 93    Vesting
Chapter 94    Perpetuities
Chapter 95    Accumulations
Chapter 96    Divesting
Chapter 97    Gift over on death
Chapter 98    Limitations on failure of issue
Chapter 99    Restriction on alienation and forfeiture clause
Chapter 100    Hotchpot Clauses
Chapter 101    Gifts by implication
PART N    CHARITIES
Chapter 102    Charities: gifts for charitable purposes
Chapter 103    Charitable gifts; construction and cy-pres
PART O    INTESTACY
Chapter 104    Intestacy
PART P    FAMILY PROVISION
Chapter 105    Family provision
Cumulative Index
VOLUME 2 – PRECEDENTS AND STATUTES
Contents
Form Finder
Table of Abbrevaiations
Cumulative Table of Statutes
Cumulative Table of Statutory Instruments
Cumulative Table of Cases
Part A   INTRODUCTORY NOTE
I.    General
II.   Clauses in Wills
Part B    CLAUSES IN WILLS
B1    Commencement of will
B2    Miscellaneous declaration and desires sometimes included in wills or other documents
B3    Appointment of executors, trustees and guardians
B4    Specific Gifts
B5    Gifts and other Provisions Relating to Business Property
B6    Gifts of Freehold Land
B7    Gifts of Leasechold
B8    Rights of Residence
B9    Testamentary options
B10    Pecuniary legacies
B11    Annuities
B12    Charitable gifts
B13    Exercises of special powers of appointment
B14    Residue
B15    Absolute and simple contingent gifts
B16    Life interests
B17    Trusts for children
B18    Discretionary trusts and powers
B19    Provisions for failure of primary trusts
B20    Administrative powers and provisions
B21    Trustees and executors
B22    Testimonium and attestation clauses
PART C    COMPLETE WILLS
C1    Wills for use in emergency
C2    Wills for married couples (or civil partners) with young children
C3    Wills for married couples (or civil partners) with adult children
C4    Wills providing for someone with a disability
C5    Wills where there is more than one family
C6    Wills for unmarried couples with children
C7    Wills for sole parents with young children
C8    Wills for sole parents with adult children
C9    Wills for members of childless households
C10  Wills for childless individuals
C11   Wills disposing of business property
C12   Wills disposing of farms and farming businesses
C13   Wills for owners of substantial property
C14   Wills with a foreign element
PART D    CODICILS
D    Codicils
PART E    STATUTORY WILL FORMS 1925
E    Statutory Will Forms 1925
PART F    NON-TESTAMENTARY INSTRUMENTS
F1    Renunciation of probate and disclaimer of trusteeships
F2    Executors and trustees
F3    Disclaimers and variations of beneficial interests
F4    Exercises of dispositive powers created by wills
F5    Miscellaneous documents giving effect to legacies
PART G    LEGISLATION
Section 1    Wills and intestacy
Section 2    Succession rights and adoption , legitimation, illegitimacy assisted reproduction,
surrogacy, change of gender ans same sex marriage
Section 3    Miscellaneous provisions relevant to the drafting of wills
Section 4    Family provision and relief from forfeiture
Section 5    European succession legislation
Cumulative Index