A couple of times in English wills around 1800 I have come acrosss people who have left family members "one shilling" when other relatives have been left hundreds of pounds or at least a guinea.

Qustion: is a bequest of one shilling likely to be a snub or form of insult?

Thanks

1800 one shilling was a lot of money!!! and poss then as now you'd leave the bulk normally to one or two people

Repat,
There's an old expression "cut off with a shilling".

If you did not mention in your will a person at all then it might be contested that said person had been accidently missed out. By mentioning them and giving them a shilling it made it quite sure what yuour intention was.

Quite often such persons had already been given large sums of money, or the family business, or farm, or property, so they may not have been disliked or disadvantaged.

Bryan

Google "cut off with a shilling" - quite interesting.