Arthur Wheeler MARGRETT
Ancestral line as currently established: Arthur 1862, Henry 1837, Thomas 1812, George 1780, ?................ Family Tree number 9/17/24
Born: 28NOV1862 in Gloucester city, Gloucestershire, England
Third of nine children of
Father: Henry Cave Margrett
Mother: Annie (Wheeler?)
Arthur Married: 1888 in Aston, Birmingham, West Midlands, England
Spouse: Mary Adelaide (maiden name not yet discovered)
2 Children: Thomas Arthur 1889,
Winifred Adelaide 1893.
Died: 02DEC1928 aged 66, at 102 Livingstone Rd., Kings Heath, Birmingham, West Midlands, England
Arthur's father was a cabinet maker and upholsterer established in trade in the centre of the city of Gloucester at 36 Eastgate Street. In 1881 at the age of 18 Arthur was working for his father as a cabinet maker alongside 4 men, 2 other youths and two women. One of his older sisters aged 20 was still at home working as a milliner and dressmaker, and maybe because of that, the family had a live-in general house servant of 24.
In only ten years, the Census of 1891 shows him at 171 Camp Hill, Aston Birmingham aged 28 and married with a two year-old son. He is in trade as a wood turner and an employer but of undetermined number of staff. They too have a live-in servant of 15 born locally. By 1901 he has moved to 11 Stratford Place, Aston now describing himself as a manufacturing wood turner and is still there in 1911.
There must have been close family connections and some affluence because firstly, in 1915, Arthur was a joint executor with one of his sisters to their mother's estate recording her wealth as £1,462. Then secondly in 1924, he was joint executor of William, proving his uncle's estate (his father's brother) with another uncle, Frederick Clitherow, for £4,147.
We have an interesting 'snapshot' of his family group on Sunday 19th June 1921 in the Census Return which Arthur Wheeler completed. He is now 58 years old and describes himself as a manufacturing wood worker, also an employer at Wellington Works, Rioes Street, Deritend, Birmingham. No number of employees is revealed in the census about the family. Whilst his wife, Mary, also 58, is described as occupied in 'home duties', so also is daughter Winifred aged 27. Comforatble and unable to find a husband, or needed to assist at home? Nevertheless they have a housekeeper Elizabeth Aston aged 60, unmarried, born in Crewe, in Cheshire.
On the 3 April 1928, Arthur made his Last Will and Testament. He died 8 months later in December 1928 aged 66 at 102 Livingstone Road, Kings Heath Birningham. He appointed three executors who proved the Will in Birmingham, valued net at £18,521 equal today to £839,272.
His will made provision for his extensive family, and his employees, some with a cash payment on his death, some with a cash payment on the death of his wife in 1941, and some with a cash payment on the death of his daughter in 1961, some with cash on all three dates, and some with cash on two of the dates. There were 21 beneficiaries of this Estate which had to be distributed over a period of 33 years contingent on the deaths of wife and daughter.
The Executors had two trusts to run, the first to provide life-time income for his wife from 1929 to 1941, and the second to provide life-time income for his daughter from 1941 to when she died in 1961. After that, whatever was left of the trust was to be paid to charitable organisations.
The Birmingham General Hospital was to receive £1,250 (equivalent in 1928 when he made the will to £56,120 in buying power today, but only worth £20,839 when actually paid in 1961) to endow a bed to be called the "A.W. Margrett Bed".
Three organisations were to receive £1,000 from his will (equivalent when he made the will to £44, 900 in buying power today, but only worth £16,670 when actually paid in 1961) - National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - The Lord Haig’s Fund - The Queen’s Hospital, Birmingham.
The Eye Hospital, Birmingham was to receive £500 (equivalent when he made the will to £22,450 in buying power today, but only worth £8,335 when actually paid in 1961). The Women’s Hospital, Showell Green Lane, Birmingham was to receive £250 (equivalent when he made the will to £11,220 in buying power today, but only worth £4,170 when actually paid in 1961). And whatever was left over was to be paid to the Home for Incurables Putney, London.
This was a lifetime’s work for the three Executors whose duties evolved into being Trustees. For more about Arthur’s Will and others of his family see
http://allen-family-tree.co.uk
which is Alyson Hartley’s wonderful web-site. Arthur's bequests were featured in the Margrett Magazine number 23 in 2009 published and deposited with the British Library in that year under I.S.S.N 0269-0284.