Ormidale Memorial
Below we bring you, bit by bit, a memorial that Ormidale wrote in 1798 laying out his grievances against his brother (“the late Otter”) in an attempt to have his will overturned. We have done our best to decipher Ormidale’s scrawl but please feel free to offer corrections of any word you think we have misread. We are quite sure that there will be a few.
Excerpt 37
Having completed his memorial, Ormidale is reiterating his claim that his father had taken steps to ensure that Otter could not prevent him from inheriting the estate.
Page 1 The Memorialist having given a fair Representation
Of facts in the forsaid Memoriall he begs leave to write
a few more Remarks upon his Brother late Otter his Conduct
First supposing such might happen that the Memoriallist his
Father had prior to 1741 made out a Deed or Disposition
of his Landed property with a prohibatory clause therin contained
That his Heir in Fee could not either dispone nor Sell Landed
property as said thereafter In which Deed he might reserved also
a power to himself to Alter at his Pleasure fearing any
of his sons would turn out to be worthless
Excerpt 38
And again, Ormidale is saying that Otter took advantage of their father’s age and state of health, and bullied him into changing his will.
From which Supposition which seems to be Apparently Just
as Afterwards it appears by the Memorialist his Father had
prior to the 1741 Made out a Deed or Disposition of his Landed
Property Containing a Prohibatory Clause therein that his Heirs in
Fee could not either Sell nor Dispone Landed Property There=
=after In which Deed he hase also Reserve a power as
aforsaid It appears That All the Deeds the Memorialist
his Father had Executed from the 1741 till the 1749 he
Followed the same Naturall Tract he had formed in his
Own Mind and allways once said supposed Deed with a prohibi
=tory Clause as said was Wrote By and While till the Memorialist
his Brother late Otter prevailled Upon his Father in his Unfirm
State of Health and Old Age to With Draw the said prohibatory
Clause some time after the 1749
Excerpt 39
Ormidale says that he was warned by mutual friends that Otter planned to deprive him of his inheritance.
(or even after the Memorialist
Married and that by Undue means from his Unremitting Turbulent
and Unaturall Temper of Mind or perhaps by a fair Acknowledgement
promising he would stand by whatever his Father had done as aforsaid
be the Cause what it will it is feared it happened because
After the Memorialist Father died the Memorialist was put upon his
Garard by the Special Advice of severall Friends That his Brother
Late Otter had formed a plan to Alter his Fathers Deeds
By setting the Estate of Otter upon the Memorialist or
Page 2 Or upon the Memorialist his Son and in Lieu thereof
to have it in his power to give the Memorialist Proper=
=ty At Otter his disposal as he thought fit
From which it appears plainly to ————————–
The Memorialist from his Brothers Unaturall behaviour
When he began to Un mask his Intentions Mentioned
in the said Memoriall Viz upon the 26 Day of May 1789
Years by Asserting Folshoods Unworthy of a Man of Com=
=mon Sence And in like Manners his Continuing his said
Malicious false Assertions in the same State till February 1795