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