| TLM-P's will is also revealing for its attempt to provide for all his family and, to modern eyes, his attempt to continue to control his family. Given he had stomach cancer, he knew he was dying, and signed his will on 5 May, seven months before he died, with three codicils dated in the weeks and days before he finally succumbed on 31 December 1892. The complexity of providing for all eventualities, and leaving money in trust for numerous dependants, meant that the trustees had to go to court to get a ruling on the will's legal meaning. This first occurred in October 1905, and then in 1940, after the death of his daughter Dorothy. The latter, to determine what would happen to her share of the trust, amounted to 10 foolscap typed pages on the legal meaning of the word 'surviving'!((Legal opinion re Trusts of the Will of Thomas Lodge Murray Prior Decd, 11 October 1905 and 11 June 1940, J. Godden's copy.)) More seriously, the Trust ran into difficulties after the death of Thomas de M. M-P with the family taking the two trustees (Charles Barton and George Eddington) to court in 1905. While the step-siblings and Nora were united, the court case represented an enormous conflict for Nora as Charles Barton was her brother. As well, costs were borne by the estate.((The Supreme Court of Queensland, No. 166 of 1905, 3 November 1905, J. Godden's copy.)) In the 1930s, another great depression hit the value of the trust, but nevertheless a list of his investments as at 12 June 1931 reveals his estate was worth in total £33,683 (roughly $3,020,242 in 2017 values). This sum included an advance to Egerton of £2,275; mortgages to Julius (£2350), Meta Hobbs (£500) and Lizzie Jardine (£100) as well as the purchase of a "Mary St Property" for £11,000.((Union Trustee Company, Brisbane, Estate of Thomas Lodge Murray Prior Deceased. List of Investments at Face Value, 12 June 1931. J. Godden's copy.))\\ | TLM-P's will is also revealing for its attempt to provide for all his family and, to modern eyes, his attempt to continue to control his family. Given he had stomach cancer, he knew he was dying, and signed his will on 5 May, seven months before he died, with three codicils dated in the weeks and days before he finally succumbed on 31 December 1892. The complexity of providing for all eventualities, and leaving money in trust for numerous dependants, meant that the trustees had to go to court to get a ruling on the will's legal meaning. This first occurred in October 1905, and then in 1940, after the death of his daughter Dorothy. The latter, to determine what would happen to her share of the trust, amounted to 10 foolscap typed pages on the legal meaning of the word 'surviving'!((Legal opinion re Trusts of the Will of Thomas Lodge Murray Prior Decd, 11 October 1905 and 11 June 1940, J. Godden's copy.)) More seriously, the Trust ran into difficulties after the death of Thomas de M. M-P with the family taking the two trustees (Charles Barton and George Eddington) to court in 1905. While the step-siblings and Nora were united, the court case represented an enormous conflict for Nora as Charles Barton was her brother. As well, costs were borne by the estate.((The Supreme Court of Queensland, No. 166 of 1905, 3 November 1905, J. Godden's copy.)) In the 1930s, another great depression hit the value of the trust, but nevertheless a list of his investments as at 12 June 1931 reveals his estate was worth in total £33,683 (roughly $3,020,242 in 2017 values). This sum included an advance to Egerton of £2,275; mortgages to Julius (£2350), Meta Hobbs (£500) and Lizzie Jardine (£100) as well as the purchase of a "Mary St Property" for £11,000.((Union Trustee Company, Brisbane, Estate of Thomas Lodge Murray Prior Deceased. List of Investments at Face Value, 12 June 1931. J. Godden's copy.))\\ |
| {{:tlm-p_melbourne.jpg?300|}} {{:tlmp_in_melbourne.jpg?300|}} {{:tlm-p_head.jpg?300|}} The first two photos from TLM-P's album((Provenance: J. Godden)) were taken in Melbourne; the last in Sydney. The images are designed to reveal a prosperous man who has succeeded in his adopted land. For more photos of him, click on [[TLM-P photographs]]. In 1882, he recorded that his trip to England had resulted in him putting on weight and when he weighed himself a bit later he was 12 stone 7 or 8 lbs.((TLM-P, Diary, 9 June 1882)) | {{:tlm-p_melbourne.jpg?300|}} {{:tlmp_in_melbourne.jpg?300|}} {{:tlm-p_head.jpg?300|}} The first two photos from TLM-P's album((Provenance: J. Godden)) were taken in Melbourne; the last in Sydney. The images are designed to reveal a prosperous man who has succeeded in his adopted land. **For more photos of him, click on [[TLM-P photographs]]**. |
| The beautiful furniture that TLM-P owned reveals that he shared his father's tastes for fine art and household items. It also supports the interpretation that TLM-P was motivated by his determination to restore his family's gentry status. The next photo is of his intricately carved Italian cabinet,((Provenance:T.A. & M.T. M-P)) the twin of which is in Brisbane's Tattersalls Club. It is said to have been imported to Australia by the Italian architect Mr Andrea Strombuco in c. 1885 for his home in Albion. As this cabinet is identical, and TLM-P also lived in Albion, it is assumed that it too was also imported by Senior Strombuco.((pers. comm T.A. M-P)) As usual with such furniture, it neatly comes into sections: | The beautiful furniture that TLM-P owned reveals that he shared his father's tastes for fine art and household items. It also supports the interpretation that TLM-P was motivated by his determination to restore his family's gentry status. The next photo is of his intricately carved Italian cabinet,((Provenance:T.A. & M.T. M-P)) the twin of which is in Brisbane's Tattersalls Club. It is said to have been imported to Australia by the Italian architect Mr Andrea Strombuco in c. 1885 for his home in Albion. As this cabinet is identical, and TLM-P also lived in Albion, it is assumed that it too was also imported by Senior Strombuco.((pers. comm T.A. M-P)) As usual with such furniture, it neatly comes into sections: |