Miss Mary Gray Ratray of 41 Tavistock Square. Died St Pancras leaving a legacy of £23,000 to the charities of the metropolis. This was administered by her executors Edwin Bedford and Charles Jellicoe. See Bedford's page for some comments on how they carried out the task.
Andrew Behan has kindly carried out some research on this lady: She was born on 13 September 1823, the daughter of John and Mary Ratray and baptised on 12 December 1823 at St Leonard's Church, Shoreditch. Her father was a Stockbroker. The 1841 census shows she was living with her widowed mother and an elder brother, William, who was an Assurance Company Actuary, in Barnsbury Place, Islington, but it does not give a house number. The 1851 census shows them at 3 Barnsbury Place, Islington and at the time of the 1861 census they had moved to 2 Compton Terrace, Islington. Her mother died, aged 88 years, on 19 April 1873 at 41 Tavistock Square, London, leaving an estate of under £30,000, the will being proved by Edwin Bedford, a solicitor of 5 Royal Crescent, Notting Hill, who was one of her executors. She herself died just over two months later on 6 July 1873 at 41 Tavistock Square, London, aged 49 years and her estate was administered by both the same Edwin Bedford and a Charles Jellicoe who lived at 12 Cavendish Place, Cavendish Square, London. It was registered as under £60,000.
It would seem that Edwin Bedford did very well out of the Ratray family, and living at 5 Royal Crescent, Notting Hill, you can see why he had Mary Gray Ratray's fountain erected close to his house. National probate records for 1873 show that not only did he execute the wills of Mary Gray Ratray and her mother, but he also did those for other members of the family who had died in previous years, but where the mother and daughter had not actioned their estates.
These records show that on 12 September 1873 he was granted administration of the effects of William Ratray, late of 41 Tavistock Square, a bachelor who died on 12 April 1870 at 41 Tavistock Square, left unadministered by Mary Ratray, widow, the mother and only next of kin. Estate valued at under £1,000. This William Ratray was the Secretary and Actuary of the Victoria Life Assurance Co at 18 King William Street, London and was a member of The Institute of Actuaries whose President was Charles Jellicoe.
On 18 November 1873 he was granted administration of the effects of Francis Ratray, late of 2 Compton Terrace, Islington, a Commercial Traveller and bachelor, who died on 22 October 1854 at 2 Compton Terrace, left unadministered by Mary Ratray, widow, his mother and next of kin. Effects valued as under £600.
A day later on 19 November 1873 he was granted administration of the effects of another Mary Ratray, late of 10 Pulteney Street, Bath, Somerset, who died on 19 January 1871 at 10 Pulteney Street, left unadministered by Mary Gray Ratray, spinster, the niece and next of kin. Effects under £3,000.
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