Alexam
Bandsaw Boxmaker
I was alarmed by an article in the press when I saw that a husband has persuaded his wife to swear an oath that she would put all his money into his coffin on his death. He had been ill for a long time and the doctors had told him that he hadn't got long to live.
They had been married for over 40 years and in all that time, he was a terribly frugal man, always skimping and saving money as far as he could and not allowing his wife the pleasure of new clothes unless the old ones had really worn out.
The neighbours always knew him as 'mr scrooge' he was tight fisted, never bought anything for presents or cards for birthdays or christmas and they wondered why she had stayed with him so long, but he dominated the poor woman and she was always under his thumb and could never do anything that he disagreed with.
Just before he died in hospital, he made his wife give a promise that she would put all his money into his coffin because he wanted to have it in the new life. She was affraid not to do what he wanted and on the day of his funeral, where only a few friends of her's attended.
She had previously told her few friends that she had promised to carry out her husbands last wishes even though they had tried to persuade her otherwise, as he would never know, but she was far to honest a person to do that.
At the burial, she asked the undertakers to open the coffin and placed a shoe box in beside her husband and he was then buried with his money.
At the very modest wake, her friends asked her why she had done such a silly thing and left herself impoverished, as he controlled all the money. She replied that she was an honest and God fearing person all her life and could not break her promise. So she had gathered all his money in one account for his funeral.
She said that she had had her doubts in doing this in view of her circumstances, but simply had to do it. She told her friends that in the shoe box she had placed thousands of pounds in a cheque to honor her promise.
They had been married for over 40 years and in all that time, he was a terribly frugal man, always skimping and saving money as far as he could and not allowing his wife the pleasure of new clothes unless the old ones had really worn out.
The neighbours always knew him as 'mr scrooge' he was tight fisted, never bought anything for presents or cards for birthdays or christmas and they wondered why she had stayed with him so long, but he dominated the poor woman and she was always under his thumb and could never do anything that he disagreed with.
Just before he died in hospital, he made his wife give a promise that she would put all his money into his coffin because he wanted to have it in the new life. She was affraid not to do what he wanted and on the day of his funeral, where only a few friends of her's attended.
She had previously told her few friends that she had promised to carry out her husbands last wishes even though they had tried to persuade her otherwise, as he would never know, but she was far to honest a person to do that.
At the burial, she asked the undertakers to open the coffin and placed a shoe box in beside her husband and he was then buried with his money.
At the very modest wake, her friends asked her why she had done such a silly thing and left herself impoverished, as he controlled all the money. She replied that she was an honest and God fearing person all her life and could not break her promise. So she had gathered all his money in one account for his funeral.
She said that she had had her doubts in doing this in view of her circumstances, but simply had to do it. She told her friends that in the shoe box she had placed thousands of pounds in a cheque to honor her promise.
... and how many decades old is that one?
