- Fred Ward Sr left sisters low sum as he was ‘disappointed’ about lack of visits
A family row, which erupted when five sisters discovered that their grandfather had left them each just £50 in an envelope in his will, saw ‘dozens’ of people pour onto the street throwing punches before a neighbour eventually called the police.
Frederick Ward Snr left the five grandchildren the unexpectedly low sum from his £500,000 estate in 2018 because he was ‘disappointed’ that none of the women visited him in hospital before he died aged 91 in 2020.
The former soldier sparked a bitter family dispute when he left the vast majority of his estate to his two children Terry Ward and Susan Wiltshire – but froze out the five daughters of his eldest son Fred Jr, who died in 2015.
The five sisters took the case to the High Court this year but lost.
Now it has emerged that when the details of the will were first revealed, a mass brawl ensued among furious family members which burst out onto the sleepy residential street.
Frederick Ward Snr (pictured) left his five grandchildren just £50 from his £500,000 estate in 2018 because he was ‘disappointed’ that none of the women visited him in hospital before he died aged 91 in 2020
At a will reading, Carol Gowing (pictured outside London’s High Court), Angela St Marseille, Amanda Higginbotham, Christine Ward and Janet Pett were each handed an envelope containing the paltry sum which led to chaos unfolding at the house in Ealing, west London
The five sisters (including Angela St Marseille, pictured) took the case to the High Court this year but lost
According to the sisters’ aunt and uncle, the grandchildren (including Amanda Higginbotham, picture) had only made a small number of ‘flying visits’ to Fred Snr
At the reading, Carol Gowing, Angela St Marseille, Amanda Higginbotham, Christine Ward and Janet Pett were each handed an envelope containing the paltry sum and the sisters’ anger immediately led to chaos unfolding at the house in Ealing, west London, The Times reports.
One cousin even took ‘a swing at Ann’, their mother, according to Mrs Gowing’s husband Andrew.
‘There were a lot of people simultaneously making a great deal of commotion,’ according to the High Court judge Master Brightwell.
The punch-up was soon taken outside as family members poured onto Willow Road.
Maria Hummer noticed the fight unfolding and said that there were around 24 people shouting at each other.
The 37-year-old writer told The Times: ‘I was just upstairs in our house, I heard this massive ruckus, all these like voices shouting. So I went to look out the window and it was people pouring out of that flat [where the will reading was held].’
According to the sisters’ aunt and uncle, the grandchildren had only made a small number of ‘flying visits’ to Fred Snr.
The five sisters had made only ‘very occasional short visits’ to see their grandfather when he was in hospital three times with a lung condition, while he was on close terms with his son Terry and Susan.
The High Court judge ruled that the 2018 will was ‘entirely rational’ given the grandchildren’s (including Christine Ward, pictured) lack of visits
The five grandchildren (including Janet Pett, pictured) had claimed the 2018 will was ‘invalid’ and their Uncle Terry and Aunt Susan had ‘unduly influenced’ Fred Snr into altering his will to give them their share of his estate
‘It is most likely that given the changed circumstances following Fred Jr’s death and the limited contact with the claimants after then that Fred became disappointed with the claimants,’ Master Brightwell said at the High Court.
And wider family members took a similar view.
One male cousin made their thoughts about one of the sisters’ motives clear in an expletive-laden outburst at the reading.
Master Brightwell added: ‘When it was put to [another cousin] that he had at the will reading called [Mrs Gowing] a “horrible c***”, he immediately (and accurately) retorted that he had added the words “money-grabbing” to the epithet.’
Court documents also revealed that a friend of Fred Snr’s, Dennis Taboney, had recalled him saying that ‘all of his grandchildren would “be around for the money” after he had died’.
The High Court judge ruled that the 2018 will was ‘entirely rational’ given the grandchildren’s lack of visits.
Master Brightwell threw out the sisters’ case, adding: ‘Some may take the view that, as a general proposition, when a testator’s child has predeceased him, he generally ought to leave an equal share of his residue to that child’s issue.
‘However the decision not to do so and to split the residue and thus the bulk of the estate between his surviving children can hardly be said to be a provision which no reasonable testator could make.’
The five grandchildren claimed the 2018 will was ‘invalid’ and their Uncle Terry and Aunt Susan had ‘unduly influenced’ Fred Snr into altering his will to give them their share of his estate.
Fred Jr (pictured) died in 2015 and a family feud broke out which meant Mr Ward did not see much of Fred Jr’s side of the family
Deceased Fred Snr was said to have been on close terms with his son Terry (pictured) and Susan
But the judge said ‘the evidence does not come close to persuading me’ that Terry had ‘coerced’ his father or that Susan had ‘controlled’ him to cast doubt on his will.
Fred Snr, who was also a cable joiner and regular social club user and lived on Willow Road, had previously written a will which divided the estate between all three of his children.
But Fred Jr died in 2015 and a family feud broke out which meant Mr Ward did not see much of Fred Jr’s side of the family.
Master Brightwell added: ‘I accept Susan’s evidence that her father complained that Fred Jr’s family did not care about him.’
He added that Fred Snr had been particularly upset about the lack of contact at the time of one of his great-granddaughters’ weddings.
‘He complained that he was not even sent a piece of wedding cake,’ he said.
‘In those circumstances and despite a promise by Fred several years earlier to divide his estate between his children’s children if anything should happen to any of them, the 2018 will was in my view entirely rational.
Master Brightwell added: ‘I accept Susan’s (pictured) evidence that her father complained that Fred Jr’s family did not care about him’
Fred Jr’s widow Ann Ward with her husband and five children – Carol Gowing, Angela St Marseille, Amanda Higginbotham, Christine Ward and Janet Pett
‘This does not mean that I cannot understand the claimants’ disappointment at being essentially left out.’
Clearing both Terry and Susan of influencing their dad into cutting out his granddaughters, he said: ‘The evidence does not come close to persuading me that it is more likely than not that the 2018 will was procured by the undue influence of the defendants or either of them.’
The judge also rejected claims that Mr Ward did not have ‘capacity’ to make the will in 2018 or that it was invalid for ‘want of knowledge and approval’ of its effect.