John Lawrence Toole estate papers

Collection

Identifier: D.132

Staff Only

Biographical / Historical note

John Lawrence Toole died July 30, 1906. His last years, after his retirement from the stage in 1896, were spent as a helpless invalid because of the effects of degeneration of the spinal cord. His wife and son and daughter all died between 1879 and 1889, but he was survived by his sisters and their families and the children of his brother Francis. In his will he bequeathed his fortune of £79,900 to his surviving family, with legacies to friends and a large sum to be distributed to charitable institutions. Edward Yeats Lowne and John Lyell Lyell were the executors. Frederick Thomas Dubois of Dubois & Co., London was the solicitor in charge of the estate. In the course of settling the estate, the executors sold the contents of Toole's house at 44 Maida Vale on November 12, 1906, distributed the legacies, including a portrait of Toole by Sigismund Goetz which was given to the City of London, investigated charities to see that they came within the terms of the will, and disposed of Toole's papers. On two occasions the executors went to court to settle questions. Langton vs. Lowne, Autumn 1907, involved a claim on the estate by a physician who had attended Toole. Lowne vs. Young et. al. involved a question of how to distribute the estate to the sisters of J. L. Toole and was settled in April 1907.

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of correspondence from Frederick Thomas Dubois to Edward Yeats Lowne with copies of relevant correspondence made by Dubois' clerk. There are also summaries of the distribution. of the estate, and legal opinions on certain points relevant to the estate.

Creator

Dates

Creation: 1902-1909

Language of Materials

English

Extent

1 box(es)

Access

The John Lawrence Toole Estate Papers is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Books, Special Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

Use

In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from C. A. Kyrle Fletcher, January 22, 1980.

Preferred Citation

[Item title, item date], John Lawrence Toole Estate Papers, D.132, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester