I had written: >I have another question about Giles Corey: his behavior seems somewhat >contradictory, and he doesn't always seem to have been clear as to what he >saw or did, then emphasized in his will that his body was less than >healthy, but his memory was perfect. Why emphasize that? Might he have had >a cognitive illness like Alzheimer's? To which Lisa Small wrote: >I think not, Francine. Then, as now, the standard for will-making is >mental competence. Physical disability is irrelevant. Many old wills >begin by saying "sound in mind and body" or words to that effect, but >others -- such as Corey's -- strive to convince the reader (judge, probate >court, heirs, etc.) that though the individual may have many physical >ailments, their mind is sharp enough to make competent legal decisions >about where their property should go after death. I'm afraid Lisa misunderstood my question. From personal experience, I'm aware of the role that "mental competence" plays in determining whether or not someone's conveyance of property to someone else will be respected by a court. Please look at the wording that Giles Corey uses in his document: "I ye said Gyles Coaree lying under great trouble & affliction through wch I am very weake in body but in perfect memory...." He doesn't say "mentally competent" or "sound of mind"--he says "in perfect memory." To me that sounds like the sort of wording used by people who have been hearing people tell them that their memories are *not* perfect, and, as I noted earlier, his court testimony indicates that he changed his story. Francine Nicholson _________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. Get 3 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail&xAPID=42&PS=47575&PI=7324&DI=7474&SU= http://www.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/getmsg&HL=1216hotmailtaglines_addphotos_3mf