Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Fuller's Will : Part One

John Fuller's will, dated 5 November 1823, was witnessed by John Crosdill, William Shield and Henry Singleton.
John Crosdill (1751 - 1825) was an English musician, violoncellist and violist. He was born in London, England and was the son of violoncellist Richard Crosdill (1698-1790) with whom he is sometimes confused. John Crosdill, along with James Cervetto (1747-1837), son of Italian émigré Giacobbe Cervetto(1682 - 1783), was one of the most visible violoncellists in London during the 1770s and 1780s. [Portrait left]
By his will signed at 45 Berners Street on 30 Aug 1825 and proved at London on 25 October 1825 his son, Lieutenant Colonel John Crosdill of the East India Company, inherited a substantial fortune. Crosdill left bequests of 19 guineas each for remembrance rings to numerous friends including the musicians Benjamin Blake and William Shield, his Berners Street neighbour. [Excerpt from the article I wrote for Wikipedia. Read full article here.]
Composer and musician, William Shield (March 5, 1748 – January 25, 1829) was Crosdill's neighbour at 31 Berners Street, London.
In the first codicil of his will, dated 24 March 1827 Fuller bequeathed to William Shield £100. Shield, however predeceased Fuller by five years. William Shield willed his Stainer viola to King George IV and left 'To John Fuller, Cipriani's original drawing of Dr. Arne and a large prospect of the city of Rome.' The whereabouts of this painting is unknown.

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