Penny's Appeal
Penny's Appeal
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court,
A testator may make a legacy a charge upon lands which he devises, by express direction or by clear implication. When lie blends his real and personal estate together in a general devise, it is a circumstance to be considered in determining whether the legacies are chargeable on the realty. An obligation may be imposed on a devisee by bis acceptance of the estate, to pay a legacy, without its being charged on the land devised. Thus a devise of land on a contingency, to several, they paying another named, “in lieu thereof” the sum. of ¡¡?800, was held not to constitute a charge on the land upon the happening of the contingency: Montgomery v. McElroy, 3 Watts & S., 370. So a devise to testator’s son Thomas of
Referring to the will now before us we find the testator gave to his wife all his real and personal estate during her life, after paying out of the same all his debts and funeral expenses. After her death he gave to the appellee and her heirs all his real and personal estate that should be left at her decease. It was an absolute devise without any reference to the payment of legacies, or an intimation that any would be given by the will of the testator. The legacy in question was given to the appellant in a subsequent part of the will. It is true the appellee was thereafter made the residuary legatee of all the personal estate of the testator. This however creates no implication that any specific legacy was thereby chargeable on the real estate previously devised to the appellee.
Decree affirmed and appeal dismissed at the costs of the appellant.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.