Starts: Saturday 20 February 2027, 10am to 1pm GMT
At the heart of Dicken’s novel Bleak House is a long-running probate case in the Court of Chancery, Jarndyce v. Jarndyce, a legal dispute over who should inherit a very large estate. This fictional case dragged on for many generations and by the end, the legal fees had swallowed up the inheritance. In his 1853 preface to the novel Dickens cited two legal cases as his inspiration, but who were the plaintiffs, and whose estates were they disputing?
Was it the blacking manufacturer, Charles Day, the merchant and slave owner Richard Smith, or the MP George Downing, all of whose wills were disputed for 20-40 years? Was it the financier William Jennens whose will was disputed for 117 years? Or was it the banker Peter Thellusson whose will excluded family living at the time of his death in 1799 to accumulate for their unborn descendants?
This course explores the real-life stories behind the “Jarndyce and Jarndyce” fictional case and attempts to find the original inspiration.
Start Date: Saturday 20 February 2027
Time: 10am to 1pm GMT
Duration: 1 week
Full Fee: £35
Location: Online
This course will be delivered via Zoom. Students joining the course will need access to a computer, laptop or tablet with a microphone (essential) and a webcam (desirable), as well as a reliable broadband connection.
Book your place on this course using this link. We will send you an invoice after you have booked your place.