In debtors’ prison for bankruptcy: A cautionary tale for executors

‘Ah,’ said the cobbler, ‘... What do you supposed ruined me, now?’
‘Wy,’ said Sam ... ‘I s’pose the beginnin’ wos, that you got into debt, eh?’
‘Never owed a farden [farthing],’ said the cobbler, ‘try again.’
‘Well perhaps,’ said Sam, you bought houses, which is delicate English for going mad, or took the buildin’, which is a medical term for being incurable.’
The cobbler shook his head and said, ‘Try again.’
‘You didn’t go to law, I hope?’ said Sam suspiciously.
‘Never in my life,’ replied the cobbler. ‘The fact is, I was ruined by having money left me.’

---

In the excerpt and image here from Charles Dickens' “The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club” (better known as The Pickwick Papers), Mr. Pickwick finds himself in the Fleet (debtors’ prison) where he learns first-hand of executor challenges from a ruined man’s tale of woe. To make a long story short, the cobbler was named executor of his childless employer’s £5,000 estate because of perpetual arguing among the employer’s nieces and nephews (‘nevvies’). After the uncle’s death, these relations fought over the will but as this would have meant no one got any money, the cousins ultimately resolved their complaints, and the cobbler paid out all the legacies. A nevvy then argued in court that the uncle hadn’t been right in the head when he made the will, and the court, siding with him and his cousins, directed the cobbler to repay all the legacies and court costs. Ending up owing £10,000, the poor(!) man was condemned to spend the rest of his life in debtors’ prison. Luckily we don’t have debtors’ prisons anymore but executors still face big financial risks.