Help with C17th and C18th Drinkwater wills please (General)

by amaska , Wednesday, August 13, 2014, 17:51 (3749 days ago)

I have two problems. First the Gloucester Record Office do not have the original will or image of the will of Thomas Drinkwater of Taynton dated 1667. Their catalogue (and Ancestry) state they have it, but they have emailed me to say the will is one of the ones missing when they first acquired the wills proved in the Consistory Court of Gloucester. Do you think there is any chance that a copy exists somewhere else, or do I have to give up all hope?

Secondly the "will" dated 1764 for Thomas Drinkwater of Taynton is in fact a grant of administration to his two surviving daughters to administer his estate because he died intestate. This is very interesting for me as it fills in details about the daughters, but I am puzzled as I believe Thomas the father died in 1739. Does anyone know if it is possible that the daughters were claiming the estate because another relative, who had previously inherited it without any legal process (like a brother, for example), had just died? Or could it really have taken 25 years for administration to be granted? Or could Thomas have lived at least 85 years surviving his wife by 36 years, and died in 1764 without any record of burial?

Any advice would be very gratefully received!

Thanks for looking.