Crewe ALSTON [6388]

   Cause of his death was liver cancer.

  General Notes:

Crewe was living at Queens Hotel, Ashburnham Road, Bedford, at the time of his marriage.

Crewe appears not to have inherited the Family Seat of Odell, his half brother selling it out of the family in 1934.

He served in the Royal Air Force during WWII

Fired a Gun in Hotel.
Out Of Sheer Devilment.
Prison and Fine.
For being drunk when in possession of a loaded shotgun in the Grafton Hotel, Bedford, on 20 October (1947), Crewe Alston, aged 29, independent, of Rutland Road, Bedford, was sentenced to 1 months imprisonment at Bedford Magistrates Court on Tuesday. He was also fined L20 ordered to pay L1 10s 0d costs, and disqualified from driving for 2 years for being in charge of a motor car whilst he was under the influence of drink on the same day.
He pleaded not guilty.
Mr George Stewart of Midland Road, Bedford, and Mr W M Higgins, of country road, Bedford, said they were in the hotel when defendant fired the shot gun at a piece of asbestos in the fireplace Mr Higgins said he heard the accused say several times before he fired that "some of you people are frightened of a little bang"
Bedfordshire Times and Independent 7 November 1947

This Is the Last Will and Testament of me Crewe Alston
Of 130 Kimbolton Rd, Bedford MK41 9DN.
I hereby revoke all former Wills and testamentary dispositions made by me.
1. I appoint the partners at the date of my death in the firm of Sharman and Trethewy Solicitors of 1 Harper St, or such other firm which at the date of my death shall have seceded to and carries on its practice and I expressly wish the two and only two of the said partners shall prove my will in the first instance (hereinafter called my Trustees) to be the executors and trustees of this my will and I declare that the expression my trustees shall whether context so admits mean the Executors and Trustees for the time being of this my will.
2. I give free of tax to my sister Temperance Alston Payne of 266 Kensington Terrace Toowong Queensland 4066 Australia the sum of £150,000 absolutely.
3. I give devise and bequeath all my real and personal property not otherwise disposed of by this my will or any codicil hereto unto my trustees upon trust to sell call in collected convert the same into money with full power to postpone such sale calling in and conversion for such period as a think proper without being responsible for loss.
4. My trustees shall out of the monies to arise from the sale calling in and conversion of my said real and personal property and out of my ready money is pay my debts and funeral and testamentary expenses Inheritance Tax and/or all duties and taxes and shall stand possessed of the residue of the said monies and investments from time to time representing the same and of any part of my estate which remains unsold and unconverted in trust as to both capital and income for such of them John Anthony Alston and Valerie Alston as shall be living at my death and if more than one in equal shares absolutely
Provided that if the both said John Anthony Alston and Valerie Alston shall die in my lifetime then to such children of the said John Anthony Alston namely Paul Alston and Tony Alston as shall be living at my death and if more than one in equal shares absolutely.
5. Any of my trustees for the time being who was a Solicitor or other professional or businessman shall be entitled to charge and be paid all commissions and all usual professional and other fees for work done by him or his firm in connection with proving my will in executing its trusts including work outside the ordinary course of his profession or business and work which he could or should have done personally without abatement.
6. The standard provisions of the Society of Trust and Estate practitioners shall apply with the deletion of paragraph 5 and Section 11 of the Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees act 1996 shall apply.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand to this my will this 6th day of January 2003.
C Alston
signed by the said Crewe Alston in our presence and immediately thereafter by us in his presence and in the presence of each other:
Kelte Gregory Solicitor Bedford.
H M Kean Legal Secretary Bedford.

Susan Perrett writes 21 Apr 2012
"Crewe Alston brother of Temperance did marry but did not have children, he adopted a boy, who the son of his wife and re-named him Alston."
Accordingly this has been taken as the background to the beneficiaries of Crewes Will named above.

  Research Notes:

Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Record Service:
SMALLHOLDINGS AND ALLOTMENTS COMMITTEE (1892-1974)
Parish: STEVINGTON
ref. SH50/1/6 - date: 1910
Conveyance dated 4 April 1874 from William Gale Coles of Clovewood nr. Bristol (Som), esq., and John Folder of 52 Lincolns Inn Fields, gent., acting as trustees in exercise of powers in a Settlement of 2 Mar 1839, at the request and by the direction of Crewe Alston of Odell, esq., and Edgar Charles Baker of 52 Lincolns Inn Fields, gent, (according to estate and interest vested in him in such of the land as was conveyed in a Deed of 6 Nov 1850; see recitals) to the Duke of Bedford, for L19446 14s. 8d., of messuages, cottages, tenements, farms, lands, right of fishing and hereditaments comprising 292a. 39p. (scheduled (see below) and indicated on an accompanying plan) and all estate etc. but so nevertheless that nothing therein shall be deemed to operate as a Conveyance or Assurance or Release of the Manor of Stevington, its rights etc.
Recites (inter alia) Indentures of Lease, Appointment and Release of 1-2 Mar 1839 settling the land above (inter alia) including the Manor of Stevington and several farms (except parts subsequently acquired by exchange in 1850 (recited below) and a small portion which was waste of the Manor (see below) on Henry Frederick Alston, John James Kerr and George Leeke Baker subject to a term of 1200 years created by a Settlement dated 18 June 1816 for securing L10000 for portions for the younger children of Justinian Alston the older and the trusts of the term (except so far as such trusts were modified and controlled to certain uses for keeping on foot powers in the 1816 settlement during the life of JA senior) to HFA/JJA/GLB for 99 years (if JA senior should so long live) upon expressed trusts (recited), with several remainders over (recited), including trust to raise monies to discharge debts of JA senior etc.; power to borrow L10000 by way of Mortgage of the Odell Castle Estate; power to charge the same estate with raising portions under the 1200 year term; and trust for sale.
Also recites Appointment (10 Jan 1840) of H.F. Alston as new trustee and subsequent reassignment again involving GB as above; death of JA the elder (12 Jan 1848) and Crewe Alston becoming equitable tenant for life under the 1839 Settlement.

FILE ref. SH50/1/22 - date: 9 Dec 1935
Includes acknowledgement by the Lord to produce a conveyance of 17 Dec 1934 (Rowland Alison Alston (1), Herbert Walter Acland Troyle Francis Hugh Bonham-Carter and Sir Herbert Trustram Eve (2), RAA, Herbert Wykeman Lydall and Spencer Ruthven Thornton (3) and the Lord (4))

FILE ref. SH50/2/2 - date: 15-16 Nov 1773
Manor of Stevington: Court Baron of Thomas Alston, bart., Lord of the Manor before Jeremy Fish Palmer, steward

FILE ref. SH50/2/25 - date: 1 Jul 1858
(b) orchard adjoining, occupied by William Mackness (all at Park End, Stevington, the site containing 1r. 30p. bounded N. and E. by the Harrold-Bedford Rd., S. by land of Crewe Alston esq., and W. by other land of TK).
Ref A2A

  Other Records

1. Crewe Alston: Images from his life.
Second image with his sister Temperence

Crewe married Freda Elsie (RODDIS) [6389] [MRIN: 2141] on 2 Aug 1947 in Bedford Registery Office. (Freda Elsie (RODDIS) [6389] was born about 1918, died on 9 May 2000 in Bedford BDF and was buried on 11 May 2000 in Bedford BDF.)