Most last wills and testaments are about as exciting as a filing cabinet: who gets the house, how to split the savings, maybe a sentimental heirloom or two.
But every so often, someone uses their will to make a dramatic statement, pull one last prank, or keep controlling things from beyond the grave.
That’s when ordinary estate planning turns into a story your lawyer will be telling at dinner parties for years.
In this deep dive into unusual last wills and testaments, we’ll look at odd bequests, strange conditions, and the occasionally spoiled pet who ends up richer than most humans.
Along the way, we’ll unpack what these weird wills say about love, ego, control, and legacyand what they can teach you about writing a will that’s memorable for the right reasons.
Why Do Some Wills Get So Weird?
A last will and testament is a powerful document. It lets you decide who gets your property, name guardians for kids, and leave gifts to people or charities you care about.
But that same power can tempt some people to:
- Send a final messagesweet, petty, or downright savage.
- Control behavior long after they’re gone, with strings attached to inheritances.
- Create a legacy people can’t ignore, even if it means making the whole world raise an eyebrow.
The result? A long history of weird wills that include everything from fortunes left to animals to hair-obsessed emperors and mustache bans.
Let’s walk through ten of the most unusual last wills and testaments ever recorded.
10 Unusual Last Wills And Testaments
1. Virgil: “Please Burn My Masterpiece”
Roman poet Virgil spent years working on the Aeneid, the epic poem that would later become one of the foundational texts of Western literature.
Yet according to historical accounts, his dying wish was shockingly simple: he wanted his unfinished manuscript burned rather than published.
Luckily for every Latin student (and unluckily for Virgil’s perfectionism), the emperor Augustus ignored this request and had the work preserved and published anyway.
It’s one of the earliest examples of a clash between an artist’s posthumous wishes and the perceived “greater good” of culture and history.
Lesson learned: a will can express your wishesbut powerful people, courts, or even public interest may not always cooperate if those wishes are extreme or impossible to enforce.
2. William Shakespeare: The Second-Best Bed
William Shakespeare, the world’s most famous playwright, left one of history’s most side-eye-inducing bequests.
In his will, he left his wife, Anne Hathaway, his “second-best bed.”
Scholars still debate whether this was a romantic gesture (the “marital bed” they actually used) or a subtle insult, since the best bed was often reserved for guests.
Either way, that single line has fueled centuries of speculation about what Shakespeare’s marriage was really like.
From an estate-planning perspective, it’s a reminder that symbolic gifts can overshadow everything else.
You can leave a house, money, and landbut people may only remember the one emotionally charged item you singled out.
3. Napoleon Bonaparte: Hair Today, Hair Tomorrow
Napoleon Bonaparte, never one to do anything quietly, gave even his grooming habits historical significance.
In his will, he requested that his head be shaved after his death and that his hair be divided among his close friends and family.
Some historians think this was an intimate gestureoffering a keepsake to those closest to him.
Others speculate he was worried about poisoning being detected in his remains and wanted samples preserved. Either way, the result was a collection of hair relics that would make any modern forensic scientist curious.
This example shows how personal relicslocks of hair, letters, personal itemscan become powerful symbols long after the person is gone.
4. Benjamin Franklin: No Fancy Jewelry, Please
Founding Father Benjamin Franklin had a quirky side that definitely made its way into his will.
Among his bequests was a picture frame with more than 400 diamonds, left to his daughterwith a note saying he did not want her to take the gems out to make jewelry, which he considered vain and wasteful.
Franklin also set up funds to support education in Boston and Philadelphia, structured so they would grow slowly over centuriesa long-term experiment in compound interest and civic responsibility.
He’s a great example of how a will can mix moral instructions, financial creativity, and personal quirks into one document.
5. Henry Budd: The Mustache Ban
Victorian gentleman Henry Budd left his sizable fortune to his two sons but added a clause with a hairy twist:
if either son ever grew a mustache, he’d lose his share of the inheritance, and the money would go to the clean-shaven brother instead.
Budd apparently believed mustaches were a showy military affectation and wanted his sons to look like respectable civilians.
Whether you agree with him or not, the condition shows how specificand frankly pettysome will clauses can become.
Modern courts are often wary of conditions that restrict personal freedom too heavily, but “incentive clauses”rewarding or penalizing behaviorare still a thing in estate planning.
6. Heinrich Heine: “You Have to Remarry”
German poet Heinrich Heine took one last, darkly comic jab at his wife in his will.
He left his estate to her on the condition that she remarryso that, as he reportedly put it, “there will be at least one man to regret my death.”
It’s a perfect example of how a will can become a vehicle for bitter humor and unresolved relationship tension.
Whether or not his wife took the deal, the line has survived as one of literature’s most cutting posthumous punchlines.
Today, conditions tied to marriage, religion, or lifestyle can sometimes be challenged in court if they’re seen as against public policybut that hasn’t stopped people from trying.
7. Ben Rea and Blackie: The Millionaire Cat
British antiques dealer Ben Rea wasn’t interested in leaving money to his relatives.
Instead, when he died in 1988, he left the bulk of his wealtharound £7 million (about $12.5 million at the time)to his cat, Blackie, along with several cat charities.
Blackie became famous as the world’s wealthiest cat, with a fortune carefully structured so it would benefit both the feline and organizations dedicated to animal welfare.
The family, meanwhile, got nothing.
Pet trusts like this are increasingly common (though usually on a smaller scale).
The lesson: if you really want to provide for your animals, your will can absolutely do thatbut don’t be surprised if disinherited relatives get very interested in contesting it.
8. Leona Helmsley: Trouble the Dog and $12 Million
Real estate mogul Leona Helmsley, nicknamed the “Queen of Mean,” left one of the most infamous pet inheritances of all time.
When she died in 2007, she left $12 million in trust for her Maltese dog, Trouble, while cutting two grandchildren out of her will entirely.
A judge later reduced Trouble’s trust to $2 million and redirected some of the money to the grandchildren and charity, but even the reduced amount was more than enough for gourmet dog food and full-time security.
Yessecurity. After the story went public, the dog reportedly received kidnapping threats.
Helmsley’s will is a case study in how highly publicized, unusual bequests can trigger legal challenges and public backlash, especially if they seem vindictive.
9. Eleanor Ritchey: 150 Dogs and a Huge Estate
Florida heiress Eleanor Ritchey took pet love to the next level.
When she died in 1968, she left her entire multimillion-dollar estate to care for her roughly 150 dogs.
By the time the legal disputes were settled years later, the estate had grown to around $14 million, and the remaining dogs shared in the funds.
After the last dog died, the rest of the money went to Auburn University to support animal disease research, turning a very unusual pet provision into long-term funding for veterinary science.
This shows how a quirky will can still have a serious philanthropic impact, even if the path from “dog food” to “research grants” is a little unconventional.
10. John Bowman: Dinner for Ghost Guests
Vermont businessman John Bowman believed that he and his deceased wife and daughters would one day be reunited.
In his will, he created a trust of about $50,000 to maintain his 21-room mansion and pay servants to prepare a full dinner every single nightjust in case the family returned and was hungry.
For decades, staff kept setting the table and cooking meals for guests who never arrived, until the trust eventually ran out.
The house is now a historic site, and the story has turned into local legend.
It’s a haunting example of how a will can carry a deep emotional storyin this case, grief and hopefar beyond the life of the person who wrote it.
What These Strange Wills Teach Us
As entertaining as these stories are, unusual last wills and testaments offer serious lessons about how we use money, power, and planning to shape our legacy.
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Wills can be challenged. Extreme conditions, disinherited heirs, or unclear language often send families to court.
That’s what happened with pet inheritances like Trouble the dog and several large animal estates. - Emotions outlast numbers. Shakespeare’s “second-best bed” or Heine’s remarriage condition are remembered far more vividly than the rest of their estates.
- Conditions have limits. Courts may refuse to uphold clauses that are discriminatory, against public policy, or impossible to enforce.
- Charity and quirkiness can coexist. Franklin’s educational funds or Ritchey’s eventual support for animal research show that a will can be both eccentric and impactful.
If you’re drafting your own will, these stories are a fun reminder to balance personality with practicality.
By all means, leave that odd heirloom or write a touching final messagebut try not to set up a mustache surveillance regime.
Real-World Experiences with Unusual Wills
Talk to estate-planning attorneys and you’ll quickly learn that unusual wills are not just historical curiositiesthey still show up in modern conference rooms and court filings.
While the details differ, the emotional pattern is surprisingly consistent: shock, confusion, and then a scramble to figure out what the law will actually enforce.
Families often walk into a will reading expecting a predictable breakdown of assets.
Instead, they might hear that a large portion of the estate is going to a pet trust, a charity no one has heard of, or a friend they barely know.
In some cases, there’s a condition attached: a beneficiary must stay in a certain profession, remain unmarried, or follow a particular belief system to receive their inheritance.
Those conditions can trigger bitter disputes and long, expensive probate fights.
Lawyers report that the most explosive reactions often don’t come from being left out completelyit’s being targeted by a very specific clause.
Imagine discovering that a parent left you a token amount with a note explaining why you weren’t trusted with more, or that a sibling got a significantly larger share because they stayed geographically close or chose a certain career.
Even if the will is legally valid, it can leave emotional fractures that never fully heal.
There are also quieter, more poignant experiences.
Some clients use eccentric instructions not to control others, but to tell a story.
One person might ask for a small annual gathering funded in their memory, turning their will into a long-term excuse for family reunions.
Another might arrange for scholarships in a field that meant everything to them, attaching a heartfelt letter explaining why that cause matters.
These provisions may look “unusual” on paper, but in practice they act as anchors for family identity and shared values.
Professionals who work in probate also see the practical fallout when unusual provisions are drafted without legal guidance.
A will that tries to micromanage trivial behaviorlike hair length, clothing choices, or romantic relationshipsmight be unenforceable or so vague that no one knows what to do with it.
That confusion can drain the estate in legal fees, leaving less for everyone, including the causes the person genuinely cared about.
On the flip side, some of the most successful “weird wills” are the ones where the eccentricity is paired with solid planning.
The money for a beloved pet is placed in a clear trust, with a realistic amount and a designated caretaker.
Charitable gifts are properly described, with backups in case a specific organization no longer exists.
Personal messages are kept in a separate letter, so the will itself stays focused and legally clean while still preserving the testator’s voice.
For anyone thinking about their own estate plan, the takeaway is simple:
You don’t have to write a boring willbut you do want a workable one.
If you feel tempted to add a quirky condition or dramatic gesture, it’s wise to talk with a qualified attorney who understands both your goals and your local laws.
That way, your legacy can be memorable without becoming a cautionary tale in someone else’s article about unusual last wills and testaments.
And if you’re ever on the receiving end of a strange will?
Take a breath, remember that a lot of emotionlove, fear, humor, controlgets poured into these documents, and get good legal advice before you react.
Not every condition will hold up in court, and sometimes the quirkiest part of a will is more symbolic than binding.
In the end, the best outcome is one where the law is respected, the deceased’s values are honored as far as possible, and the living find a way to move forward without letting one unusual document define their entire relationship.
