Wow! A great bequest story.
A man has ‘named’ 20 towns in his will – giving each of them £11,000 simply because they share his surname.
Eric Douglas, from Edinburgh, will leave his name on the map after choosing 20 towns from across the globe as benefactors.
One town to receive the windfall was Douglas, on the Isle of Man, although town officials have been left surprised by the gesture from beyond the grave. Council leader David Christian said today: ‘There was around £220,000 left to 20 places across the globe that shared his surname. literally know nothing about the gentleman, apart from his name, and we were told by his lawyers that he was from Edinburgh.’
Mr Douglas left no indication how he wanted the money spent, and one early idea from the Isle of Man town is to provide inscribed benches in his memory.
Mr Christian added: ‘It’s been left to the town so we will definitely put it to good use, a nice quiet area in his memory would be a good idea.’
Little in yet known about Eric Gordon Douglas, but his solicitors have now sent out cheques totalling £10,887.73 the 20 towns.
Councillors on the Isle of Man first heard of the windfall at at a policy and resource committee meeting last month.
One councillor, David Ashford, said: ‘I was surprised. We do get bequests, but it’s rare for someone who has not got an association with the area to leave something.’
