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Mystery man wills Tate £3m
AN elderly recluse from Highbury – who lived in a rented flat – has left a £3million to the Tate.
Neighbours at Highbury Crescent reacted in disbelief this week after they were informed that the local character, often seen out shuffling slowly to and from the shops, had been sitting on a fortune.
Nicholas Augustus Themans, who died aged 88 on January 29 this year, also left £50,000 to an anti-religious philosophical organisation, The Rationalist Society, headed by Sir Jonathan Miller.
His last will and testament was published in brief in the Daily Telegraph on Monday but for many of the recipients that was the first time they were aware of it – or indeed of Mr Themans.
At the Tate, which is due to receive a total of £3,321,232 net, a spokeswoman said yesterday that they couldn’t comment on the legacy until all the legal papers had been officially cleared. NatWest estates was dealing with probate.
Andrew Payne, TV playwright and neighbour at York House where Mr Themans lived, said his death was almost as extraordinary as his life.
Mr Payne who writes the popular Midsomer Murders series for ITV said: “He seemed a very nice bloke but hardly ever spoke to anyone – he was a virtual recluse. When he went out he kept his head down so you couldn’t engage him in conversation.
“The fact that he left all this money is quite incredible. He looked like he didn’t have two beans to rub together.
“He would have had the opportunity to buy his flat 30 years ago but didn’t bother. I understand when they cleared his flat out it hadn’t changed for 40 years. He was being cared for by Islington’s social services because he had fallen over several times was so frail.”
There was no information about Mr Theman’s job or next of kin. He left £50,000 to the Rationalist Benevolent Fund, which was closed down more than 20 years ago and is now absorbed with the Rationalist Association based in Gower Street.
Its president is Sir Jonathan Miller who lives in Camden.
Casper Melville, editor of the New Humanist magazine, which is part of the Rationalist movement, said they were delighted with the legacy, among the biggest in the organisation’s 150-year history.
The benevolent fund, he said, was set up almost 100 years ago and closed in 1992.
Mr Melville added: “The fund was established to ‘relieve the distress’ of non-religious Rationalists.”
Rationalists and Humanists support ethical and philosophical ideas that have been tested by experience and do not believe there is evidence to suggest supernatural gods or a God.
Mr Melville added: “The money will be used to promote the cause of Humanism and Rationalism.
“So far we can’t find anyone in our organisations who remembers Mr Themans, but we are speaking to our elderly members and going through our files.
“This is one way that Rationalists can reach out from beyond the grave.”
Another mystery is that Mr Themans also left £6,000 to St Andrew’s Day centre.
There are two St Andrew churches at opposite ends of the borough at Archway and the Angel but neither have run day centres within recent memory.
Rev Michael Learmouth at St Andrews in Thornhill Square Angel said: “I’ll contact some of our older parishioners to see if they remember a day centre. But being an obviously keen Humanist it is most unlikely he would have been a member of our church.”
Anyone with information about Mr Themans is asked to contact reporter Peter Gruner at the Tribune on 0207 424 3257. |
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