There are many ways to support a cause or an institution near to your heart, and a ‘deed of variation’ legacy is an important option to know about. I am always learning something new about the finer points of legacy giving and am eager to share these insights, which I hope can help with estate planning. 

In the case of the late Sylvia and Ian Young, not only does their fascinating legacy philanthropy story fold into their wider family, but it also features an unusually powerful connection to the beneficiary institution—in this case: the University of Cambridge’s Whipple Museum of the History of Science. 

The Whipple Museum takes its name from Robert Stewart Whipple (1871-1953), who presented his collection of 1,000 scientific instruments and a similar number of rare books to the University in 1944. Whipple had a life-long connection with the world of scientific instruments: his father, George Mathews Whipple, was a scientist and later superintendent of the Royal Observatory at Kew, and Whipple started his working life as an assistant at Kew and later became assistant manager at instrument maker L. P. Casella. He came to Cambridge in 1898 as a personal assistant to Horace Darwin (the youngest son of Charles Darwin), the founder of the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company. Whipple rose to become managing director of the firm and later its chairman.

Professor Ian Robert Young, grandson of Robert Whipple, and his wife Sylvia unsurprisingly felt a strong bond to the Museum and the people who work there. Both enjoyed their regular visits to Cambridge and were keen supporters of the Museum’s work. Their interest and dedication are shared with equal enthusiasm by the next two generations of the family, the great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren of Robert Whipple. The family’s deep-rooted engagement and vision led to the establishment of Ian and Sylvia’s gift—designed to set up a learning fund for the Whipple—as a ‘deed of variation’ legacy.

A Deed of Variation might be a new concept for those of us not closely acquainted with the law around Wills. 

After someone dies, a Deed of Variation makes it possible for the beneficiaries to make changes to the distribution of the estate instead of directly following the terms of the will or the rules of intestacy.  

There are several reasons why changing the distribution of an estate may be desirable, including: 

• Making the distribution equal among the beneficiaries 
• Providing for someone who was not included in the Will, such as a grandchild who was born after the Will was made 
• Providing for someone to whom the rules of intestacy do not apply, such as a partner or stepchild 
• Tidying up any uncertainty in the Will 
• Inheritance tax planning reasons, such as including a charity as a beneficiary, to reduce the amount of inheritance tax that needs to be paid by the estate