Charles Dickens dictated the fashion at his funeral, and 29 other strange will requests


Did you know John Keats' will was just a single line of iambic pentameter? "My chest of books divide amongst my friends," Keats noted.
Our friends at Mental Floss compiled a list of some of the more interesting wills in recent memory. Benjamin Franklin left his daughter a portrait of King Louis XVI that contained 408 diamonds — but he specified that none of the diamonds should be made into jewelry. Charles Dickens, meanwhile, was a dictator from beyond the grave, asking that those who attended his funeral "wear no scarf, black bow, long hat band, or other such revolting absurdity."
Meanwhile, Patrick Henry warned his wife that she would lose her inheritance if she remarried after his death, and Shakespeare left his wife, Anne Hathaway, his "second-best bed." Check out all of the odd requests in the video below. --Meghan DeMaria
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
The Roses: Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch star in black comedy reboot
The Week Recommends 'Acidly enjoyable' remake of the 1980s classic features a warring couple and toxic love
-
Why reports of Donald Trump's demise are greatly exaggerated
In The Spotlight US president has once again brushed aside rumours that he's dead
-
Lose yourself in these magnificent mazes
The Week Recommends These fiendishly clever puzzles aren't just for kids
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play