being dead you have no control - a court can set aside any provision in a will (though of course it needs a good reason to do so) - the old Manx 6p to all claimers was a supposed catch all but even here you will find cases of the courts setting aside parts of the will - the church which administered wills saw them as a way of providing for the children and other dependants. Most of the vicarious enjoyment can be found not in the will but in any associated court dispute. Most 18th C and earlier wills were the reported wishes - apart from the merchant (and fairly small middle) class a will was the thing left until ones death bed - the rise of near universal literacy in early 19th C and later actually saw the % of wills/capita decrease as small estates were no longer looked at.

There are some 6000-7000 summarised on MNb for easy perusal - any with 'dispute' usually indicates interesting reading.