Woman who inherited disputed estate ‘gained from another will’

A WOMAN who inherited her elderly partner’s estate, which her Oxford don son claims was meant for him, allegedly received £2.5million from another spinster’s will.

Wendy Cook, 53, inherited the estate of her civil partner, Dr Jean Weddell, after she died in 2013, six years after the pair wed when Ms Weddell was 78.

Dr Weddell’s son, Prof Christopher Gosden, the director of the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Oxford, is taking legal action against a firm of solicitors after he discovered that his mother’s £710,000 Edwardian house in Kennington, south London, was sold without his knowledge five years prior to her death.

Now it has been reported that Miss Cook, a former barrister, had previously allegedly inherited £2.5 million from Jean Southworth QC, a former judge and Bletchley Park codebreaker.

Miss Southworth reportedly died in 2010 aged 83 from septicaemia, leaving the largest proportion of her £5.3million fortune to Miss Cook.

Before her death she is said to have sold her £2million Bayswater home to move to the Isle of Wight with Miss Cook.

Former neighbours of Miss Southworth likened her to fellow Bletchley Park veteran Baroness Trumpington, who died last week, with one adding: “They were both powerful, amazing women.”

Neighbours of Miss Cook told the Daily Mail: “Wendy seemed to adopt old people – and ended up living with these two Jeans here.”

The case, which will commence in the High Court later this year, does not involve a claim against Miss Cook, who is not a party to the legal action.

Speaking last night, Prof Gosden refused to comment. Miss Cook was approached by The Daily Telegraph for comment.