What Constitutes Testamentary Capacity?

Banks v Goodfellow- The “Old Chestnut” Is Still The Leading Case

The most commonly cited criteria for testamentary capacity were established in the English case of Banks v Goodfellow.3 In this case, Lord Chief Justice Cockburn outlined his understanding of a “sound disposing mind”:

“It is essential that a testator shall understand the nature of the act and its effect; shall understand the extent of the property of which he is disposing; shall be able to comprehend and appreciate the claims to which he ought to give effect; and, with a view to the latter object, that no disorder of the mind shall poison his affections, pervert his sense of right, or prevent the exercise of his natural faculties: that no insane delusions shall influence his will in disposing of his property and bring about the disposal of it which, if his mind had been sound, would not have been made.”

These essential elements of the judgement are paraphrased and summarised in Table 1. These criteria represent the standard reference in the assessment of testamentary capacity and are repeatedly invoked in the international literature on the subject They form a reference base for most American and English commonwealth courts.

The essential elements of the Banks v Goodfellow judgement paraphrased from

Lord Chief Justice Cockburn.3

The testator/testatrix must be capable of understanding the nature of the act of making a will and its consequences, (i.e. the person understands what a will is. when it comes into effect, that it can be changed at a later date, the role of the executor, etc)
The testator/testatrix must be capable of understanding the extent of his/her estate, (i.e. property jointly or solely owned by them, other assets, insurance policies, etc)
Whilst the competent testator/testatrix will ultimately decide who the beneficiaries shall be, he/she must demonstrate understanding of the logical claims of those who might expect to benefit from his or her will. This applies to both those being included and those being excluded from the will.
The testator/testatrix must be capable of understanding the practical effect of the wilL (i.e. who receives what, the impact of the will on the beneficiaries and on those who are excluded, the impact on any previous will, the impact of any changes from a previous will, the impact of any conditions attached to the will, that a beneficiary might pre-decease him/her, etc)
The testator/testatrix must be free of any disorder of mind or delusions (i.e. mental illness) that shall influence his/her will and bring about a disposal of his/her property which, if his/her mind had been sound, would not have been made.

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