Virginia Woolf’s death duty record

Adeline Virginia Woolf (1882–1941), better known as Virginia Woolf, was a modernist author and part of the intellectual Bloomsbury Group. She started writing from 1900, pioneering a progressive style that included feminist themes and stream-of-consciousness narration. Some of her best-known novels include Mrs Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927).

Virginia married Leonard Woolf in 1912 and they had a long, loving relationship. Together they founded the Hogarth Press, which published much of her work. Virginia also had romantic relationships with women, including aristocratic author Vita Sackville-West. Virginia wrote her 1928 novel Orlando about Vita, since described as the ‘longest and most charming love letter in literature'. It's possible to trace their relationship in their own words.

Tormented throughout her life by her mental health, Virginia experienced severe depression, and was briefly institutionalised. She died by suicide on 28 March 1941, aged 59.

This death duty record confirms some of the key relationships in Virginia’s life. It is from a select series of death duty records relating to well-known people. These were originally created to capture how much death duty was paid on the estate of someone who died, similar to current inheritance tax records. Death duty accounts often include the name of the deceased, their address and last occupation, the value of their estate, and information about the beneficiaries of the deceased’s will. This was essentially part of the probate process, and documents Virginia’s wealth at the time of death from a variety of sources, including book royalties, shares and possessions.

Virginia’s occupation is given at times as ‘Author’ and at other times as ‘Married Woman’. Leonard and Virginia’s joint income from the Hogarth Press was also recorded. Although Virginia did not have great aristocratic wealth and land, the Woolfs’ assets, property and investments are notable. Leonard was executor for her estate. A note on the record suggests her will was originally filed in July 1930.

Virginia left various important people in her life money and possessions. Notable are other key Bloomsbury Group figures: her brother Adrian Stephen, sister Vanessa Bell and artist Duncan Grant. Another interesting addition is Nellie Boxhall, whom she employed as a domestic servant. The pair had fallen out after Nellie was accused of stealing, but Virginia still chose to recognise her.

Vita and Virginia’s intense relationship was clearly still important to Virginia at the end of her life. Described on the accounts as a ‘Stranger in blood’, the death duty record notes that Vita was gifted a manuscript selected by Leonard. He chose Mrs Dalloway, valued at £50. This is not as odd as it may seem – Virginia had given Vita the original manuscript of Orlando when it was written. Leonard himself received Virginia’s real estate and the rest of her personal estate.

Virginia is often remembered for her great literary works and untimely death. Formal archive records such as this offer telling insights into her more intimate relationships.