This study examines the last will of Somogy county judge József Boronkay, tracing his “wretched days” to provide an insight into the experiences of aging within his social milieu. A successful estate manager, public figure, lawyer, and family head, Boronkay was the victim of a robbery in 1806, which abruptly ended his active life and left him largely immobilized in his final years. While trying to secure the future of his estate and family, the elderly landowner experienced intense internal conflict. Boronkay’s instructions and admonitions bring into focus not only into his personal struggles, but also into the nobility’s mentality and changing time perception around the turn of the eighteenth century. His story sheds light on the protracted dissolution of feudal society and raises questions regarding contemporary notions of aging and inheritance.