Lobster explained :
Seems a very reasonable way forward to me and I don't doubt the other
beneficiaries agree - that said, as a non-professional executor you aren't
actually allowed to charge expenses for your time in doing the job (which I
think is what you're saying happened). If the others had got stroppy they
could have demanded a full breakdown of the £1000, and declined to cover
anything not a genuine out-of-pocket expense.

They refused to provide any help at all, just greed and demands to get
paid. I invited them round several times to review the progress and the
ever increasing stack of paperwork it involved, plus the causes of the
delay in paying out - again they were not interested. They did become
interested, when I made it clear that the solicitors could claim all of
their cash, as fees - which was how I got them to agree to my dealing
with things alone.

Then came accusations that I was mis-handling it all, stealing the
cash, they would have been better not agreeing to the solicitors
renouncing their involvement. I wasn't of course, it was entirely above
board, fully documented and witnessed by an independent person, but it
didn't stop the threats and accusations they were making.

In the end, because of the mass of extra stress they had caused me, on
top of the stress of dealing with everything, I invited them to make a
donation to me - in view of the solicitors fees I had avoided. The fees
would have all come out of their cash anyway, I neither gained nor lost
in doing the work myself.