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Rua des Brogers
20th Sepr 1872
My beloved Sons
Having written / my Will this morning which I / trust V.D.[*] to sign one day soon /
I will now express further my / feelings in anticipation of my / being called away from you all, / to join
those dear ones gone before, / & to receive each one of you in Gods / own time where there is no more / sorrow,
but all eternal bliss- / You each of you well know how / you have contributed to lessen my / difficulties and
anxieties by your / generosity for year past, & I cannot / express my gratitute, and the com- / fort you have
been to your widow- / ed Mother- To Frank I feel a deep / debt of gratitute for so generously / continuing the
same home for me /
[* Deo Volente]
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and my darling Mary. I wish him / and Mary to continue the use of my / furniture, plate, & other house hold /
goods so long as they continue un- / married- You all know my greatest / anxiety is for Mary & I fondly hope /
you will all of you make her an / especial care, I grieve deeply for her / delicacy of constitution & peculiar
tempe / -rament, & I well know better than you / possibly can, how she is wrapped up in me / & how hard it will
be for her to part with / me, to her I shall be a much greater loss / than to any of you, & I trust you will /
comfort her & make her future life / as happy & bright as you can when I / am gone- It is difficult for me to
sug- / gest any arrangement for the future, / I think shortly after my death it would / be better to divide my
pictures & books / among you three & Mary as such things / will not materially lessen the comforts / of the
home & will be a rememberance / from me- of course Frank will have /
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Mr Curteis' likeness James & Mary / the three Cumberland views, one the / large one & the other the pair, &
Frank / the small water coloured picture / of Keswick painted by his dear / father near to his sister Mary
(Mrs Clark's / In this way you will each of you have / a rememberance of poor Papa's native / land- The rest
of the pictures & books / divide amongst you except the Family / Bible which I give Frank- Whenever / the
division of furniture plate &c / takes place I wish Frank to have / the large salva, & large Jug the latter I
/ have always considered his being given / to me by dear Papa at Fs birth- I / wish Wilson to have the large
pair of / Candlesticks like those I gave James at / his marriage - I wish Mary to have the / Tea Pot, milk jug,
& small pair of candle / sticks- I wish my grandchildren / Steve & Inez to have a rememberance / also- Steve
the small salva & Inez my / bed room candlestick if alive at the
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time of this division, also give Stephen / my son in law the old fashioned em- / bossed Ale Mug with my love
the rest divide as / you all like- I wish Frank to keep / his Papa's wardrobe & my old fashioned / scriptoire
Mary my bed, piano, & work / table (drawing room) Frank must keep / his Papa's watch, James has his writing /
desk & to Wilson I give his spy glass- If my / sister Jane survives me give her my gold / brooch with poor
Papas likeness in it & Inez / my dear granddaughter a ring with one / brilliant to keep for my sake the rest of
/ my trinkets & my wardrobe are of course / Mary's except any little thing I may give / or request to be given
as a rememberance / of me I do not think there is any / thing else to express except my constant / desire that
your future lives may / be blessed with health & prosperity to a / good old age - again recommending dear /
Mary to your care Accept the fond love / of your affectionate Mother
M E Rawes
God bless you all
Notes:-
Mary was her daughter.
For further details of Mr. Curteis's likeness, see the correspondence on Mr. Curteis.
The small water-coloured picture of Keswick is in the possession of the family of Michael Rawes of Cumbria,
grandson of Frank Rawes.
Copied by Julian Rawes of Cheltenham, 1997.
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