WILLIAM RAWES OF BROMLEY

Will and Admon of William Rawes of Bromley, Kent. Made 6th February 1839. Proved 30th October 1839 at London. Prerogative Court of Canterbury. PRO PCC Prob.11/1917 f.381. (Swindale Line)
[Page 381a:]
I William Rawes of the parish / of Bromley in the county of Kent do make and ordain this my last Will / & Testament I recommend that my body to be buried in a decent manner / in the church yard of Bromley in Kent (if I die at or near that place) / as near my late dear Uncle Richard's grave as possible and that a / plain headstone be erected to mark the spot where my remains are / deposited inscribed to the memory of William Rawes Batchelor & I / also order that all my just debts together with the expenses of my / funeral be paid by my executors out of the property I die possessed of / before any legacies are paid and also that my executors are to receive all monies due to me. I give and bequeath to my two nieces my late / brother John's daughters Marianne & Elizabeth Rawes the sum of / One Hundred & Fifty Pounds each and if either of them should die before / their legacies become due the survivor is to have the sister's share / I also give and bequeath to my nephew John Nicholson and my niece / Mary Nicholson son and daughter of my late sister's Elizabeth and / Isabella Nicholson the sum of One Hundred Pounds each and if either / of them should die before their legacies become due the survivor is / the have the other's share I also give and bequeath to my two nieces / Elizabeth Mary Rawes and Sarah Rawes my late brother Richard's / daughters the sum of One Hundred and Fifty Pounds each and if either of / them should die before their legacies become due the survivor is to / have her sister's share I also give and bequeath to my sister in law / Elizabeth Rawes (widow of my late brother Robert) the sum of Fifty Pounds / and if she should be dead before the legacy becomes due then it is to lapse / to the residue of my property. To my nephew Isaac Rawes son of my / late sister Elizabeth I give and bequeath the sum of Fifty Pounds. I / bequeath my wardrobe to my brother Gerard and my books to my brother / Joseph. To each of my sister Mary Smith's Six children I give and / bequeath the sum of Fifty Pounds and if any of them should die before / their legacies become due the share or shares is or are to be divided / among the survivors. To my sister in law (and widow of my late / brother Richard) Elizabeth Rawes I give and bequeath the sum of / Fifty Pounds. To my sister in law and widow of my late brother John / (Elizabeth Rawes) I give and bequeath the sum of Fifty Pounds. To my / cousin William Thompson Rawes I give & bequeath the sum of / Twenty Pounds. To my cousin Robert Booth Rawes I give and / bequeath the sum of Twenty Pounds. To my cousin Mary Rawes of / Bromley I give and bequeath the sum of Twenty Pounds. To / Mary Savoy[?] I give and bequeath the sum of Ten Pounds. To

[Page 381b:]
Benjamin Nash of Bromley I leave the sum of Ten Pounds. I give and / bequeath to my sister Mary Smith an annuity of Forty Pounds per annum / to be secured to her in her own and my brother Joseph Rawes names / in the three per cent consols of which money after the decease each of / her six children are to have One Hundred Pounds in the three per / cent consols. My two nieces Mary Anne Rawes and Elizabeth Rawes / daughters of my late brother John each to have half a hundred in the / three per cent consols. My two nieces Eliz: Mary Rawes & Sarah / Rawes each to have half a hundred of the three per cent consols. My / nephew John Nicholson & niece Mary Nicholson son and daughter / of my late sisters Elizabeth and Isabella each to have half a hundred / of the three per cent consols. My brother Gerard Rawes and my nephew / John Gerard Rawes each to have One Hundred Pounds in the three / per cent consols, the rest of the three per cent consols which complete / Mary's Annuity. I give to my brother Joseph Rawes in consideration of / his receiving and paying Mary's Annuity twice a year my freehold estate / at Swindale Head in the parish of Shap in the county of Westmorland And I / give and bequeath to my brother Gerard Rawes in consideration of his / paying Four Hundred Pounds towards paying the legacies left by me. The / Residue of my property after the legacies are paid and my sister's / annuity is secured I give and bequeath to my brother Gerard Rawes my / brother Joseph Rawes and my nephew John Gerard Rawes (my late / brother John's son) to be equally divided among them, my executors are / to dispose of all my property in the public funds / the three per cent consols / except £1333 [followed by a one third symbol] which is to remain in my brother Joseph Rawes and my / sister Mary Smith's names for her annuity. In case John Gerard / Rawes should die before his share of the residue of the property becomes / due without issue born in wedlock his share is to be equally divided / between his two sisters Marianne Rawes and Elizabeth Rawes and / in case either my brother Joseph or Gerard should be without issue / born in wedlock before the residue of the property becomes due then / their share must go to the survivors in case any of the three mentioned / for the residue of my property die and leave children born in wedlock / then their father's share of the residue of the property after the / legacies are divided shall be equally divided among those children / I do hereby appoint my brother Joseph Rawes & my brother Gerard / Rawes to be the whole and sole executors of this my last Will and / Testament utterly revoking disannulling and disavowing any other will / Testament legacy bequest or executors by me heretofore named satisfying / and confirming this and no other to be my last Will and Testament. In / witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this sixth day / of February one thousand eight hundred and thirty nine - William / Rawes [signs] - Signed sealed and pronounced by the said William Rawes / as his last Will and Testament in the presence of us and who in his presence / and in the presence of each other hereunto subscribe our names / John Nash, Bromley, Kent - Joseph Nash do do - Thomas Parsons do do.

Proved at London 30th October 1839 before the Worshipful Fodour[??] / Thomas Pratt Doctor of Laws and Surrogate by the Oath of Joseph / Rawes the brother one of the executors to whom admon was granted / having been first sworn duly to administer Power reserved of making / the like grant to Gerard Rawes the brother also the other Executor / when he shall apply for the same

Notes:-
Marianne is sometimes spelt 'Mary Anne'.

The exact relationship between the Nicholson's and the Rawes family is unclear. It appears that both Elizabeth and Isabella had children by Nicholson's, however no marriage has been traced. Elizabeth had a natural son called Isaac.

William Thompson Rawes, Robert Booth Rawes and Mary Rawes were the children of Richard and Mary Rawes of Bromley. Richard was the elder brother of Gerard Rawes, William's father.

William states: "To my sister in law and widow of my late brother John (Elizabeth Rawes) ....". There appears to be a mistake here as John's widow was Ann. William's brothers Richard and Robert both married Elizabeths and both are previously mentioned in the will as beneficiaries. This leaves us with John's widow Ann, who is also mentioned in other documents. It therefore appears correct to replace the insert (Elizabeth Rawes) with (Ann Rawes).

Transcribed from the original by Bryant Bayliffe, 2003