08 Mar 1849

Mrs Richard Bevan
Brighton
March 8th 1849

[In pencil] Out of date
Null & Void

In making so large a settlement on my wife, it may be thought that I have exceeded the bounds of justice to my children - but I act thus on consideration of her having devoted so many years of her life to their welfare ^her great affection for me & those dear to me, and fully believing that in the expenditure of her income she will consider their interests in every respect and consider herself as a trustee of so liberal an income for their benefit - After providing for her own necessary wants and comforts an overplus [sic] & excess of income will remain, which I am confident she will as occasion may arise make over to my children from time to time - This I strongly urge on her in preference to accumulating capital - She will see also the necessity of her making a will immediately after my decease - but as the legacy duty will be heavy, my children will be great losers on what is left to them by her after her death - it is on this account that that I wish her not to accumulate.

I am also quite sure that she will not omit to support objects of charity of ^such evangelical society as are constituted on liberal principles - remembering that I am a Dissenter from the constitution and several of the services of the Church of England

As long as my daughters remain unmarried I earnestly hope  & trust that my wife & they will live together believing that her good sense & piety ^& devotedness to their welfare will be more beneficial  ^and blessed by God to them---
Richard Bevan
Brighton
March 8th
1849

I earnestly hope that my children will will [sic] treat my wife with the consideration and affection she so much deserves from them. - We all need to cultivate ^more patience, forbearance gentleness & peace & thus to learn of and follow our much & lowly Master & only Saviour, God manifest in the flesh. To whom only be Glory for ever
Since writing the above I have found that I have miscalculated the amount of my dear wife’s income not having taken into consideration what she will derive from that which is settled upon her after her fathers Decease - I have therefore thought it right to reduce that which I bequeath her one hundred a year - she will therefore have made from me £700 a year besides what she will have of her own - this is I think as much as I can in justice to my children bequeath to her, and I am sure ^that she will be perfectly satisfied with this arrangement

April 17th 1849