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Major General Robert Bowles' origin, his military career, his marriage late in life and just prior to his own death and the resulting court case regarding the legitimacy of his heir, an only son born after his death who later settled and raised a family in the Netherlands, does not need to be repeated on my pages as it is comprehensibly covered in the fully researched and well written paper here: The Bowles of Wageningen and Their English Roots by Jan Ritsema van Eck
My sincere appreciation to Jan for making his excellent paper available to me for my site
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His Will is dated Mar. 20, 1812 with a codicil dated Sept. 4, 1812
Probate granted Mar. 24, 1813
Will extracts: His property: a Heritable Bond for 10,000 pounds due from Patrick Crawford Bruce (an executor) secured on the Barony and other estates of Glenely in Inverness and 3% Consolidated Bank Annuities & East India Stock His bequests: to Patrick Crawford Bruce 500 pounds in 3% Consolidated Bank Annuities to Samuel Herbert (another executor) the same for their troubles in the execution of his Will an additional 500 pounds in the same to Samuel Herbert to Richindid Fulcher wife of James Fulcher 500 of the same to Patrick Crawford Bruce, John Morris and Samuel Herbert 12,000 pounds of the same that they shall pay the dividends of to Elizabeth Bowles the mother of Eliza Isabella Bowles Herbert Alden who was born Jan. 9, 1805 whom he adopts as his daughter or to any other person the said Elizabeth Bowles shall appoint to manage that sum until the daughter is 21 or dies if my wife shall die before my daughter reaches age 21 then any sum not required to maintain and educate my daughter to be added to my accumulated principle if my daughter reaches 21 the trustees are to pay Elizabeth Bowles the yearly sum of 100 pounds for her life and to the daughter and to transfer the 12,000 pounds to Elizabeth Bowles or to the child or amongst all the children if more than one of the daughter when they each reach the age of 21 and if the daughter shall remain unmarried or have no child or shall die under the age of 21 then the sum to the sole use of Elizabeth Bowles with the benefit of survivalship (of the daughter) half to his nephew Henry Bowles and half to Elizabeth Bowles to my executors 6000 pounds of the same annuity upon trust to my executors 4000 pounds of the same annuity upon trust to my nieces Sarah Woodrow and Elizabeth Woodrow daughters of my deceased sister Sarah Woodrow and to my nieces Elizabeth Newby, Sarah Hapgood wife of Thomas Hapgood, and Mary Hooper wife of Robert Hooper and Ann Bolingbroke daughter of my deceased sister Elizabeth Bolingbroke 1,500 pounds of the same 3% annuity to each of them to Sarah Neale spinster and to my goddaughter Maria Louisa pritchard daughter of George Pritchard 100 pounds each of the same annuity to my executors 2000 pounds of the same annuity upon trust In the codicil doubts have arisen in my mind of the legality of the divorce by decree of the Court of Commissioners in Scotland pronounced between Henry Alden and his then wife whom I have since married and wishing that whether his marriage be considered valid or not that all the bequests he has made to her to still take effect and to confirm that I direct all my money, property and effects to two of his executors, John Morris of Baker Street and Samuel Herbert of the Borough in trust for the sole benefit of my wife Elizabeth for which she just has to submit her receipts to the executors (they have no say over her expenses) and she may assign this benefit in her last Will and testament. The sums expended at the end show that 12,000 pounds were assigned to the two executors under the terms of the codicil (that would go to his wife), the said sums to meet his individual bequests and 12,000 pounds to his executors for their own disposal (this would be the half share that Robert had stated would go to his nephew Henry) After all those expenditures were made the executors had 710 pounds left over that would have been divided between his wife and his nephew.
The following papers, which were filed in 1833 when his son married in the Netherlands, give an excellent account of General Bowles' son Robert Bowles Jr's very complex early life.
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