280 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1814. 



Ihe former part of his life resided 

 in various parts of that country ; 

 but family differences induced him 

 to retire from it in 1802, the pe- 

 riod at which a separution by mu- 

 tual consent took place between 

 him and Mrs. Evans. From that 

 time Mr. Evans took up his resi- 

 dence in various parts of England, 

 and being in want of a person to 

 superintend his domestic arrange- 

 ments, he, in May, 1806, made 

 choice of Miss Fox for that pur- 

 pose, she having applied to him in 

 answer to an advertisement for a 

 governess to iiis niece. He was 

 shortly afterwards seized with a 

 paralytic affection, from the effects 

 of which, added to the increasing 

 infirmities of age, he suffered rcn- 

 siderably. Through the interfer- 

 ence of his son at this juncture, a 

 recoiiciliiition was effected between 

 the deceased and his wife, and he 

 accordingly invited her to take up 

 her residence with him, at Bron- 

 sea-castlt-, Dorset, his then resi- 

 dence. In October, 1807, she 

 complied with this invitation, and 

 then found Miss Fox ofKciating 

 in the su|)erintendance of Mr. 

 Evans's domestic affairs; but she 

 quitted Bronsea-castle in Novem- 

 ber following, in consequence of 

 the criminal intimacy which she 

 suspected to exist between Miss 

 Fox and Mr. Evans. From this 

 time Mr. Evans's health declined 

 considerably, and he travelled to 

 Cheltenham and various other 

 places for its re-establishment, ac- 

 companied by Miss Fox; but at 

 last took up his residence with her 

 at Harrow-villa, the scene of the 

 transaction in question. The will, 

 it appeared, was here drawn up 

 by the deceased, in the summer of 

 1809. Hf kepi it by him until 



the 5th of July, 1810, when he 

 ordered his carriage, intending to 

 drive to the house of his friend 

 Richard Cooke, Esq. at Caldecott- 

 hill, but meeting him on the road, 

 they returned together. They 

 proceeded into Mr. Evans's library, 

 where he told Mr. Cooke he had a 

 favour to ask of him, as he was 

 going to make bis will, and leave 

 him an executor, and pointing to 

 a drawer in the table, said he 

 would find the will there, adding, 

 how necessary it was f<>r every 

 body not to be without a will, but 

 particularly for him. The will 

 was then produced, and purported 

 to devise the testator's freehold 

 property to his son, subject to the 

 settlement made on his marriage 

 with Miss Lock, daughter of John 

 Lock, Esq. of America-square, 

 London. It also gave an annuity 

 of 600/. to Miss Fox, and another 

 of 200/. to Miss Nixon, during life, 

 secured upon certain copyhold 

 lands, ultimately reverting to Mr. 

 Francis Evans, jun. It also gave 

 to Mi.-s Fox any house the testator 

 might reside in at his death, with 

 the furniture, plate, linen, horses, 

 carriages, &c. ; and concluded 

 with a bequest to her of all the 

 rest of his personal property, and 

 appointed her and William John- 

 son, Esq. of Mortimer-street, Ca- 

 vendish-square, executors. Mr. 

 Evans then desired Mr. Cooke to 

 draw up the codicil, appointing 

 himself an additional executor, 

 and giving him and the other exe- 

 cutors 500/. each for their trouble, 

 which he accordingly did, and 

 both papers were then executed 

 in the presence of Mr. Fox, Miss 

 Fox's father, and another witness. 



The validity of these two instru- 

 ments was opjiosed by Mis. and 



