IN RE: RT. HON. SIR ROBERT BOND. DECEASED
Last Will and Testament. I Robert Bond of Whitbourne in the Island of Newfoundland Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George and a member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council do make this my last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all former Wills by me made. I bequeath unto my Executor hereinafter named all the real and personal property whatsoever and wheresoever of which I shall die possessed or entitled upon trust for the purposes hereinafter mentioned and declared that is to say for my Executor as soon as convenient after my decease to realize all my real and personal property and convert the same into money and to invest such money in Debenture Bonds of the Government of Newfoundland or of Canada, or in Canadian Provincial Bonds and to receive the whole of the interest derived from such investment and to pay the said interest to my nephew F. Fraser Bond for his sole use and benefit so long as he shall live, after first deducting from such interest sufficient money to meet other bequests set forth herein. And the said interest received from my estate shall pass entail to the descendants of my said nephew that is to say to the eldest male forever. And it is my will that should my said nephew die without male issue that then the whole of the interest received from my Estate shall be paid to my niece Roberta Bond for her sole use and benefit so long as she shall live, and after her decease it shall pass entail to the eldest male descendant of my said niece forever, provided he shall take and adopt my name and be known by such name alone. If my said niece Roberta Bond should die without issue it is my will that the whole of the interest of my Estate shall be paid to my brother the Reverend George John Bond for his sole use and benefit for and during the term of his natural life and that after his decease the whole of the principal of my Estate shall be paid to His Excellency the Governor and Executive Council of Newfound in trust for the establishment in Whitbourne aforesaid of an Industrial School in which shall be taught a practical course in different trades. It is my will that my Whitbourne Estate consisting of "The Grange" and nearly Eight square miles of fee simple land, upon which I have expended large sums of money and years of personal effort to render it an ideal property, shall be immediately transferred to His Excellency the Governor and Executive Council of this Colony to be held in trust by them for the people of Newfoundland as a Model Farm forever. If deemed advisable the land lying to the North of the Railway line may be sold by them but the Lakes and Lands to the South of the Railway line which passes through my property I desire shall be retained as part and parcel of the Model farm. Unless the Government aforesaid shall be prepared to take over the Cattle, horses, and farm stock, and the household furniture in "The Grange" paying to my Executor therefor the sum of ten thousand dollars it is my will that the same be removed to St. John's and sold at public auction. The insignia of my office as a Knight commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, my uniforms and robes, The Coronation Medal presented to me by His Majesty King Edward the VII. My jewelery and Silver plate, The Clocks, pictures, and twelve Coronation china goblets presented to me, Addresses received in my public capacity all papers relating to my public life, the pictures of the Colonial Conferences 1902 - 7. The three old Steel Engravings, family portraits and the Photos of the present King and Queen of England which bear their signatures and which they presented to me shall all pass to my heir and be kept as heirlooms. The Gold Casket containing the Freedom of the City of London, England, the Silver Casket containing the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh the Silver Gilt Casket containing the Freedom of the City of Bristol and the piece of Silver Plate presented to me with the Freedom of the City of Manchester I leave to the people of Newfoundland. I will that they be handed over at once to His Excellency the Governor of this Colony to be placed by him in the Museum in St. John's after a plate glass case specially designed in England, to hold the four pieces, and imported by my Executor shall be ready for their reception and it is my will that this gift shall be retained in the Museum forever. The Certificates of the Freedom of the Cities of London, Edinburgh, Bristol and Manchester which are in the Caskets are to pass to my heirs. The illuminated Address presented to me by the City of London, England, which is framed, and the illuminated Address, with roll of thousands of signatures that accompanied it, presented to me by the Victoria League of England, and all the natural history specimens in my residence, shot and mounted by me, I also bequeath to the Museum in St. John's. the Victoria League Address and Roll of Signatures that accompanied it are to be placed in a suitable plate glass case by themselves and all of my bequests to the Museum to be placed to themselves apart in the Museum. All my books, with the exception of the presentation volumes signed by the donars which I give to my heirs, I give to my brother the Reverend George John Bond.
My watch and chain and all jewelery that belonged to my dear mother I leave to my niece Roberta Bond all other jewelery to my nephew F. Fraser Bond.
It is further my will that my Executor shall pay out of the interest received from my Estate to my Cousin Sarah Roberts at present residing with me the sum of Five Hundred Dollars per annum as long as she shall live, and the sum of Five Hundred Dollars per annum to my niece Roberta Bond as long as she shall remain a spinster that after the death of my Cousin Sarah Roberts aforesaid a further sum of five Hundred Dollars shall be paid to my niece Roberta Bond so long as she shall remain a spinster.
It is also my will that the sum of Four Hundred Dollars be immediately paid to my Cook, Mary Ford, if she should be in my employ at the time of my decease in recognition of her long and faithful services.
I nominate my brother the Reverend George John Bond to be the Executor of this my last Will and Testament. In witness whereof I have signed these presents this twenty eighth day of December Anno Domini One thousand nine Hundred and fourteen. R. BOND. I hereby direct my Executor to erect a granite monument at least seven feet high, in the Church of England Cemetery here, at the foot of Mrs Roberts grave, which is to bear the following inscription, namely.- In memoriam
Sarah Roberts,
Born in Plymouth, Devon, England
October 27th. 1838.
Died at the Grange, Whitbourne
April 24th. 1924. The above inscription is to be engraved on brass or bronze plate to be jointly attached to face of the monument, and at the base of the monument another brass or bronze plate is to be attached bearing the following inscription, namely- This monument was erected in grateful remembrance by The Right Honourable Sir Robert Bond. F. C. K. C. M. G. L. L. D. of this Parish of Whitbourne. Written by me this third day of April 1925. R. Bond. INSTRUCTIONS : To the Executor under my Will.-
1. Whereas it has been the custom, for some years, for the Government of this Colony to tender a public funeral for former Prime Ministers, if such be done on my decease the offer is to be declined as in accord with my desire.
2. As a Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George I hold a seat in the Chapel of that Order, -Number 24- to which my name has been affixed in perpetuity by the King at Arms, - situate in St. Pauls Cathedral, London, England. Space was left on the name plate for the insertion of the date of my decease , and it will be necessary for my Executor to communicate with "The Prelate" Chancery of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, Colonial Office, Downing Street, London. S. W., so as to have the work performed.
3. As soon as possible after the burial of my body, in the family plot in the General Protestant Cemetery, the whole plot, following the line of the present railing, shall be walled in to a height of four feet, starting from a solid foundation; and the wall shall be of the best concrete at least eighteen inches wide . The whole space shall then be covered with a flat roof of reinforced concrete , in the centre of which there shall be set a bronze plate containing the names of all who are buried within the plot. And there shall be also be set into the concrete roof the piece of statuary that I erected to the memory of my dear mother. The present memorial Stone upon which the said piece of Statuary stands should then be defaced and sold to the Marble Works. The iron railing should also be sold. As my brother has a family plot of his own, and there is no other member of our family existing, after my decease and burial the plot should be permanently closed in the manner I have directed . The expense shall be defrayed out of my Estate, and my Executor shall make the same a first charge thereon. The obituary in my case to be inscribed on the bronze plate shall be as follows.- "The Right Honourable Sir Robert Bond F. C. K. C. M. G. L. L. D. Prime Minister of Newfoundland A.D. 1900-1909. Born February 25th 1857. Died "
4. The Glass case, referred to in my will, for the reception of the Freedom caskets is to be mounted on a mahogany Stand, and to be of the following dimensions, 5 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet high, with a platform in the Centre 22 inches by 15 inches, and 6 inches high, draped with crimson violet [sic] which will cover the whole floor of the case. The stand upon which the case shall nest to be 3 feet high. The Gold Casket (London) shall stand upon the platform in the centre of the case. The Edinburgh and Bristol Caskets on each side and the Manchester piece of Silver Plate, and the carved oak block from the Old Roman Bridge, presented to me by the City of Rochester, at each end of the case. The case to have a good lock, the key of which shall be delivered to the Governor of the Colony after the exhibits are placed in position in the Museum. At the base of each exhibit there shall be placed cards inscribed with indelible ink as follows, viz.-
1. "18 ct gold Casket presented to the Right Honourable Sir Robert Bond F.C.K.C.M.G.L.L.D. with the Freedom of the City of London. A.D. 1907."
2. "Silver & Gold Casket presented to the Right Honourable Sir Robert Bond F.C.K.C.M.G.L.L.D. by the City of Edinburgh A.D. 1902 with the Freedom of the City of Bristol A.D. 1907."
3. "Silver centre piece presented to the Right Honourable Sir Robert Bond F.C.K.C.M.G.L.L.D. with the freedom of the City of Manchester A.D. 1907."
4. "Silver casket presented to the Right Honourable Sir Robert Bond F.C.K.C.M.G.L.L.D. with the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh A.D. 1902."
5. "A Piece of the Old Roman Bridge at Rochester, England. (built about A.D. 80) presented to the Right Honourable Sir Robert Bond F.C.K.C.M.G.L.L.D. by the City of Rochester A.D. 1907." On the outside of the show case there shall be a brass plate with this inscription, namely.-
"Presented to the People of Newfoundland
by
The Right Honourable Sir Robert Bond F.C.K.C.M.G.L.L.D.
Prime Minister of Newfoundland
A.D. 1900 - 1909."
The illuminated address presented to me by the Victoria League of England and the Roll of Signatures which accompanied it are to be placed in a suitable plate glass case, the key of which shall also be delivered to the Governor of the Colony after the exhibits are placed in the Museum, and a card, and brass plate similar to the above, shall be attached thereto. The Address to be spread out so that it may be read; the card to be attached to the Roll inscribed with indelible ink as follows.- "This Roll which accompanied the Address of the Victoria League contains the signatures of several thousand of the British Nobility from all parts of Great Britain." the illuminated framed Address presented to me by the City of London to be screwed into the wooden case that was made for it, and is thus to be hung up in the Museum. It shall be delivered by hand so as to prevent any mishap. The Natural History Specimens should not be packed in cases, but carefully placed in a car to themselves when being forwarded to the Museum. They will require very careful handling, and must not be turned over. I have no doubt the Government will provide a Railway car for the purpose on request. R. BOND. P.S. I desire that all these exhibits for the Museum shall be placed together in the Museum and not scattered about. They should be given a space to themselves. R. BOND.
CORRECT.
William F. Lloyd
Registrar of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland.
(Listed in the margin next to this will the following)
Fiat March
29th 1927
Probate granted
to Rev.
George John
Bond.
April 1st.
1927.
Estate sworn
at $92,750.00
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