CUL-DAR262.11 Family papers ~ accounts
One of my last contributions to the Darwin Online Project was the sorting of the manuscripts in DAR262. This unbound volume consists of 28 sub-volumes (CUL-DAR262.1 to CUL-DAR262.28). There are 2108 images in the volume at the Cambridge University Library Archive. The volume is described as ‘Down House manuscripts: Darwin biographical material and correspondence.’ For descriptions of each individual volume see here. I had assigned each image in the archive to its corresponding DAR number and transcribed a number of them. There are no transcriptions at the Darwin Manuscripts Project.
One of the more surprising and delightful volumes for me is DAR262.11— papers and notes concerning Darwin’s accounts and the shares owned by him and Emma, among other family papers and printed materials. There are Darwin’s ‘Calculations of Gain & Loss on Railway & Dock Shares’, ‘Valuations of property, stocks and shares’, a list of Emma Darwin’s shares, etc. Darwin’s banker son William was naturally tasked with valuation of Down House and providing advice on other monetary matters. These papers were entrusted to Osbert John Radcliffe Howarth1 in August 1940. Howarth was the curator of Down House from 1929-1954.
The selected transcription below, CUL-DAR262.11.17, is my copy before it was given to the Darwin Online Project and thus has not been edited by anyone else but me.
[page 1]
Jun 28′ 1879 Horace
In July 1871. William carefully estimated al value of our property & ascertained that on my & my wife’s death each son wd receive £30,500. Since then I have saved so much that the sum will will amount to about £33,000. By Erasmus’ will each child will receive some thousands & by Mr Rich’s bequest several thousand more. Therefore each of my sons will receive at least, £40,000.
At present I allow each son 400£ annually, (including property worth a little more than 100 £ annually made over to these, & half a year ago I determined to divide annually the overplus of my income, which if this were only £1900 wd give £300 to each son, & this will make £700 a year to each son. But probably it will be more more, for having during the last 10 years I have invested on an average annually £2728; & this would give to each son an income of £429 making whole income £829. But of course my income may fall off a little.—
June 25. 1879— C. Darwin [End]
“OSBERT JOHN RADCLYFFE HOWARTH was admitted in 1888. He went up to Oxford where he was elected University Scholar in Geography in 1901. He became Geographical Assistant to the Editor of the Encyclopaedia Britannica in 1904. From 1909 until 1946 he was first Assistant Secretary and later Secretary to the British Association. He was author of several textbooks, and was joint editor of the Oxford Survey of the British Empire. He married in 1909 Eleanor, daughter of the late Stephen Paget. He was recently Curator of the Darwin Memorial at Down House.” ~ The Elizabethan, vol. 26, no. 8, issue no. 608 (August 1954), p. 116.