ROUSE, Evelyn Augusta
Evelyn Augusta Rouse was born at Walton-on-Thames, Surrey and baptised at Weybridge, Surrey on 14 April 1867, daughter of Revd Rolla Charles Meadows Rouse (1832-23 March 1904) and his wife Mary née Kirkman, who married at Woodbridge, Suffolk in 1856. Her father Rolla was born at Brighton, Sussex but baptised at Great Bealings, Suffolk on 5 December 1832 and after several curacies, Rolla was vicar of Southwold 1867-1870, rector of Woodbridge 1870-1887, when the family had returned to live at Seckford Street, Woodbridge, and rector of Rayleigh, Essex 1887-1904. Evelyn studied at the Ipswich School of Art and in 1884 won 1st prize in the Flower & Still Life exhibition. In 1880, 13-year-old Evelyn exhibited at the Woodbridge Fine Art Exhibition at New Street Assembly Rooms, two watercolours 'Flower Piece' and 'Leaves from Nature' and in 1883 two further watercolours which won third prize to Laura Churchyard. In 1881, a 14-year-old, living at The Rectory, Drybridge Hill, Woodbridge with her parents, 48-year-old Rolla and 50-year-old Mary, with siblings Edith Mary 23, Ellen Maide 17, Percy Fitzroy 15, born various towns, and Kathleen Charibel 10, William Sydney 8 and Frederick Philip Pierrepont 5, all born at Woodbridge. Evelyn married at the Holy Trinity Church, Rayleigh, Essex on 28 February 1889, Herbert Melvill Richards (9 November 1859-27 May 1935), only son of Melvill Richards of Stamford Hill, London and in 1890 they sailed for Melbourne, Australia. By 1904 they had returned to England and in 1911, Evelyn was a 44-year-old, living at 38 Charleville Mansion, Fulham, London with her 51-year-old husband, a cashier for a steamship company, they had no issue. Evelyn Augusta Richards was of 38 Charlesville Mansions, Charlesville Road, West Kensington when she committed suicide by jumping out of her nursing home window at 20 Glazbury Road, West Kensington, London on 27 November 1934.
Her niece was one of the Miss Rouse and her brother-in-law was George Cordy Edwardes-ker