Major bequest for museum

WATERFORD Museum of Treasures has secured a major bequest including letters from descendents of architect John Roberts’s family.

Felicity Binyon and Patricia Spence, two descendants of Roberts and relatives of Field Marshall Lord Roberts of Kandahar and Waterford, presented Mayor of Waterford Mary Roche with the materials yesterday morning.

Mr Roberts was born in Waterford in 1714 and died in1796. A Georgian architect, he was the only person to design both Protestant and Catholic cathedrals in the same city, namely Christchurch Cathedral and the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Waterford.

The collection includes a portrait of General Sir Abraham Roberts, grandson of John Roberts and father of Field Marshal Roberts.

Several miniature portraits of other members of the family, including letters from Lord Roberts, are also included in the memorabilia.

Director at the Museum, Eamonn McEneanny, yesterday said that the collection made a “wonderful connection with the Roberts family”.

“To have this connection is really tremendous — it’s a wonderful thing we have.”

Felicity Binyan said the museum would be able to assist the Roberts family “a lot” as they “didn’t know about a lot of the family’s past”.