Francis Rawle

Francis Rawle (1660 – 5 March 1727), born in England, was a Quaker and colonist in Philadelphia, where he served in administrative positions and was a member of the assembly.

Early life Rawle was born in England in 1660, son of Francis Rawle, and came of an old Cornish family of some wealth and standing. Because of this they obtained a grant from William Penn, left Plymouth in the ship named Desire, and arrived in Philadelphia on June 23, 1686.

Colonial America Rawle first settled on 2,500 acres in Plymouth Colony, where he founded a society known as the Plymouth Friends. Subsequently, he moved to Philadelphia. In 1688, he became a justice of the peace and judge of the court of common pleas; under the Charter of 1691 for the City of Philadelphia, he was one of six aldermen of Philadelphia. Their ten children were Robert, Francis, William (1694–1741), Joseph, John, Benjamin, Mary, Rebecca, and Elizabeth, and Jane Rawle. After Francis' death in 1761, his widow remarried to Samuel Shoemaker, who later served as Mayor of Philadelphia from 1769 to 1771.