The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-22 00:00:00

A CLAIMANT TO THE DERWENTWATER

ESTATES.

A discovery was made during the late war in
Germany, observes the Morning Post, which seems likely
ere long to add another chapter to the rename of the
English peerage. When James Radcliffe, Earl of Dement-
water, was executed for his share is the rising on behalf
of the Pretender in 1715, he left a son, the Hon. John
Radcliffe, and a daughter, Anna Maria, who afterwards
married the eighth Lord Petre. The son, although be
lost his title of nobility by the attainder of his father,
we. admitted tenant in tail of all his settled estates, and
the fortune of the earl's daughter was also raised and paid
out of the same. The earls son was in possession
of the estates during 16 years, and had lie lived to at-
tain 21 he might have effectually dealt with them so that
they could not at any future time have been affected by
the attainder of his noble father, or of his nude, Charles
Radcliffe. Upon his supposed or reputed death in 1731,
without issue, the estates were confiscated by the crown,
notwithstanding the fact that collateral relatives were
living at the time. It is now asserted that the His. John
Radcliffe did not die in 1731, as reported, but that he
escaped to the Continent, and lived in Germany to the age
of Moreover, it is alleged that a lady is now living at
Blaydon-on-Tyne who claims to be a lineal descendant of
the John Radcliffe in question. This is the Lady Amelia
Matilda Mary Tudor Radcliffe, Counterof Walchteine-
Waters. The Newcastle Chronicle says her ladyship's
claims were brought under the notifies of government ten
years ago, and gives the following account of the result of
that application, toptherwith a statement of the additional
evidence brought to light within the last few months
" In the month of May, 1857, the Commissioners of In-
land Revenue commenced an action against the Lady Ma-
tilda to recover taxes from which she claimed exemption.
In support of her claim of exemption, and also with a view
to enlist the sympathies of his lordship in her favour, she
forwarded a number of family documents, of vital import-
ance in support of her thee, to the late Lord Palmerston for
his personal nspectiou, requesting to have the original do-
cuments; returned. The taxes from which she awned ex-
emption were not enforced, but she never saw these impor-
tant documents again; Lord Palmerston, although at first
admitting that he had received them, afterwards affecting
4wrance as to their existence—a most unworthy device on
the part of the great stableman. The unfortunate lady was
thus deprived of most important evidence in support of
her claims on the rich and extensive estates of the Der-
wentwaters. During the time James, third and last Earl
of Derwentwater, lay in the Tower, his countess removed
a quantity of valuable jeweller,, plate, pictures, furniture,
and furnishings from the mansions on the Isle of Derwent
and at Dilston. These seem to have been selected as me-
mentoes of her beloved lord and other members of his
illustrious family. When she took up her residence at
Louvain, these interesting and valuable articles were coo-
veyed thither, and most probably by way of Blaydon, Jobe
shipped at Newcastle. Most singular to relate, these rich
and curious objects, after a lapse of more than a century
and a quarter, have been brought back to Blaydon again.
There are so many of them as to fill almost every room o"
lady Matilda's residence. Their history is clothed with
romance. When war broke out between France and Ger-
many, towards the close of the last century, these inte-
resting memorials of the Radcliffe family were placed for
security in a moret vault in Hesse-Darmstadt. There
they lay undisturbed until the beginning of this year,
when they once more saw the light. They had suffered
by lapse of time, but much more by the damps of the
vault, some of the valuable family pictures having
sustained irreparable injury ; but the state the
whale of the articles were in was still sufficient
to show their former beauty and splendour.
Lady Matilda, by permission of the authorities of
Hesse-Darmstadt, hail the greatest portion of these relics
of the former grandeur of her family removed to Blaydon,
fortunately just in time to prevent their capture by the
victorious Prussians. The pictures and other perishable
articles have since been renovated as far as possible ; but
the workmen have succeeded in restoring a portion only of
their pristine splendour, in some instances the damage
caused by damp and its accompanying decay being irrepa-
rable. We have, through the kindness of Lady Matilda,
been favoured with an inspection of this truly unique col-
lection. Nearly every article has inscribed upon it a date,
and the name of either Dilaton Hall or Isle of Derwent,
showing from which of the family residences it bad been
taken."

The Neweadle Cliroeide then gives s long deseriptive
Catalogue of the srtieles referred to.

The Bishop of Oxford attended a large meeting
in the Lewes County Hall, yesterday afternoon, to advo-
cate the claim. of the Society for Promoting the Employ-
ment of Additional Curates in Populous Places. In an
address on the spiritual destitution existing in many
parts of England, he said the temper of the times was
against endowments, and a man must be an uncom-
monly foolish man who set himself up against the
temper of the times in order to bring back the old times.
There was no more possibility of accomplishing that
than there was of bringing down the dog star
to dine with us. (" Hear, hear," and laughter.)
As to trying to bring back an age of endowments he had
not the slightest idea of trying anything of the kind.
AN ENTAILLD ESTATZ.—The younger SOU of the
proprietor of an entailed estate in the north having while
&breed succeeded to the estate, visited the county, bat,
finding the rent-roil not more than 6501., with litigations
which threatened to ...snow up the estate, he returned to
a foreign country, leaving the estate to the aminigement
of a party resident upon the spot. This was In 1853.
The party managing compromised the litigation, and
by an expenditure of not more than 3,0001., raised the
annual value from 6504 to nearly 1,5001. The new
proprietor married subsequent to his sonseesion,
but having no isms the party managing there-
upon arranged with the next heirs of entail con-
ditions upon which the estate wee lest year disentailed.
Detached porticoof the waste were thereafter sold far
9,7001., which was sufficient to pay off the purchase WWI
for the .orient to diaential, and also to pay family ffoyt•
lions under bends of previous heirs over the estate. There
remain of the estate, which is now the absolute
of the heirs entail in possession, lands paying
annual rental of upwards of 8001., or nearly 9001. more then
the value of the whole estate in 1863, with dwelling-honor
and farm-offices second to norm in the country ; and, con-
sidering that the two previeas heirs of entail were eminent
as practical forams, the recent management, extending
over no more than 13 years, was very succomfid.—Neriderie
Ensign.
Ltanwsze To aorizas..—Under the new Inland
Besmear Act an uniform penalty of 101. on unissued
hawkers is to be adopted, which carnet be mitigated below
oaefsurth ; sad they on besiege into custody to be dealt
with in a summary meaner.