The National Register.
London, England, 1818-07-26 00:00:00

DORE 1/. ANTRUM'S.

This was an trctisn brought by the plaintiff apinst the de-
fendants, Sir E. Antrobus, Bart. nod Coatis Trotter, Esq.
mentors of the late Earl of Peterborough, to recover the
expebces incurred in conducting the funeral of that noble-
man, and' was set down ou the special jury list. Thiee
special jurnrs, however, only attended, and a tales was there.
fore prayed on the part of the plaintiff. The pleadings bay.
big been opened,. by which it appeared that the plaintiff 's
claim amounted to the sten of 3,0011. of which, LOOM hard bei.n
paid into Court,- Mr. Sergeant Ptil stated the gent ral cir-
cumstances of the case.

The plaintiff was a personengaged in a very extensive line
of business in the city of Bath, where the late Loud. Peter.
baronet' had fur sometime before his death generally resided,
Ile died, however, in Jnue, 1811, at his seat at Dantsey,
distant front Bath abont 2foinites. Upon this oecasion ap-
plication was made to Mr. Dore to undertake the 'opera.'
teuilance of the fienerid one mode of minimal magnificence.—
It was natural thet he •hould accept this offer, as it not only
involved a very con-dilerable profit, but furnished the oppor.
ttinity of displaying his skill in a very peculiar branch of
his business. lie was sure the minds of the jury would not be
unfavoloafey prepossessed towards the claim of his client,
merely on account of the extent or apparent enormity of his
demand. The question depended on the nature of the con.
tract, and on the fact of the wok undertaken having been
performed. The payment 015 large portion of the debt into
Court excluded trout consideration every point except the
bare reasonableness of the vat ions items of which the plain-
tiff's demand was comp-twit. The sum now disputed waslool,
and as all attempts at an mineable adjustinesit of this MI.
let dice had unfortunately failed, his client had been driven
to his action against the ext cutors. h would appear in evi-
deuce, that Mr. [lore received Iris first instructions Ott this
subject fi om an intimate friend of the late Lord Peterbolaugh,
3lr. Smith, who informed him that the fennel was to be cow
ducted in no ordinary way, and that he must exercise his own
judgment the preparation of it, on u plan of adequate
splendour. le addition to this, it would be proved that Mr.
Colitis Trotter, one of the executors, personally attended the
funeral, and mast have been aware of its nature, and the ex-
pense which it necesritrily involved. lie might remark also,
that although the bill was sent in immediately after the fa-
neral, no objection was made to the charges it contained for
a period of six months. The defendants had not. therefore,
beet' very suddenly sti tick with the excess of the demand
mane upon them. lie would state, also, a ithoot fear of con.
tradictiou, that the celeisiony lead been conducted in every
respect with the most perfect order, and in strict confurmity
to the general instructions which had been received. Tht:
prucessiou had pii•-seil over a space of two miles, and if it
ties thought right in this manner to consult the dignity of an
English Earl, the disposition to defray the cost ought not to
be wanting. It the remains of the Earl of Peterborough
were not to lie deposited in the grave without all these ac-
companimeets of eratic:etir,
The beret of heraldry, and pomp of power,"
the common pi iliciples of justice requited that the burthen
should fell on those alio succeeded to his property. It was
probably their elegance and taste which bad been the cause
of so sutierb a display of Infidel ornament, and they t not
shrink .fitnio the consequences of their gratification.
worth' beg to draw their attention to one single point of the
hilt, an tl.ie fairness of which they would be tailed on to decide;
because, if the justice of that charge should be established,
it would serve to indicate the merits of the whole iiiquiry. A
AVM of betweeit 1,5001. and 1,8001. I.Jriiing put of the whole
i demon', was on accuent of the furnitlise an I decorations
provided fur the occasion of the deireawd Latt's lying iii
state. It appeared that it was deemed necesseiy, as a last
token of respect to his person, to ado'', this stale town ait h
every costly a openange imitable to such a pm perse. lie would
not enter into any minute description of these decorations,
which would come with more audio' by from the aims saes ;
and conclude therefore by assurilig the jury, that although
this inquiry wool(' probably engage a considerable portion of
time, nu effort had been spared ou hie part to geuetalize it as
much as possible.
Da; id Itioisi it was the first witness called, and stated that
he had exted as assistant to the plaintiff inset oviding for the
fluidal of Lord Petro nereligh. had lino eite,a;ett
that line of business foe 11 yeues previously, and had inspect.
ed the items of the plainlid 's bill alien it was osiginally made
ant. His Lordship died in June, 1811, nod the funeral cei e-
monies were un the largest and must expensive "male that he
had ever witnessed or heard of. The body lay in state for
two or three days in 4 large room most aplendilley
Mr. Trotter was present, and tee witness could testify to the
due execution el eve.ry order that was given. The state
room arts of large dituenaions, ;mil was I:nng with superfine
bled: cloth fCOIII the ceiling, the flour being coveted with
second binek cloth. Between 70 noel 80 wax.liglos were kept
burning, 11 which weighed above a poised each. The
hotly was placed on a magnificent platform, ornamented with
festoons of lnatk satin, and sun mounted with a 'lonic, hoed
inside and outside with a ride black velvet, mid covered cc nth
ostrich ;dames. 'the platform oas also friuged with selse t,
and behind it was placed a transparency, in which was set
the acideventent of the deceased. Theta was also some
smaller transparencies in the room. Several banners and
escutcheons were raised in differ rut places, and eight mutes
were kept constantly in ascendence. 'llw coffin was curried
with the richest crimson tieisaa velvet, on which were elso
inscribed the Earl's arini.riat bearings. The pall was the
liallASOMeSt the witness bad ever soen. Mr. r.
Trotter were inesent tit e. days before as well as during the
tanerel. 'Cu some they objected ;is slut being good
et iiiii Alt. Tilt! praVri%ii,ll COMINICJ Of a !Wane, sews n coaches.
C4eti dirge..? e y six horses, one chat tut and tour till' the cier;4-
awn, inb 11 by sit Mess, eight mute*, two feather.
.:Ist •. nirty airy pages, and a grand page
out horseback, beetle., tim coronet. The plain tarsals jou-
duceu in Court area . ;jet:tett, as lint being sufficiently hand.
lento for Om hew; 'Lod gotd estee were secosilingly pro-

JULY 26.

tided. It Wilt necessary to send for the Roemer i art of tliesw
things from L.mion. (Here the is illlnsA %vdA tAall,l,,cd as to
the price Of porticolar items. moo of which l shot.. !.t were
not vainly' at too high a rate.) It was not flit. pract.ce to re-
turn the o.al.intry articles provided on .iieli an oceasiou to
the under'... or, but they became the perquisites of the clergy -
Moll au.; the dhiltestieth Certain snips were ordered by Mr.
Ward, the sits ward, to be paid to particular individuals in
lien of these perquisites. 'Die clerk of the parish received
101. the motes 21. each, the mule link( r, for his persen,.l trouble
1 and assistance st the solciiinizaiiim of the cocoon, 2SI. unit
wi.iiess Mutsu :f 101. Several Ititiipiket were pnssr. by the
procession in its o .. to the church. Hatbands and scarts
Iwere always Jive,' i , those who wore them on these occasions.
'nine of ?..e s..rvatits received one, and loose two lUitli of
clothes.

Cross•exarni.:t by Mr. Casberd. —Witness was no longer
engaged in the business of nn undertaker, but travelled tot a
house in the wine and spirit line. An interval of about tea
days occur te d between the death and the funeral of Lord
Peterburongh. The distance between the church and the
room :in which his Lordship's body lay in state did not exceed.
by the nearest door, mote twenty yerds ; but by the grand
entrance it might be about 200. The pro; elision, Loweve•.
took a circuitous course of two miles, that it might be seers
by a sufficient number of spectators. 11e recullee•ted that foe
One article alone, the silver gilt nails of the coffin, Sal. had
been charged. They were of a yellow colour, and their 'it,
bee he was ignui alit of.
Joseph Barnes, a labourer, deposed, that he had made ::.e
shell, and the oak coffin, in which the remains of Lord Pe.
terborough were deposited, and his charge fur the timber and
labour was 101. 85.34., which Mr. Dose paid him: part of
this he paid to a man who assisted him.
Here it appeared by a reference to the bill, that the cliargz
WWI about 101. to the defendants.
Susannah lemmuin, housekeeper to the late Lord, described
the dress of the body when laid in the coffin. It web corn.
posed of satin and the finest cambric. 'the servants, whit
were vine in number,-rereived two suits of clothes each.
After some additional e% idence on the %aloe of the different
articles, as this inquiry appeared to be almost indeterminable..
Mr. Justice Iturrough earnestly sec mended a reference t•'
sonic gentleman at the bar, svho, as the witnesses had been
brought in great numbers, both (Min Bath and London, migist
immediately proceed in their further examination, and decide
on the general merits of the accnnnt. This suggestion, after
smile reluctance, was acquiesced in by the part:es, and the
Wrote case referred to Mr. Abraham Moore.
Nothing took place on the Crown side of the slightest pub.
tic interest.