The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-03-31 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF CHANCERY, Liscotaes•lxs,
TIMIADAY, MARCH 30.
m•••••••
INTENDED MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFIL
IN THI HATTER OF SIR ROGER GRIELEY, EAR/. A
MINOR AND • WARD OF CHANCERY. AND THE
HUN. LADY SOF/HA COVENTRY. AIAO A MINOR.
LADY GRIMILY V. THE NAIL OF COVENTRY. INN
COUNTIES OF COMITIES', AND THI DON. JOHN

COVENTRY.
Mr. DART stated. that his Lordship hail put it
on the Consist!, for Lady Orestes, to suggest to the
Court what order ought to be made iu this case.
It *mild not become him to wake that suggestion,
but he had provided himself with similar cases, in
which his Lordship had made orders which he
thought would he applicable to the present case.
In the case of Walter. a minor, which came before
his Lordship in the year 1815, as reported in the
19th vol. of Vesey's Reports.
The Loan CHANCILLOR--" Is that the case of
the bricklayer's daughter at Tuobridgr ?"
Mr. HART said it was not, it was • ease where
the infant had solemnised a marriage with a young
woman of much inferior rank in life. Ili. Lordship
directed that • suit should be instituted to annul
the marriage, and afterwards made an order that all
the parties who had been in any way concerned in
bringing about the marriage should be restrained
from all intercourse with tire infant. There was
another case of Porter and Porter, which was heard
before his Lordship on the 23d of Murat, 1807, in
which he made an order. referring it to the Master
to inquire and ►elort what ►um ought to he allowed
to the infant for his maintenance, and grouted an
injunction to restrain all the persons concerned
from having any intercourse with the infant,
slid also directed that William Porte►, the infant,
should reside with his uncle, and be under his
care and management, and that he should be visit-
ed by Dr. Simmons, it being alleged that he was
of weak mind. Ili defiance of this order an inter-
course did take place, and the parties contrived to
avoid the just punishment of the Court by going
abroad and getting out of its jurisdiction. the or-
der he would on the present occasion► ask of his
Lordship was, that he would refer to the Master
to inquire what would be the proper superintend-
once over the conduct of the ward, and that the
Earl of Coventry. the Countess of Coventry, Lady
Sophie Coventry, and the Hou. John Coventry,
should be restrained from all intercourse with the
ward.
Mr. BARBER followed on the same side, and said
it was the duty of the Court to prevent the infant
from being entangled so in his minority that he
would not be sble to extricate himself on coming

of age.
Mr. Weentaser.. Counsel for the Noble De-
fendants, said, that it certainly was a matter of
surprise to him that such an order as that mig-
rated by his Learned Friends should have been
asked from the Court. Cases of this nature gene-
rally came under three chimer: The first • con-
spiracy to entrap a ward into a marriage ; the
second, where the person the ward was going to
marry was of lower rank in life than himself; and
the third, where • marriage had taken place during
the minority of ?he ward; but his Learned Friss&
hod not been able to produce • case similar to the
present.. There was no design or concert here to
bring about • marriage, taking these expressions in
their worst sense. This was • case of a young man
of nineteen years of age. having left the Univer-
sity of o:ford. and left to his free will by his guar.
diens, not invited or enticed, made` en unsolicited
proffer of marriage to the daughter of the Noble
Defendants. Lady Greeley, the mother, was ac-
quainted with it, to give her own words, in the
spring of 1819; she knew the Noble Defendants had
given the ward. her son. • general invitation to
visit them. He would ask. why she did not then
apply to his Lordship. and obtaiu an order that he
might not visit at the house of the Noble
Earl ? It would be itt his Lordship's recollection
that no application was made to him until nine
months afterwards. He was bound as a lawyer to
admit, that soy misconduct or neglect on the part
of Lady Greeley. was not a sufficient cause that
his Lordship should not make an order. if he
thought the marriage ought. not to take place.
—Earl Beauchamp, the joint guardian of the
ward with Lady Greeley. did not object to the
marriage. looking at it as one that was to take place
hereafter. . He. therefore. contended, that his Lord-
ship must come to a conclusion. that it was nut a
marriage he would permit if the ward had obtained
the age of 21. before lie could grant such an order
as had been asked for.
The LORD CMARCILLOR--46 Lady Greeley, in
her petition, certainly alleges that there is a very
great objection to • marriage between the ward and
the Noble family of Coventry altogether. bet she
has made no affidavit explaiuing what that objec-
tion is."
Mr. Wienasitet.t., in continuation, said, his
Lordship was called upon to meanly it was sa inch-
Roble marriage for the ward. although there was no
affidavit setting forth what the ineligibility consisted
of. If the Noble Defendants were cleared of de.
sign mud coiseert, he could not see how the Court
could make such en order as asked for. as it would
be an outage the feelings of the Noble family
he had the sr to represent as Counsel ; for if
it was made. his Lordship would be acting on the
suggestion of a nos-acting guardian, for such Lady
Greeley certainly had been for nine months. He
therefore hoped that his Lordship would sake
DO order; but if he did. that it would be only to
send it to the Master. to inquire and reporteohether
it would be a proper montage fur the ward on his
obtaining the age of 21.
Mr. SHADWIII.I. followed on the same side.
Mr. (lair replied.
The Loan CbIANCELLOR observed. that he
would take but a short time to consider what was
to be done relative to this older. Ile never ewe.
rim! this kind of jurisdiction without greet pelts to
himself, except it was in the mere which hod bees
cited to hiss en this oceasioo. where no .lodges
sitting where he did, could have hesitated in stop-
plug all Nether isstercouree between the infants and
the other parties immediately. The pain often
arose from another consideration, which was not its
this case. Parinstal timelier' might have no objtc-
tiou le a monitr, yet that Court could nut op.

lk

prove of it. on account of pecuniary matter•. TI e
father of the infant might approve. hut the Lord
Chancellor could not. lie had had curer before hi..l
which related to the marriages of young men an I
women, which partook oldie crime of robbery to tl-e
greatest extent he had eve► heard of, end that Mn the
full meaning of the wool ►obbery. There was another
consideration, al Chancellor. he was °Miffed to his k
into—the effect of the conduct of the toe • wh •
applied to the Court. as it related to the
ualivt-
deals they asked to be restrained ; for notau,c.. if
a legacy was left to a person. on the covulits they
were toot to marry without the consent of a ',Heir..
this Court would look into the conduct of the trtt•.
tee, and oblige hint to *hew sufficient emote wt .e
he withheld his consent to the maniere before tl
legacy was declared null and void. There w■s au
allegation in the petition of Lady Gresley, that a
marriage with tie Coventry family would be high.y
detrimental to the ward. He dismissed that front
his mind, because he was not told how it was de.e,..
mental. The ward left the University of Oxford

in April, 1819, being only 18 years of age the Pc.
tober previous. lie was certain that there wee HO
father who would like his son to enter into userrniKr
at that age, sod certainly a Lord Chance-11"e vutis.l
not. Suppose the Earl of Coventry or the ward
had applied to him to refer it to the Nlas.rr 1..
inquire and report whether the marriay. wool.' he
for the benefit or the ward. he could siwt brae
made such an order, for he believed no Judge, in
the case of a male ward. sitting where he did, ever
made such an order, although it might he a pre'''.
dent ma -rine for the ward ; hut a 1)1411 of three
score and ten, like him (the Loral Ch.sici Ilan)
could not bring himself to say that any miarri•ve
would be the most provident step a areal magi t
take. It was far from his issten!ion t.. alp!'
the words scheme awl plan io • diure.vret.
NI sense as they applied to the EMI I IA Cote'.-
try and his family ; but lie might withanit
disrespect to them say that this case would rumble
those who came after him, sitting where he did, in
execute this jurisdiction more easy than he found
it. If he was not able to do all the jastice in this
Me that Lady Gresley expected, it was not 11;4
fault. When he considered ail that task place :at
these watering-places, and there was nothing t
whew that she was ignoretit of what was going fur-
ward, it was inexplicable to him why she idd not
made the application before the month of jel.
nuary, 1820. The ward was only within cite.t
months of that age, after which it would not
be his duty to interfere. He decided • case
lately in his private room, the title of which he
would not nrEotion, where lie permitted * mar-
riage to take place, which he would nut have dui.e
if an application lead been made to Trim more early.
He had done so because as circumstances were re-
presented to him, he thought it the most beneficial
step for the ward. In this awe he looked to the
guardians of the wind, Lady Greeley will Earl
Beauchamp. to be answerable to keen that the
ward should not further be entatigled in this hue:-
seas. and between then and nest Wedsiewlay he
would decide what was proper to be dour, and put
the parties out of all doubt on the subject.
Further consideration postponed.
Mr. HEALD said he woderstood that his !Arc!.
ship would not sit war wail the first Seal after

AiMiaiidera T oaama,
The Loco, CHASCIILLOW—" I am glad ynts
have mentioned it to me, as I intended its itsfurm
the bar that if any of them will sent' me, ats invi-
tation to come dawn here on Wednesday. Thus...flay.
or Friday neat, I shall be happy its attending tits
them."
His Lordship then rose, it being three o'clock.
The first Seal before Term will be on the l3th of -
April.

• .

POLICE.

DOW STRUM.
The public feelink, we are extremely happy to fiu4l. ru•i.
tissues alive to reward the office's, constables, dic. who e
carded themselves in miprehesuling those in and coml. t• I
with the (wog itronousine. Yesterday a uri•.
man presented himself to Mr. 'Justice &noir, while • it,. c
on the Beach, and paid to him the aunt 44(
had hems collected in the City of Gloucester opus the occa-
sion, at one shilliog each.