The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-10-22 00:00:00

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TUE CAPTI rE PRINCESS.

(PRO)i TILE 'ARM 3117.:1CURY.)
With the persuasion drat a public journalist cannot
Ise 'more usefully employed than investigating the pre-,
tensions of public character', for the purpose of esta-
blishing and supporting the olaiins of the meritorious.
and putting down fraud anti imposture, we have be-
stowed some pains upon the pretensions of a lady who
has lately attracted a good deal of. attention, and who
is now soliciting the public synipatly and support for
" Captive Princess." This lady is no less a person-
age than the soi-desante Princess of Cumberland,
whose pretensions are set forth in a petition to the
Muse of Commons, on the 14th of July, 1820. This
petition states_ ahat the petitioner, Olive Wilmot
Serves, was the ligitimate danghter of the late Duke
.-Of Cumberland, whose marriage with her mother, Mrs.
Ann Mortises, had been solemnised in the year 1767,
and that she became the affspring of that marriage in
, the year 1772. The marriage was kept secret; and
the Duke_ afterwards inarriA again : this second mar-
' tier+, did•not, however, vitiate the first; and the Pe-
titioner,. in consequence of her royal birth, Conceived
• herself to he entitled to certain property belonging
to berdeceassed father. She further stated, that she'
• had in her possession a document with the late King's
sign manual, acknowledging her to he his brother's
child and she prayed the House to institute an en-
. glary into her claims. This petition was orderesl to
lie un..the table% bat the sebsequent Session of Parlia-
ment paved over without the investigation having been
instittit.ef.
This heroic Princess still continued to advance her
pretensions, and Et f.!iv weeks ago she repaired to one of
the churches of the mr.tropolis to take the benefit of
the ceremony of baptism. The public sympathy to-
ards the nermnade Ch still rietian Princessi ichetl,
and last week she put forth a placard, which was in-
rittstrionsly posted on the wails of the metropolis, and
of which tile following is a copy :-
11 NUS:Cr:IS OF CCNIDCRI,AND IN CAPTIVITY,
" Contrary to her Rights, Privileges, and Rank, at Mr.
Davis's. 45, King-street. Soho. ~
" Princtsse of Uninherland informs the Enclish
tritinn, that an execution has been served on her body
f'r debt, and that the late King bequeathed her 15,000/.
which has been proved "according to law," and applisi
e4tion mule to Lord Shimmy's for the payment of that
settiovithout effect : therefore, not having received one
guinea from the liovernnient, or any of the large stuns
hequerthed to her by her uncle, King (hinge the Third,
she is under the painful necessity of appealing to the
bottonrable generosity of the British public. " Olive."
" 43, King-street. Soho, Oct. 9."
To add to the force of her pretensions, the tlieconso-
late Princess addressed a letter to the ex-Sheriff of Lon.
rion,J. W. Parkins, Ecq. culling upon bins to contradict
• a tattooer that had gone abroad, to the effect that he had
lent her large sums of money, and that his friendship to-
wards her was not altogether Platonic. With this call the
gallant en-Sherifftlid not fail promptly to comply, adding
thrt his friendship anti considerations towards her ori-
ginated entirely in the belief of her being an unfortu-
nate descendant of the Royal Family of this kingdom,
in proof of which she had ehJwn him many corions do-
cuments, and particularly a correepondeoce with the late
Deke of Kent, from which it aepears, that he acknow-
ledged her as his " cousin."
A claim to Royal parentage, however fallacious, has
often been attended with consequences the most di tas-
trims in the country where it is made, and an attempt
to excite public sympathy by false pretension is the
most effectual way to dam up the streams of charity.
We will not say that the " Princess Olive" is an int-
pofture, but we will state the pedigree and connexions
of a real Olive Wilmott, and the details will not only
shake the faith of Mr. Sheriff Parkins, but of every other
person in the country whO may have given credence to
the tale of wee.
It happened then, that in the year 1772 (mark the
time), there was burn in the borough of Warwick, a
youirg lady, the daughter of Mr. Robert Wilmott, a
hurler-painter, by Anne-Muria, his wife. This infant was
baptised at the pariah church of St. Nicholas, in that
Borough, on the 15tIt a April, 1772, by the name of
When.of a proper age she was put to school,
and diselayed the first fruits of a very vivid imagination:l
and siteh Was her power of invention, that if she had ho-
nestly employed her faculties in the production.arf ;A new
series of Arabian Tales, she might at this moment have
been in the enjoyment of respect and competeney. Sub-
...
sequeet to quitting school she went to reside with her
uncle, the Rev. Dr. Wainscot, who enjoyed the living of
Barton on the Heath. While in this situation, she ap-
peared as.a witness upon a very extraordinary trial for a
burglary in her uncle's house, against two men, who
were tried, convicted, and executed for that offence. Her
story was atost marvellous, and her own conduct, as she
represented it, most-heroic. After the death of the Doc-
tur, n bo'k was
.puhlieheri, of which our heroine was the,
author, the object of which was to'prove that her *uncle
was the real Janine. In the mean time she married to a
person of the name of Serres, we believe a foreigner by
birth, and a dancing master er portrait painter by pro-
fission. lite rest of her history is oblivion : possibly!
she became a Princess.
The lady. of whom we speak was famed for dealing in
ductunectal evidence ; but unforttinately for beriete.o
the writers Idea her documents always happened ter
die before their letters and certificates are proditeeek
The Warwick fami y have long been the objskteof her!
solicitude, sad is, n regard had she fur their lionour
and reputation, that she made an offer to one of that fa-
anily to wilkbohl from the public the letters, teal or pre-
tended, of another member of them, then deceased, for
a Valuable consideration. Tu gratis) the fair lady's
taste for documents, we beg leave to present to the pule
lie a certificate of some iusportance ist this affair, which
we have been at the pains to obtain from the register of
the parish church of St. Nicholas, in the terrine' of
Warwick.rehoiog to the baptiser of Olive Wilnmtt.
is as follows
'• April April 15. Int (Baptised) Olive, daughter of Robert
and Anne Maria Wilmott." .
We have not soother word to add upon the subject.
except to iseisite whether the Olive Wanton. christened
at Warwick as the dssirbter of Robert . Wilmott. in ,
1» is tlitasame Who Wilmot who avai rheisteued in
Louisa is ilf a. as site dsogittee.of the Duke of tow
berisad ? kik*. este Is Iwo a ono* estraordlaser
ootasidsasa al mass% aid circumstances. ,

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