Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-06-25
rme rowNsHEND rEEaAon.
fior.r OF Lonp,. May 90.

might affect their lotdshps' privileges The petit
ton that Of Charles We're Ferrars Tow nshend,
Esq Commonly called the RICH, Hon Lord Charles
We're Fetrars Townshend,) only brother and heir
presump,ive OF the Most Hon. George Fertars.
Marquis Townshend, Earl Of Leicester. &c. The
petitioner stated that. on the i2h OF May, 1897,
petitioners bto,her, the said George Fera's Mar
qus Townshend (who was then commonly called
Lord Chartey,) was married to Sarah Gardner
Dunn Gardner. the only child OF w tlIam Dunn
Gardner. of Chaueris IN the Isle OF Ely. The no.
bic lord (Sydncyl went To that the petition
being OF considerable length, he would conhne him
self TO statement OF the heads OF it. They set forth
that, alter the marriage, the husband and wife
separated, and that in November m the same year
tho Marchoness Tow nshe nd instituted suit in the
Ecclesiastical Court in order tn have the marriage
snnued on the ground OF the mpctcncy of her
husband, the marquis. While this suit was still
pending, Sarah Gardner. Msrchioness Townshend,
in the month Of May. 1902 elopcd from her fathers
house with John Margetts, who then carried on the
business of q brewer at ST. Ives m the county OF
Huntington, to whom she was married at Gro,na-
green the 2ith OF October, 1909. On the 17,h Of
January, 1919, Sarah Gardner, the said Marchlo-
ness Townshend, was delivered OF a son, who, It is
supposed died n few months after his birth. and
whom the msrchoness, in answer to hIll IN Chan
Gerry. in 1884, styled the RICH, Honorable George
Townshe nd commonly cal ed the Earl OF Leicester.
In the same month OF November, 1910, the march,
one.s, accompanied by John Margers, renewed TO
the house of her father in Lower Grosvenor- street,
and while there called themselves, and were called
by others, Mc and Mrs Margetts They af,crw rds
went to reside IN Hunt,rsiree in the parish OF 81.
George, Bloomsbury, on or about February. ISL,
and continued TO reside there until the end Of 1910,
always passing man and ~'fe and (unu about
the month of December, 1921 using and beng
known by no other names than MIR aud Mrs Mar
gets. In July, 1871 the marchoness gpve bir'h
&c a son, who received the name OF John and was
known by other than that Of "John Mar
gettS," until about the month OF December, 1873,
when he assumed the title of Lord Johh Town
shend. There were several other children, three
,,l at ,l,p h.N k..
Marchioncss Townshend; and on the 26th OF De-
cember. 1928. those children, namely. John Mar
gets, VIM Marse;ts Rosa Jane Marsetls, Frede
rick Thomas Margers, aud Lavinii Charlotte
Sarah Marectts, were all bap,sed at the parish
church OF ST. George, Bloomsbury. by the name of
Tow 0shend, and entered in the register OF that pr
rish as the children Of the Most Noble George Fer
rats, Marquis Tow nshend, and the Most Noble
Sarah DEM Gardner, Warehouses Townshsnd,
whose place of abode was stated to be Hunter
street, S.. George, Bloomsbury. II could he shown
that since the monih al May, lS0s, the Marquis
'rownshend had not lived cohahited with his
wife Sarah; thet the children up To tie period If the
b'ptsm Just mentioned, lived with the Morchioness
and MIR Nargetts. whom they always called father
and mother, MIR and MIS- Margetts. These
facts were tut an outline Of the case which the Pc
ttloner WAS prepared TO prove before their Lord
ships, and h. was that II would not be
deemed unreasonable that the petitioner and
otter members Of his family, should bo DESTROYS
OF doing so, seeng as they did that the member
Tor Bo1mlu had assumed the title oi Earl l.elcts-
ter, the second TILE OF their family. This assnmp-
ton, Lord Sydney went say, uniounded
IN any rishuu claim, aud calculated To impose on
the House ol Commons, md might hereafter affect
the privileges OF their lordsships II the should
not be gone into, by taking s.at in their house
10 which he was not emitted. The noble lord
said he would now read the recapitulaiion of
the heads OF the petition, which fol-
low :-"rhat the said Sarah Gardner, Mar
chioness Towshen1, many years after the bap-
ilsm OF her said children sud after the assumption
by Them ofte status OF children finer marriage, on
in. Intercepted by the Court OF Chrncery,
whether the ssil children were actually The issue
OF her husband, evldel the question, and plainly
showed that she dared not assert that they were
so. When exceptions were taken TO her snswer on
the very point, and ~hei pressed by interrosito.
ries which admitted neither Of evasion equivoca-
ton, her conduct was widely different from that OF
an innocent woman eager seize iavoura lie
an opportunity for clearing her fame,
and for vindica,ing the right OF her chi.iren TO
the rank, title, and station, which had been
claimed for them. The exceptions having been
al owed she had no other alternative than TO declare
the truth risk the penalties Of witul periury;
and an arrangement was therefore made, Dy which
the necessity of aSy further answer was avoided.
VIII every act on the part Of the said Sarah Gard
ner, Marchioness Townshend, aud of her FAM
ly, during IA series of % years, shows that her
chi dren wee the issue Of the adulteTer, the
duct OF the said George Feuars, Marquis Towns
that both he and they have uniformly, decd
eily, and consistently repudated the said children.
That your petitioner IS fully prepared to establish
ch and all tho facts which he has stated, by evil
dence Of the most conclusive character, consisting
partly OF letters and other documents, and purity
ofth testimony OF living witnesses. That your
petitioner is advised that there means what
ever by which he can dispute the legitimacy OF the
said John Marsetts, the younger calling himself
Earl OF Leicester,D IN n court OF law that some OF
the witnesses, by whom only many of the most
important facts can Ice proved, now far advanc-
ed IN lie, and IN uncertain health; and there are
other persons whose testimony is MATERIAL but who
refuse to make any disclosures unless compelled
by court OF justice; but if any Of these persons
should happen TO die IN the lifetime of the said
George Ferrars, Marquis Tow nshend. it may be
Impossible to prevent individual! VIGOROUSLY be
cotton and born IN adultery from succeeding to the
hoAours OF your petitioners family; tina; IN conse-
quence OF there not being any property involved
~ Tie succession of your petitioner as heir TO his
SAID brother George FerraTs, Marquis TovnsheGd,
your petitioner is advised that he cannot file a bill
IN the Court of Chancery topefpsiulte the testimo
ny q The witnesses alluded to- and he rtsfe tfllIy
submits that Il would be not merely an anomaly,
but az INJUSTICE TO the families Of the peers ". while
the law has provided means Tor securing the rights
OF inheritance Of the huniblest person in the
kingdom 10 every kind OF property, however
small (by enabling the party Interested 10 per-
petuaie the evidence Of witnesses in case Of their
death, no such means should exist with respect to
the highest aud most important right of inheritance
Known TO the constitution Except the Crown itself
namely, the dign ~ of a peer Of the re,lm. That
your petitioner. the time that he IL naturally
anxious TO secure To himself and his family the en-
jnYmen o his and the legal rights, and to prevent
the same from lie ng lost by the Of on i'm
position 30 audaoous 10 be absolutely without
precedent, nevertheless feels that your lordships
have az least an equal interest IN the question. by
the loss of the testimony upon which your petitioner
now relies O. may happen that your petitioner and his
family will he deprived for Of the hDnors confer
red Upon the ancestors hut IN that the spurious
issue Of nm aduerer will, gainst all moral Conviction
become entitled 10 n seat m your ordshp's house.
Your petitioner, having thus brought before your
lorfships the facts of case 10 which the RIGHT Of
succession to several petragcs IS actual Involved
and having stated his ANXIOUS desire, rs hcr.pro.
sumptiye 20 those dgnities, 10 establish before a
competent tribunal oil th't no has herein alleged
humDy submits tic difficulties and impediments
under which ho labours. and the injustice which
may arise, well 10 your ofdships and The peer
oge, ~ % himself and his family, 20 the considern
ton 81 your Iordships and humbiy prays your lord
ships N provide sucf remedy, or adopt such pro
ceedings, a. n your ordship's wisdom msy seem
meet" Lord Sydney, IN continuation, said
that he folly concuued IN the prayer Of the
pctrinn, and he trusted heir lordshps would
not permit ths nuddciou8 attempt N impose
on th,m md the other house OF Parliament
by The assumption Of n title 90 which HE party
who b I'd assumed it had no claim. fIc lord Syd.
rev Did not press this subject their ordships'
attention solely On the ground th,t il affected the
. If fhn mol .,d