New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-06-21

The succession to the EarldOm of Shrewsbury,
the Oldest English peerage of that rank, has lately
been made the subject of vigorous contest. This
title was frat granted in l442 to John, Lord Talbot
distinguished for bis strenuous but unsuccessful
efforts to preserve the crown of France to Henry
VI. of England against the nsurrection stimulated
by the Maid Of Orleans, and whose death in the
battle of Bordeaux 10 1853, with that of his eldest
son. forms a striking tcene in the First Part of
King Henry W." printed as one of Shakespeare
plays but which is now generally admitted to be the
production of some earlier unknown writer, per-
haps slightly retouched by the great dramatlst.
From this first Earl known as the Great Earl
Of Shrewsbury, the title descended from father to
con down to Gilbert, the seventh Earl, to whom
succeeded his brother Edward the eighth Earl, who
died without issue in the year 1917. An heir to the
title was then found among the descendants of the
second son of the second Earl. That son. Sir John
! Talbot or Ahrghton, was twice married. first to
Margaret Troutbeck, aud secondly to Elizabeth
| Wrottesley. From the first of these marriages
| originated the Troutbeck line of the Shrewsburys
The ninth Earl was great grandson of Margaret
| Troutbeck, ard was succeeded by his 20 niger
brother from whom were descended the successive
holders Of the title down to Bertr,m Arthur, the
seventeenth Earl, who died in 1856 without issue.
The twelfth Earl, who succeeded to the title Ill
1854, was a distinguished historical character, an
active member of most Of the Cabinets of William
III , and created by that King Duke of Shrews-
bury. This nobleman is thus portrayed by Macau-
ley-not often in his historical portraits inclined to
aatter:
Ills person was pleasing, his temper singuary
sweet his parts such that if he had beon born In
humble rank might well have raised him to the hight
OF civil greatness all these advantages he had go I'M
proved that before he of he was allowed to be
one OF the finest gentlemen and finest scholars OF his
time His learning ID proved by notes which still
extant in his handwriting on books in almost every
department of literature. lie spoke French like
gentleman of Louis bedchanber, and Italian like
citizen of florence" lie Yves early called the King
Of Hearts and never through long, evenfu and
checkered life, lost his right TO that nsne.'
The Duke Of Shrewsbury died in III without
issue, and the dukedom expired with him. The
late contest for the earldom, which, after all, had
in view not so much the title the possession of
certain estates connected with it, owed its keenness
mainly to settlement made by the Duke in l7OO
and confirmed by act of Parliament in l7l9, en-
failing his estates on bis name and blood. This act
of Parliament however contained special clause
dictated by the fact that the nephew Of the Duke
who succeeded him in the earldom, was Il Catholic,
TO which gion his successors also adhered-by
which every tenant in tail Of these estates, 80 long
as be sbould remain a Catholic, was prohibited
from cutting off the entail Notwithstanding this
prohibition. the late Earl who still adhered to the
Catholic faith, proceeding on the assumption that
the Catholic Relief bill operated as repeal Of this
restraint upon him, executed deed dsentailing
the estates, and then made will giving them to an
infant son of the Duke of Norfolk, another Catholic
peer. The Troutbeck branch Of the Talbot family
having expired with the late Earl, claim was put
in to the earldom and estates BY Earl Talbot the
representative of Lord Chancellor Talbot, de-
scended, a. it was alleged, in the mail line, from
the wrotte,ley branch Of the TLbots. This claim
the Duke of Norfolk, on behalf Of his infant son,
was allowed to oppose, not as setting up for that
infant SOD, or indeed, for anybody else, any claim
to the title but on the ground that if no claim to it
could be made out there would be nobody to claim
the estates against the devise made Of them BY tho
late Earl.
A. Earl TsIbo! claimed through the WrottesIey