Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-07-12
A Claimant 10 the Throne al Great
Britain.

A case has eeen on trial recently in
London, which has excited much Gu
riosity and interest. A Mrs. Ryves sued
for her alleged right to be recognized as
a member of the royal family, with the
title of Princess Olive. She also offered
to prove that the marriage OF Queen
Victorias grandfather to her grandmoth
er was void, because he had a wife then
living. Queen Victoria's illegitimacy
would follow, and Princess Olive MRS.
Ryves) would become rightful queen of
Great Britain.
The claim set up by Mrs. Ryves is that
she is the granddaughter of the Duke Of
Cumberland, the brother Of George III.
The Duke was alleged to have secretly
married Olive, the daughter of Rev. DR..
Wilmot, in 1867 DIR. Wilmot's certif-
cate that he himself performed the cere-
mony was produced, with signatures
purporting to be those of Mr.. Danning,
afterwards Lord Ashburton, and OF Lord
Chatham. OF this marriage was born in
1872, a daughter, Olive, who was .Certi-
fed by DR.. Wilnot to have been bap-
tiled as the Princess of Cumberland and
Immediately afterwards, by the kings
order, as the daughter Of a brother of
DR.. Wilmot. The Duke of Cumberland,
a short time previous to the birth Of this
daughter, had publicly married Lady
Anne Horton, and the deserted mother
of the infant princess is alleged to have
died on the continent year or two Ia
ter, Of broken heart.
The child grew up as member of DR..
Wilmot's family, and in Ignorance o.
her royal birth she married Mr.. Series,
a painter of some celebrity, and gave
birth to a daughter, now known as Mrs.
Ryves. Mrs. Series is said to have re-
manned ignorant Of her illustrious birth
until the year 1916, when the Earl of,
Warwick, who had been one Of the de-
positaries of the secret, made it known
to her. The story which is said to have
been then impaired to her assigned to
her mother, the daughter OF DR.. Wilmot,
a birth not unsuitable for royal match
for her father was made the husband
by secret marriage of sister of Pon-
iatowski, the king of Poland. DR.. Will
mot was represented as eoncealing the
marriage of his daughter, which made
the Duke of Cumberland's second mar
rage bigamous, in Difference to the
wishes of George Ill. But he was also
represented as compelling the king to
give him a certificate OF the marriage
and of the royal birth of his grand
daughter, by means of his possession of
an important state secret. This secret
was the alleged first marriage OF George
Ill. to Hannah Lightfoot, the Quskeress,
and the existence of issue of that mar
rage, and the bigamous character of
the Kings open marriage with Queen
Charlotte.
Upwards of eighty documents were
produced by Mrs. Ryves to substantiate
her case, bearing the signatures, or what
were alleged to be the signatures, of DR..
Wilmot, Chatham, Dunning, George III,
and the Duke of Kent, father of Queen
Victoria. The Duke of Kent and George
w., are represented as having known
and recognized the relationship of the
alleged Princess, as having been much
attached to her, and as giving her i'm
portant assistance, and a paper was
even produced, in which the Duke made
Mrs. Series, or otherwise his cousin, the
Princess Olive, the guardian Of his
daughters.
In case involving such vast and Sc
rious consequences as the reinforcement
Of Queen Victoria, there was of course
little likelihood that Mrs. Ryves would
succeed, whatever were the merits of the
case, and the jury rendered verdict
against her. Mrs. Ryves, however, per-
sists in her claims, and proposes to car