The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-06-06
ROMANCE OF THE PEERAGE.
Why EngIishmen are Fond of Then
Nobility.


Nobility.
Much in England that has the sem |
biance of mere snobbery and servihty is I
due TO a sort of reverence for the histo- /
nv and romance of the country. Nearly |
all the titles In England are full of sug- /
gestiveness, as linking the present with |
grand eras and scenes which shaped the /
country to its present civilization. The |
peerage still represents the romance OF |
every school-boy and schoolgirl, and |
hardly a week passes but some item APP
pears in the papers calculated to awaken !
their interest and curiosity concerning
the old families by which they are sur
rounded. For example, the viii of the
late Countess of Loudon has been pub
lished, in which she directs that her
right hand shall be cut off and buried
in bennington park with a stone cross
over it, bearing the family motto
hyde my TYNE" The story behind this
singular provision is as follows In
early DAYS a usurper seized Downing
ton, the seat of the LoudOn family, and
held possession. But once. on the occa-
sion OF a banquet of the usurper and
his retainers, the lawful owner of the
castle gained admission in the disguise
of a server, and with him some faithful
comrades. The serving of the banquet
being impatiently demanded by the
usurper. this lawful owner and disguised
lord cried out, q bide my time, and
at the same moment bulls head-the
ancient symbol of death-was thrown
upon the table. Then the usurper and his
friends were attacked and killed. The
I family IS now poor, and the once great
/ house on its last legs. 1t eliminated in
I influence with the second Earl of MORA
7 J SC 81 al
/ brated governor general of India. II
reached its lowest ebb with its last male
/ heir, and the castle, with the old motto
] on IT is supposed 70 liavesA i4s<l..ss.,a. =
/ hope for the restoration of its anc,-Hr
/ greatness.
Last month, also, died Lord KingsaIe,
and the announcement is accompanied
by the reminder that his is the only
family which has the privilege of re-
naming covered in the presence Of the
sovereign. He was the premier baron of
. Ireland, and, as he died unmarried, his
title passes to his cousin, John Almeri-
Gus Fitzroy De Courcy, who viii be
thirty-first of the title. Now follows in
innumerable homes a rehearsal of the
story Of - the fearless De COurcy -
how false King John A. D. 1199-1216l
threw him in prison how, when the
king, accused Of the death of Arthur OF
Brittany by the king of France, and
with a demand for satisfaction on his
hands, could get no warrior TO cross the
channel for a single combat how his
fair queen advised that De Courcy
should be brought from his dungeon,
and how when the knight was asked be
said, q viii fight for the honor OF
England. but not fox false King John :;
how the knights Of France bit the dust,
AMI De COurcy returned, with the fol
lowing results:
In the eaIs Of the craven monarch
Of must this burthen ring
Tho the crown be thine and the royal line.
He i in thought thy king
So they gave tins graceful honor
To the bold De Courcv's race.
That they ever should dare their helms 70
wear
Before the kings own face:
And the sons Of that line OF heroes
To this day their right assume.
For. when every head Is uubouueted,
They walk IN cap and plume
And so, when the new Lord Kiugsdale
appears the youth of England VIII not
behold a mere mediocre man, as he uo
doubt Is, but a nine-hundred -years-ol
bit of the age of chiyalry.
! That is but one among the nobility
particularly in IrelaEd-which once had
a Il
q tom at the castle of the Earl of Kove OF
letting down the draw bridge before the
. portal whenever the family takes
meal. The legend connected with thi.
! custom IS that when the fair Gvendo
/ line Grace was queen of the Hebrides
more than a Thousand years ago, she
once visited the rival kingdom IN tn,
. west of Ireland, of which the Earl o
Il hOve was the chief. She was weary anl
, hungry, and sent her attendants to kOv,
r castle TO ask for hospitality. It was re
. fused In going away she met a it'll
I boy in rich attire, the young heir Of tn,
- Earl of kOve, whom she seized and Dor
o away TO the Hebrides. For years tn
= proud earl and his lords and soldier
, tried to get back this captive youth b.
b force, but failed. At last they were r
duced to appeal TO GwendOline to Re
], store him on her own cOnd ito, S. Sh
q replied that she bad been refused hos
pitality by an Earl of Hove, and sh
n would surrender his son and heir oul,
on condition that, If anyof her subjects
or OF their descendSnts, should ever ap
proach kOve castleI and ask for food
5 they should be entertained with tn
D best that the castle could afford for tn
I proudest guest. At that time all tn
= northwest Of ireland paid allegiance {,
; Queen GEendOline. The Earl of kovu
e agreed to these terms, and to thi
e day not only Is the draw let down an,
: the gate kept open during every meal
l. but, if any person from Dublin or tn,
S northwest chooses to enter, a plate is q
5 once laid for him, and he is invited L
e partake, even though the earl may 8
q the time be giving a fine dinner-party
e Whether anybody ever avails himsel
e now OF the privilege is doubtful. Blu
7 1t is IN good part the maintenance o
such old legendary customs, and theil
D celebration in village ballads, which
= preserves that atmosphere of romanct
around the nobility Which continues t
impress the mind of each generation
and which renders it possible for ever
5 educated people to echo the sentimen
OF Lord John Manners famous distich
Let laws and learning, wealth and commerce
J die,
/ / But leave Us still our old nobility"