The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-02-23
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some Interesting Information Concern.
ingt The Lady BountIful OF this Age.
The Baroness BurdettC ouLts is proba.
bly, the only person living who would
have found 1t necessary to deny more than
once thatshe had given $4,000 for the
relief Of the distress in Ireland; but when
the story was told OF her, the largeness OF
her heart and her fortune alike made 1t
easily credible. Her annual income as
the owner 81 a half interest in the htstor-
ic banking house Of Coutts & Co. was Civ
en- at 100000 several years ago, and IT is
scarcely likely that 1t Is less now, while
the record Of her charity Is simply mag
nilcent. She has endowed three Bishop
RIGS lin Africa, Australia and British 20
lumbial, at a cost, 1t Is stated, little less
than the sum she was said to Lave given
TO the Irish.
The magnificent Church Of st. Stephen,
Westminster, with q parsonage and three
adjoining schools, was built and endowed
al her sole expense, and several other
churches and schools, notably a Hiagdalen
Rei0rmAtory, Wonld not now be IN ex.
istence but for her efforts. She supplied
file funds for Sir Henry James topoo-
graphical survey Of Jerusalem, and 1t Is
6uite certain that she would have, made
GOOD her offer to supply the city with
water by rebuilding ::the ~aqueduCts OF
ONION. had not the work been undertaken
Ihouph afterward abandoned) by the gov,
eminent. She endowed the Geological
Professionally at Cambridge; she has erect
adj more drinking fountains in more cities
than can be catalogued here; she assisted
DR.. Livingstone when he was in his great
cat need: and q square OF model dwell
ipgs was built by. her around the Uolnm
bla Market, which also she built ant
presented to the corporation oil Lon
don.
lie charities, and in private she is rePutec
10 be no less munifcent But little car
be added to complete the liie-story oil Thu
1Iady Bountiful" OF u age. She wa.
born in 1914, and is the youngest daugh
ter OF the late Sir Francis Burdett, Baronet
Her fortune comes to her from her mater
nal grandfather, Sir Thomas COutts, auC
she assumed his name when she INHERITED
Fhis property. This was in 1887, upon the
termination OF the life interest Of hi
widow, who was Miss Mellon, the actress
before he married her as his second wife
and who died the Duchess Of St. Adams
sir Thomas Coutts' first vile, the grand
mother Of the subject Of this sketch, wa
Elizabeth Starkey, the daughter OF a Ian
cashire peasant, who was a servant, il
he employment OF the bankers brothe
until her marriage made her n OF thu
lrst ladies OF the Kingdom. The Baroness
received her title in 1871. She received
the freedom OF the City OF London In 1872
and eighteen months later, the City o.
Edinburgh similarly honored her. At tn
end OF the last Russo Turkish war thu
Sultan decorated her With the CRANE
Gordon oithe Order Of Medjidiei in recogni
ton Of her services to the wounded; Thu
estimation in which she is held by tn
people OF England is shown by the fac
that when, in 1865, the reform procession
passed her house and she was recognized
at the window, q shout was raised, aud 10
over two hours the air rang with th'
cries Of the thousands who filled the street