The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-09-24
THE LAwRENoE-TOwNLEx ESTATE

THE LAwRENCE-TOWNL ESTATE.
Over Eight Hundred Million Dollars
Awaiting Legal Claimants.
From the Toronto Mail.
The heirs of the Lawrence Townley
estates in England, who have for forty
years been making spssmodic efforts to
get possession of the vast property, are
now combining together to make a gen.
eral investigation and have the matter
settled. The value OF the estates is
found TO be much larger THAI was ut
hrst supposed. II is now placed at the
enormous sum of $SCO, 900, and even
that is thought to be much below the
actual value. The British government,
which has held the estates for two cen
turies, has by act of parliament, passed
on August 4, decided to pay over TO all
legal heirs their proper proportion of the
moneys. This has put the matt r on a
much better footing, and an effort is be.
ing made now to secure all information
about the heirs, Is required by the act.
There are large number of the de-
scendants OF the otlginAl owners in Can
ada and the United States. In Toronto
alone there are about twenty families
who viii have claims upon the estates.
The enormous sum to be divided. how
ever, will make ample provision for all
claimants. The family have offices IN
London. England. and an agent In Tor.
onto to collect information. One OF the
heirs will leave this city for England in
few weeks to compare notes with the
| agent there. MIR. William Northcoote
Gesre, of No. 475 King street west, one
of the heirs. is acting as agent, receivipg
correspondence and sending informC
ton to all members OF the family who
| place themselves in communl-
England in about six weeks to strai ght.
en- up the matter. The Hon. Henry s
Northcote, eldest son of the earl of Iddes-
leigh, is now in Montreal, and will visit
Toronto shortly to see what information
has been obtained here. The estates
| cover 10000 acres of land in England
They ere known as the Townley estates
in the counties of York and Lancashire
and the Vane Tempest estates, compris
ing extensive mining properties at Stel
Ia, Blayton, RYton, Visitation and Stan
ley, in the counties of York, Lancashire
and Durham. They are now in the
hands of the imperial government, and
managed by the marquis of London
| derry. Elizabeth TownleY, OF
Lancashire, England, married SlI
| roOeIt Lawrence In l0U4, aed she was
willed $30,O00,000, which sum was
never paid over Mary Townley mar
RED John Lawrence in 1903. The Vane
| Tempest estate came to the Townley
family through the marriage of Sir
Richard TOwnley to the heiress of Sir
| William Widdrington in 1860 The
marriage of John Lawrence was against
the will OF his parents, owing to religi
GUS differences, and he came to America
living in Boston. New York, Halifax
N. s., and Wslpole, Mass. He died
without being aware of the vast estates
to which he was entitled IN England
The family first commenced te
investigate the matter through
United States Senator Fenner Ferguson
OF Nebraska, IN 1S4S. He died in 1859
and the Investigation ceased for a time.
| Occasional efforts to redeem il were
made, but without success. Millions of
dollars have been spent IN attempts to
| get possession of the estates. During the
last five months more has been accom-
plished than has been done during the
past forty years. Evidence has been
procured which would enable all the
heirs of both the Townley lines to prove
their claims as soon as their names and
other information have been collected.