The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-08-09
souABBLE OVER A PEsRAcE.
Soandaious Family History Divuig-
ed In Connection Win EarIdom Of
Herk&,Iev.

SoandaIous Family History DivulR-
ed In Connection With Earidom OF
Berkeley.
The committee of privileges Of the
house of lords met on the 3ist ult.,
at Westminster for the purpose OF de-
Gliding upon the arrangements for the
Forthcoming hearing OF the case OF the
new claimant to the earldOm OF Berke-
ley. Contrary 20 practice, the case
will be heard with open doors, and
will bring out good deal Of the scan
dalous history connected with the
family, and which has been vented at
various times during the past centu-
ry. There is already an earl OF Berke-
ley, but he enjoys little more than the
ancient honors OF the house. The
present hearing, however, means n re-
opening OF the famous Berkeley peer
age case, which was twice heard be
fore the house of lords in the early
Berkeley Estates consisted OF abont
10000 acres of rich land in GlouCes-
tprshire and two adjacent counties,
and the ancestral seat of the family
was the famous historic castle Of
Berkeley, where Edward III met with
his horrid death, thegrant having been
made a. far back as the reign OF Hen
~ IT, On the death Of the fifth earl
Of Rerkeley, in 1910, his eldest son
presented a petition to the crown for
"A writ OF summons as earl Of Berkeley,
which was referred to the house Of
lords, which came to the conclusion
that the claim had not been substan-
tiated. The fifth earl had married a
Miss Mary Cole, daughter Of butcher
at Wooton, near Gloucester, and the
case chiefly turned on the question
when he was first married to her. Be
yond all doubt, ON May II, 1906,
Frederick August Berkeley, ''hHche-
lor," was married to Mary Col', spin
stcr," at st. Mary's, Lar. beth, by
which time the said Mcry Cole had
borne the earl several hildren, but it
was alleged that az earlier marriage
took place at Berkeley III March, 1885,
which had beesl kept secret. In 1888,
ut her fathers death, Mary Cole came
to London to live with her sister
who vas a woman of loose Charac-
ter. A little after she became a
servant with a family in Kent at the
ge Of S25 per annum. Then her
sister sent her back again. According
to one account her sister was about
being taken to prison for debt OF
100 guineas, when Lord Berkeley
came to the rescue with the money in
hand, and Mary Cole henceforth be
came his mistress. She took the
name of Miss Tudor, and lived in
Park street. Berkeley square, where
half dozen children were born, who
| were registered as illegitimate Off
spring OF August Frederick Berkeley
and Mary Cole. Lady Berkeley, how
ever, alleged that she was all this time
| the lawful wife of Lord Berkeley, only
the marriage had been kept secret on
account of the light character Of her
sister. She always went by the name
| of Miss Tudor, and once when "a ser
| want addressed her as though she
were a countess the earl blamed him
| for his bIunder. The marriage regis
ter of Berkeley church was produced,
showing the entry OF marriage. IN
March, 1885, the entry purporting to
be made by n clergyman who had
since died, and the witnesses to the
marriage were Mary Coles brother,
u boy of IL or Is, who had signed
| himself William Tudor" and a man
who never had an existence, "Wii
| liam Tudor" swore that he had heard
| the bans of the marriage published IN
| church, but nobody else appears to
| have heard them. The solicitor gen
eraI in 1911 described the case as "a
dreadful measure ofperjury and guilt;
but Mary Cole, afterwards countess o.
Berkeley, always Indignantly repudi
ated the charges offraud made against
her, and letters are now being publish
I'd which she addressed to Lord Er
skine. in which she passionateIy pro
tests her innocence. 1t was alleged al
the time that, by repeated threats
and opportunities, she at last prevail
cd upon the earl to make her his wife
and that then she prevailed upon hel
husband to Join her in plot to legit
imatize her older children by trump
| lllp up tDS SbOlS VI q nO'I'' hltth' y
at Berkeley's. Tine proofs ofthis mar
riage, however, were insufficient to sat
isfy the house of lords. The earl o
Berkeley, who had married Mary Cole
hequeathed the Berkeley estates IL
his eldest son, who in vain claimed
the title. However, he received, il
1881, a sort Of consolation peerage
being called to the house Of lords un
der the title of Lord Segrave. III
died unmarried in 1857, and his mex
brother succeeded to the estates, ant
was subsequently created Lord Fitz
hardinaee. As the present Lord Fitz
hardinage, son of the first Lord, nov
holds the Berkely estates, Mary Cole
afterwards countess OF Berkeley, sue
ceeded virtually in her object, al
though the Judgment of the hous
of lords was against her first al
legged marriage. -Four sons were borl
TO Lord Berkeley and Mary Cole prio
to their marriage at Lambeth churc
in 1896, and three afterwards. Th
eldest of the sons after the latte
marriage was recognized as earl {
Berkeley, but he never assumed TN
title; his means were probably insult
cient to support the dignity. On hi
death he was succeeded by his coI'slr
grandson of the younger brother {
the earl, whose romantic mar1ag
connection caused much trouble
his family. His son is the presen