The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-01-11
THE HOUSE o. I,
Gossip Of One OF the Most Noted
Families Of London
Society.
Five Handsome and Unusually
Brilliant Daughters, Two Of
Them Twins.
All Married Happily and to Good Ad
vantage The Five sons General
European News

Especial Correspondence Of THE INDEpENDEs q.
LONDON, Dec. 20.--The name Of Neville
has been one Of the proudcst and most splen-
did in English history, ever since the great
king maker rendered 1t famous in the days OF
the Tudors; q name to rank with that of the
Howards and Talbots, the Percys and Ce-
ellis OF our aristocracy. To-day the head OF
the family is tho sexagenarian Marquis OF
AberRavenny, who is best known to society
as the happy father of a large and bloom.
ing family. including rs lovely set of
daughters as any one could wish to see. To
be sure the photographs Of the Ladies' New.
llle are not to be seen in every shop window
side by side with Lady Brooke, Lady Dud-
ley, or Lord Feversham's celebrated daugh-
ter, of whom the Duchess of Leinster is the
most dazzling example, but they are none
the less beautiful because they do not court
the intense publicity which is the charac-
tsristic note of these fin de seille days.
As each sister--and there are five Of
them--came out and was presented at
court she created a sensation; but the eli
max was reached when the Marchioness of
Abergavenny, some five or six years ago,
introduced to the world her youngest and
twin daughters. the Ladies Rose and Violet
Neville. Accompanied by their elder sister
Lady Edna Brassey. then unmarried, the
three girls, with their tall slim figures,
graceful carriage, and exquisite English
faces made most fascinating trio of
youthful loveliness, and the society papers
were never tired of rapturinG over the
charms of the Neville twins.'
The sister, who, from the purely none
tary point Of view, has undoubtedly done
the best for herself. as the saying goes, is
Lady Edna, who,n mot many months ago be-
slowed her hand and heart on the Honora-
BILE Thomas Allnutt Brassy. son and heir of
Lord Brassey. The Brasseys and Aberga-
vennys are country neighbors, the gorgeous
and palatial residence of the former, Nor
manhurst Place, being within twenty miles
Of Fridge castle, the old family seat of the
Nevilles; and the union of aristocratic
birth with recent wealth in the persons of
Lady Edna and Mr.. Brassey, gave infinite
satisfaction to both families. But young
Thomas Brassey is not only heir to his faith
er's many millions, but ais" to some extent
to the Drairs of his mother, the clever and &C.
centric Lady Brassey, whose Voyage in the
Sunbeam is no doubt almost as we'll
known in America as in England, and who
yacht about three years ago. He is thor
oughly good fellow, an energetic liberal. AN
aspiring politician. and candidate for
parliament at the next election.
Lady Edna practically became mistress
of her father-in-law's establishment imme-
diately after her marriage, and all last sea-
son dispensed graceful and successful hos.
pitnlity, both ut the family mansion in
Park Lane and Mt Normanhurst, whilst
her youthful sister in law, the
Honorable Muriel Brassey. But her reign
has como to Temporary close, for only a
few weeks back Lord Brassey, who is still
in the prime of life and rs bluff and hearty
a sailor as anyone conld wish to see, took
unto himself a second wife in the person of
the Honorable Beatrice Capel, sister to the
present Lord Capel. 1t is one of the curl
Gus little intricncies of English etiquette
that Lady Edna Brassey, as the daughter
of a marquis married to colnmoner, re-
tains her own name and rank and will take
precedence over her own mother-in law,
who only takes rank as the wife of baron;
whilst Lady Edna herself. ON her husband
succeeding to the title, will d,op her Chris
tian name and will step down to her hus-
bands rank. The explanation is, of course,
that the daughter Of peer retains her own
rank when she marries a commoner, but
adopts that of her husband when she mar
ries within the peerage. 1t is for the same
reason that the widows of peers retain by
courtesy their deceased husbands titles
after their remarriage with a commoner,
and that there exist such curious combina-
tions az. Countess Grosvenor and Mr..
George Wyndham, the Dowager Duchess of
Newcastle and Mr.. Tom Mohler, and best
known of all, Duchess of Montrose and Mr..
Miner.
The Neville sons are as numerous as the
Neville daughters, but, as is often the case.
they are not quite so we'll known to the
the Earl of Lewes is still unmarried,
though close on 40 years of age, and of the
rest, Lord Richard is the only son who has
private secretary to Lord Crenbrook, the
of the council. The best known
member is Lord William Neville who en-
braced the remune.ative if somewhat nour-
geois profession of wine merchant and
some years ago startled his relations by en-
tering the Roman Catholic church. The
old marquis. who ia Il stout Churchman,
was furious, and declined Mt first to recog-
nize his papist son: but the family breach
was ultimately healed-so rumor snid mt the
lime-by the good offices of the Prince of
Wales. And when Lord William chose for
his bride Mile. Louise de Murietta, daugll-
ter of the Marquis de Santurce. of we'll
known Spanish Catholic family, and near
neighbors of the Abergnvennys in Sussex,
no opposition was made. and the whole Ne
vile clan attended the marriage ceremony
1t the London Oratory church, which
proved to be one of the great social func-
ions of last years winter season.
VIRGINIA CRAWFORD.
COPYRIGHT,