Evening star., 1896-02-29
TWO AMERICAN BARoNs.

Heirs to English Titles Live In Mary
land.
From the Century.
By a decision Of the house of lords, In
1900. in favor Of the Rev. Bryan Fairfax,
the title of Baron Fairfax of Cameron was
acquired, and quietly pigeonholed along
with other outworn vanities, by the Fair
faxes Of Virginia and Maryland. In like
manner, the heir to the title and estates
Of Kihgsale and Ringrone, the Oldest bar
ony in Ireland which included the question
able right to wear the baronial hat in the
presence of royalty, is at this present writ
ing enjoying bucolc peace and ease on
his ancestral grounds of Cheston-uDon-
Wye in Queen Anne's county, contemplat-
ing with satisfaction his cattle and sheep
appropriately beasts of gentle blood and
high degree), and wondering, If ever he
gives thought to the matter, how gen.
tleman, because he happens to be premier
baron of Ireland, can fail to doff his beaver
TO lady because she happens to be mere
ly Queen Of England. This is DR.. William
Henry DE Courcy of the ancient stock of
that name, whereof branch was trans
planted to Maryland about 1858, by young
er sons of the house of Kingsale-descend-
ants of that doughty Earl of Ulster, whose
prowess Is celebrated in the ballad:
So they gave this hearty honor
To the bold De Courcy race,
That they ever should dare their helms to
wear
Before the kings own face.
And when every head is unnonneted,
They walk in cap and plume.
The actual holder of the title inher;ts
from sailor who hailed from Rhode Is
land, and whose elevation to the dignities
and emOluments of the barony was accom-
plished by an ingenious and complicated
scheme of imposition after the death of
Gerald. the twentyfourth baron, in l159
q fnvf hi
spiracy. 1t is even probable that Arthur
Orton or his abettors may have found their
inspiration and instructions in the case
OF the De Courcys Of My Lords Gift and
CheSton-upon-Wye in Maryland. The
daughters of Gerald warmly espoused the
cause and claim of the Maryland family
In petition to the Right Honorable the
Lords Spiritual and Temporal in parliament
assembled" the daughters of the Earl of
kingsale assert that for some years before
and to the time of his death, his lordship
"labored under constant indispos.tion of
mind. and was weak in his understanding
easy or belief, open to imposition and
proper object for designing persons to
work upon, by whose creatures he was
constantly surrounded; that in this me!an-
choly state OF mind it was first contrived
by Improper insinuations to ALLEVIATE his
affections from his said children, and then
10 introduce, as the real heir male of that
ancient family, a person of the name Of
!ohn Courcy, or De Courcy, brought from
In Efe-a common boatman, then plying for
hire at Portsmouth, in Great Britain; a
person before unheard Of and unknown TO
the family. Your petitioners are
vel assured, and doubt not to grove if
they are permitted to do so, that William
De Courcy, Esq. Of Queenstown in Mary
land, is the real and true heir male OF the
family, and as such respected and cons.d-
ered IN that country; and the late lord be-
fore he fell into that melancholy state Of
MIND, and the hands Of designing persons
did publicly declare that William De Cour-
cy, son OF Miles De Courcy, was the next
heir male of his familys'
But these eastern shore De Courcys he
ing content with their terrapin and oysters
and ducks, and the honorable regard of
thelr neignbors. and especially wary of
old thing 60" while they concerned them
selves rather for the independence of the
colonies, and proceeded to equip a gallant
ton.