The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-04
MASTER OF BLENHEIM
HOUSE OF CHURCHILL REvITALIZED
WITH AMERICAN BLOOD.
Historic English Family of Dukes Has
Been Given New Lease on Life
by the Vanderbilt Alliance.
New York Herald.

interest in the marriage of Miss Consuelo
Vanderbilt and Charles Richard John
Churchill, the ninth Duke of Marlborough.
There were those who wagged their heads
wisely at the time of the grand wedding,
and croaked all sorts of dire predictions, all
of which have, with stubborn persistency,
declined 10 come true.
From the standpoint of precedent, not TO
go into the psychology of heredity, the mar
riage did not augur well for the charming
daughter of the New York house of Van
derbilt The calamity howling pessimists,
judging from the past records of the
Churchill family, from old Sir John himself
down to the father of the present duke,
were not so very far wrong in the stand
they had taken. Their only mistake was in
not knowing the caliber of the young scion
of nobility who had taken unto himself
wife from the family of Vanderbilt
1t may be disappointment to the
prophets of calamity to know that the mar
riage has turned out a most happy one.
Probably it needed the infusion of virulent
western life to change the sluggish course
| of the old Churchill blood. AT any rate, the
prohigate ancestors of the present duke
would scarcely recognize in that model
young husband and father one Of their own
kin.
For the Churchills have. never been noted
for their good qualities as husbands and
fathers Some of them have become famous,
all of them have been picturesque. But there
have been few who seemed to realize a sense
of moral responsbiIity-few. l mean, upon
whose shoulders have fallen the mantle Of
duzedom.
There have been younger brothers, it is
true whose lives have been well nigh ex-
emplary, and who have likewise won fame.
Lord Randolph Churchill. a third son and
uncle Of the present duke who died before
he had quite fulfilled the great promise of
his youth was one of the ablest members
of the family. OF the present generation
there is young Winston Churchill, eldest son
of the late Randolph Churchill, who seems
to have inherited much of his father
ability.
In his veins. too, there flows good Amer
lean blood for his mother was one of the
New York Jeromes and famous beauty.
On the whole. it seems quite likely that
American marriages may be saving grace
in SO far as the Churchill family is con-
cerned. 1t only remains now for young
Winston to come oVer-he met lot of nice
girls when he was here with his cousin, the
duke-and take back an American bride.
To be sure. she wouldn't get title. nor
yet much wealth But she would get me
young fellow for husband, one who IS des-
tined to take high rank as an orator ana
writer.
BLENHEIM REBUILT.
In this connection it is necessary to speak
Of another American woman who married
Churchill, the eighth Duke of Marlborough.
/ refer to Mrs. Lille Hamersley, the wealthy
widow whose fortune restored the lettering
financial foundation of the dukedom. The
eighth dukes marriage, to Lady Alberta
Frances Anne Hamilton, a daughter of the
Duke of Aberdeen, was an unhappy one.
70 fIp hiYt11 IF fol1 IL iii
solved on petition of the duchess.
The the duke married Mrs. j. Hooker
Hamersley He took her to BlCnheim palace
and she spent the sum of $780, 800 i'm repairs.
Just to what extent she repaired the depleted
fortune of her ducal spouse in all is a matter
of profound mystery 1t is a dark secret, and
one she does not to talk about. When
the duke died she married Sir William
Berestord.
Cleared of its debts there is no more
splendid residence in all England than Blen-
helm. Situated in the midst of a magniti~
cent park, three thousand acres in extent,
it does full justice to it's surroundings. It's
grand north front stands back with arcades
sweeping the main entrance. AT its feet lies
the great bridge across the lake, and 1T
faces on the opposite height the Column of
Victory. backed by the avenue stretching to
the northern entrance of the park, two miles
away. The yellow buildings stand out
against the grass and trees, and pale the
English sky with something of a Roman
stateiness. 1t must have been partly from
Italy that Sir John Vanburgh, the architect,
drew his inspiration
BIenheim Park is a beautiful place. The
view from the south on the garden front IS
Superb Stretching before lies the lawn,
bordeIed to right and left with pleasure
grounds, richly wooded. The niue RlVef
Glyme flows through the park. and over 1t
had been thrOWn-when the place was bullt
"A grand bridge on the northern side,
handsome work. which needed nothing IN
the world but a reasonable amount H' water
to bestride. The Glyme, however, was alto-
gether unequal to the occasion. ana It's mar
row stream trickled ludicrously enough I'M
der the great arch. 49,.
to the landscape gardener of those days,
saw the need and found the water. lie
placed a barrier at the lower end OF the
stream and the waters accumulated there
BET they rolled over not only formed
fine lake but created d pretty cataract, PEI
hans twenty-feet high, now one OF the pleas
ATTEST features of the park. Just below the
cataract stands an obelisk. on a niue open
ing of green sword, backed by the hlgh trees
en- the slope above. Nearly an the ldhe II
surrounded by high shelving banks, through
which it curves-a wide sheet OF water;
bending in the shape of a letter around
the western end of the palace
Vet previous to his marriage with Miss
Vanderbilt the present duke, despite palaces,
town houses and lands, with a coat-ot-arms
blazing with the glory of one OF the World 5
greatest battles, was a poor young man;
His father once declared that the boy would
need $500. eco or be q beggar And, in truth,
debts and Blenheim seem to nave been
elective affinities.
OLD JOHN CHURCHILL.
The first Duke Of Marlborough was OLD
John Churchill He was an epitome of all
that was brilliant and great as we'll as all
that was bad and low in the Churchill
characteristics. Judged by even the most
Ienient code of morals. John Churchill was
not an exemplary parsonage. He owed his
rise not merely to his brilliant qualities, but
to the treachery with which he treated
his benefactors when they could no longer
advance him and to the baser qualities of
his own relations. His sister Arabella was
the mistress of James II when Duke of
York and as such proved an invaluable
stepping stone. His wife. Sarah Jennings,
though her virtue was never impdgned, was
imperious to the point of Tyranny and il
was to her avarice that he and his success
ors to the dukedom owed the wealth which
the latter eventually dissipated.
These two women had an immense influ-
ence on his career. His sisters influence
over James III even before his accession
procured Churchill his earliest chances of
distinction 1t was through the then Duke
of York that he obtained his first commits
sion in the guards and that he was subse-
quently dispatched to join Turenne in
France Here his brilliant courage and abii-
ity were displayed in the reduction OF the
fortTesses on the French frontier.
When the Duke of York became James IL
he did not forget the brother of his mistress.
Young Churchill who had already been
given a Scotch title, was raised to the
English peerage with the title OF Baron
Churchill of SandTidge and promoted to q