New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-19
PURSUIT OF A PEDIGREE
METHODS FOLLOWED by AMBITIOUS
ENCIISIIMEN


WILLS AND RECORDS THAT DECEIVED
EXPERTS.
corrcspondcnce Of The Boston Transcript.
when a retired colonel of English militia
r,st middle age. of comfortable income Sbld'i
/ yhrewdness and considerable scH-lii'Poi :,
! fancies that he needs pcdlgree; ne uau' -
| EMPLOYS a patient and laborious dryasuua' VI
marc or less skill i'm the tracing ot Sehca'"S'IH
to drudge through che parish ana the plooI no
! re .ords in the quarter OF l.hsIdHu WI, 80
! believes his ancestors hourished sometimes
| th, searcher finds enough evidence OF the al
tuuity of the family and of the col"nel deScti.
! from il to crafty his pride and even To Pel'il,'
him to set up a cOat-Of arms. Ott'her' the J."
| uuitv is 80 frIitess the results 80 ineaSrc anu
/ unpromsing that the officer wearcs Oh i.t
| tedium and cost and sootheS thc t@"'S pt
| prompted it with the prudence thal p'uS LIZ.
! r.un,Iuce it In the desire Of EnSiishHeh mo
have made their way in the Woru - e' tot,
! thair connection with some old fanny d ID ar
/ Of which they have caused To f"uiiSh anew LII
! d,v.s,Iust has not to wait long for tIeSh en-
| u'1ymeut Usually he is among the mos,
| mcthodicaI accurate and honest Of men wen
/ aware that the results OF ms researches VII.
,raf,,lIv verified and sifted before they per
! made the Heralds Office to grant license u
bear arms Sometimes. IN the past ~ u,u nj 40
tfy the say Ing that "A pedigiec- '. Hat"d and
| ANYTHING" and riskcd distortion lalsen""" "'
oven forgery to crafty his patrons "''n
Highly respectable county families nave -"
time been thus founded. II h' no" 49, t
/
&, roal dryasdust. but an adNenturet inal nd
| applied his talents to SenedloSy ana thd' 'e
p-nts his enterprise in penal s'rNiiu",' ,
OF such was Herbert Dawes. VINO mas 9i'n'
tho L,st two Years i'm the west ot tnsldHd III
pursuit Of a pedigree 70 one Col9hei 0h'p" "Sii
F retired: who found il. down To ihr ld7I wy,
f necessary to a C0at-Of-arnls. ana Wh's" H"uu9
ard fnrgerics hoodwinked his employer l"e
.ustodians Of records and even eNpeIts III u,,'
until A chance inquiry sci an lhN,Sll7''''
afnot that has ended i'm the exemplary SCI"
t.ur. If the forger. Colonel ShipWdN b"h'N'u
himself the descendant Of an Ola 'ti"u.'9''I
shire family ard he hoped - cstabi IN MS OH
r,,tiou with it and then his right 10 "'"hS'
Davies was a suburban achoolmaS''I' M'On 4'n I
i hitions and an innate skill ia deceit thal hdl
+ ,l,s,dy been auplied i'm forged diplomas ana
+ t..tiptnuials that might increase his salary anu
better his social standing ShpWaF '"E"-'
him for 81 - day and his travelling eNPenH,'
10 MAKE. the necessary research' a c'iult"9d
tion that the midest and most uhNoiHl q"
drvasdusts would have disddin,d. ana lhdl
would have kindled suspicion ~ man NOR
vcrscd i'm the cost Of genealogical inquiries t'an
VA, ,hc retired officer. If The prlc, was l"",
. ,h INVESTIGATION was long and i'm the two years
. i'm which Davies examined the PARISH anu Ol,
/ probate records of Worcestershire the coohei
paid him nearly N33lH ,,
the cost Above all Colonel ShipWay d'Sit'u
, coat -of-arms and Davies had scarcely n'sun
his researches before he disoo' cred an "h'l7h
seal which ne alleged bore the SnlpW"S '.'SI
lrd motto Soon attcrward bee found IN" i'''''
repeated on a watch 81 the last century pett
H.. l.. of
al william Subway lie IeNt turned l." PARISH
churches and registers The parsons ana W.,
clerks in whose custody they were p'i.'N 'u
him as truStworthy AZ tn other dr>a+duSiS.
and left him to himself Forthwith Dawes p'
gan to accumulate references 10 me Ship"d!
for three centuries past aS tamE "l 'n''n'
roputc and estate in Glouc"st'lshWe. "hE ~. ~
titled To- bear arms. The baptism 81 one tno
death Of another the marriage Of "A thitd, hulE
appeared in the registers TN" name oi snip
way hlosSomed in unexpected places upon '"r
he
old helfry upon a statue that had stood III
church from time immomorial on the very
collins in two graves when l1fNlts o"'f'"'u
permission to open Better StllL the Goa 81
arms often appeared beside IT, Wears. CLERKS
and registrars OF probate readily cerllhrd the
copies Of the entries and attested all tn" o'-
curTenceS of the ShlpWaN name ana the 7"'P
way arms
The Hcralds College had now to be convinced
and. while il accepted the extracts from pdriiS,
records it desired further evidence rom WIS
as to the pedi,re and the arms that C"lohel
Shipway craved Davies returned anew 10
Worcestershire. and soon emerged trlumphah'
not with single will or single deed put WI"
three and one the testament of the very snip
way whose ancestral seal he had discovered
eighteen months before. An expert IN manu-
scripts Of the sixteenth and OF the seventeenth
centuries from the British Museum itself bore
witness to the genuineness of the documents
Colonel ShipWay's cup was Drumming lie hdu
the seal watch. and chest Of ms ancestors.
Parish records established his descent from
them. Probate records confirmed their high
position in the West Country their considerable
estates, above all. their right to bear arms un-
der grant of Richard the LiOn-lieart himself
There was only to lay the evidence before the
Heralds' College and it would forthwith make
the retired colonel into country gentleman.
Unfortunately a barrister with taste toi
ancient records leisure to cultivate il and
minute knowledge OF those of Worcestershire
had occasion. not long after Davies had dis
covered the wills to consult the diocesan
archives. To his surprise he found certain
testament lacking and in its place that Of one
Shipway He compared the records as they
ct,., al a taken the