Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1899-06-01

MIGHT HAVE BEEN KINGS.
Sens u Royal Fathers Who Weso
UaackAewleAgeA-A lkSss's
Romance. "a
News has been received from South
Africa of the death there Of . mas
named George Rex. He il stated to
have been the morganatic grandson Of
George ILL.,. but was more probably
that monarch's great-grandson. While
George Ill. was still prince Of Wales he
fell in love with Hannah Lightfoot, the
daughter of . London tradesman, and
there is every reason to believe that he
married her and had children by her.
Two daughters and son are mem
TONED. One of the daughters is said to
have married man by the name Of
Dalton, and her descendants are, or
were until recently, living in England.
and openly claimed their descent. Han
nah Lightfoot was called 1.-The Beauti.
full Quaker" and a marriage was ar
ranged between her and q London ap-
prentice. As soon as she had married
the apprentice she was spirited away
and was unknown to the public after.
wards. There seems every reason to
believe that she was under the protec-
ton of the government, for when her
death became known to George, then
the king, he had q second marriage
performed with his queen, Charlotte Of
Neklenburg-Strelitz.
As late as 1867 pamphlet was pub
Gshed in England trying to prove that
Hannah Lightfoot was q myth. But
the evidently INSPIRED" author proved
too much, and after reading the pub
LEGATION one is convinced that Hannah
Lightfoot was q reality, and that the
king did marry her. he'author of the
pamphlet aimed especially to disprove
the claims of the Daltons, and reminded
them that there is family in South
Africa which has long claimed the de-
scent from the king and the beautiful
Quaker. In the early part of the CEN
fury q sailing vessel left England UNI
der sealed orders, bound for the then
new South African possessions which
had been won from the Dutch. On
board that vessel was George Rex,
who was, there seems to be little doubt,
the son of George III. and Hannah
Lightfoot. He virtually was q prisoner
and must at that time have been about
40 years old. He was landed at the
Cape of Good Hope and told that he
Il onp,11 hnu In n rf land a
he wanted and could select it himself.
He chose the Huysna, q beautiful.
wooded and we'll watered tract of land
near Cape Town, and was made marshal
Of the cape. At Huysna have lived ever
since the descendants of this involun-
tary emigrant and there, the other day.
died his grandson, George Rex. a.
A great many relics of George III.
are said to be in the possession Of the
Rex family. When the duke Of Sake
Coburg- Gotha, then Prince Alfred, Wis
tied Cape Colony he staid for awhile at
Huysna az guest of George Rex. Tho
old man was very proud and maintained
. strict reticence regarding his descent.
A few years ago man who had never
heard the romantic story of Hannah
Lightfoot was travelling in Germany
and while on visit to the castle Of Nu-
remberg came across picture OF
George I'LL. "How like my old friend.
George Rex, in South Africa" he ex-
claimed. A friend who was with him
and knew the story astonished the trav-
e]er by telling him the cause of the
likeness.
1t was to his most intimate friends
only that George Rex ever told the
story of his descent. 1t is on record
that when George ~. was seeking .
divorce from his queen, Caroline Of
Brunswick, that unhappy woman de-
declared that she was neither wife nor
queen. She said that George III. was
really the husband of Hannah Light
foot when George ~. was born and
that, therefore, he was not legitimate.
and that George ~. was really the hus-
band of Mrs. Fitzherbert, and there
fore she (Caroline) was not his wife.
George Nv. was married to Mrs. Fitz-
herbert in 1850. There was never any
question about the marriage, but it was
decided that as Mrs. Fitzherbert was .
Catholic and the law of England for
babe the marriage of the heir to the
throne with person of that faith,
therefore the marriage was invalid.
But the Catholic church declared the
marriage valid and allowed Mrs. Fitz-
herbert to live with the man she had
married. After his marriage with Caro-
line of Brunswick Mrs. Fitzherbert left
the king, but after he and his queen
had separated she lived with him again
at Brighton. His excuses, however.
compelled her to leave him again, and
she lived in retirement to ripe old
age, supported by liberal pension
from the British government.
The father of the late Gen. Edward
Otto Cresap Ord, of the American army,
is supposed to have been the son Of
Mrs. Fitzherbert and George ~. Gen.
Ord was distinguished soldier in the
civil war. He was born in 1918 in Mary
land and died of yellow fever in Havana
l l.: 4 Il