The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-12-31
ENC.AND'S noted WOMAN
PHILANTHROPIST Dead
BARONESS RURDETT- co UTTS S
EXPIRES AT THE AGE OF
NINETY-TWO.

Unique Personality and Interesting
Social Figure-Lived During the
Reign of Five British Sovereigns--
Inheriting a Large Fortune She SO
Used 1t as to Die Beloved by the
Whole Nation-Warm Friend of
Queen Alexadra--Spent Over Five
Million Dollars In Charity.
London, Dec, Baroness Burdett-
Coutts, who has bsen i'll at her resi-
dence here since Christmas eve, is dead.
The death of Baroness Burdett-
Coutts, occurring at the ripe age of
ninety-two years, besides depriVing the
country of one of it's greatest and most
famous philanthropists, removes from
London a unique personality and an in
teresting social figure. AS link with
the almost forgotten past, her life be-
ginning during the reign of the En-
peror Napoleon, she lived during the
reigns Of five British sovereigns. In
heriting an immense fortune, she so
used it as to dies beloved by the whole
nation, from the queen, who bestowed
upon her the warmest friendship, to
the humblsst citizen. Her wonderful
vitality led those about her to believe
as late as Friday, when she rallieed,
that her life might still be prolonged;
but on Saturday she grew weaker. She
was conscious to the very last moment,
and able to recognize all the older
members of her household, to each of
whom she gave a handshake as they
come to bid her last farewell. She
died peacefully at half-past ten o'clock
this morning. During the last illness
of the baroness numerous royal in
quiriss were made at her home, Queen
Alexandra sending a specially gracious
message, which the baroness was able
to appreciate and respond to. All the
members Of the royal family have wired
their condolences to William Ashmead
Burdett-Coutts, the husband of the
baroness.
The baroness had besn i'll altogether
for nearly two months, and confined to
her room at her town residence in
Stratton street for the past six weeks.
Her illness had its origin in cold,
which developed into acute bronchitis.
Recently she led rather a secluded life,
passing her time either at her town
residence or at her delightful ountry
lila on tn outskirts of London near
Highgate, where she formerly enter
taif1ed largely. She was a great pat
roness of art, stsnee and literature, in
tntfhri11ur lftIa t,, Until rt11ites
recently she was wellknown figure to
Londoners, driving her donkey chaise
in the vicinity Of her home.
The baroness Burdett-Coutts was the
first peeress created in her own right,
and the first woman presented with
honorary citizenship in London She
was one of the foremost Of English
women, and was an intimate and life
long friend of the late Queen Victoria
She was one of the richest women in
England Her wealth was used prin-
cipally to carry on her work to improve
the condition of the poor, and as a
philanthropist her name was Wrldwtde.
She was particularly beloved by the
people of the Whiteehapel district, Lon
don, whose condition she had done
much to improve, Twenty-Five years
ago the baroness became the wife of
William Ashmead Bartlett, then a
young mann in the diplomatic service,
and at present a member of parliament
for Westminster. He was born at Ply
mouth Mass, and upon becoming the
husband of the baroness, assumed, by
royal license, the surname of Burdett-
Coutts,
The baroness had a remarkable his
tory. To have known William w. to
have been presented at Queen Vic
toria's coronation, to have been inti-
mately associated with Charles Dick
ems, and to have spent over million
pounds in charity form unique chap
ter of incidents in this womans life.
King Edward once said that, after his
own mother, the baroness was the most
remarkable woman in England and un-
questionably "the second lady in the
| land"
| BY repute the baroness was more
than a millionaire in English sove-
reigns, and the principal partner in the
famous old banking house of Coutts &
Co., which for many years has acted
as the private bank of most Of this
| royal houses OF Europe.