New-York tribune., 1909-06-14
LORD LEvENs NEW HOME

LORD LENEN'S NEW HOME
Young Lord Leven and Melville who succeeded
soue three years ago 10 the honors and vast
fortune Of his father well known IN this country
the chief Of couple of old-fashoned Anglo-Ameri-
can banking institutions in London. has just pur-
chased the beautiful hirtngton estate, in OXFORD
shire the ancestral home Of Sir George Dashwood.
The latter not be confounded with his distant
kinsuan, Sir John Dashwood, OF West WyCombs
Park. in Buclinghamshre, although he is de-
scended from the same stock The Dashwoods are
an old Dorsetshire family which fourished in the
reign OF Queen Elizabeth and the fortunes Of
which may be said 10 have been founded by George
Dsshwood, Turkey merchant and Alderman Of the
City Of London, II the reign Of James I. From him
are descended the Dashwoods OF West Wycombe
and The Dashwoods Of Kirtllngton, the baronetcy
cf the former dating from I07, whereas that Of the
Oxfordshire DashwOOds was created BY King
James II.
Among the Dashwoods OF West Wycombe
The Sir Francis Dashwood of unsavOry memory
who desecrateG Medmenham Abbey, through the
foundation there Of the Infamous Hell Fire Club"
who hourished Chancellor of the ExChequcr, and
died as Lord le Despencer, and whose mausoleum
At West Wycounbe has been repeatedly broken into
by vandals and subjected to the most ghoulish
desecration the last outrage Of this kind having
been committed recently as three years ago.
Hor have the perpetrators ever been discovered or
brought 10 justice. in spite OF the large rewards
offered for their arrest
The Ejrtlington estate is OF the most i'm
po-tant and beautiful IN Yorkshire, extends over
several thousand acres, and in ancient times be
ionged 10 the reigning house, both John OF Gaunt
and Henry V having made their home there. The
present mansion built at the beginning Of the
eighteenth century contains notable examples Of
Grinling Gibbons's carvings. and has apartment
called the monkey rooTn.'' in consequence Of the
painted ceiling. by Claremont, which are por-
1rayed number OF monkeys engaged in field
sports There is only one other ceiling Of the sort
.n existence and it was painted by the same artist
in the fishing lodge OF Monkey Island, on the
Thames. Taplow, for the Duke OF MarlboF-
ough-
Young Lord Leven recently came into the public
eye through presentation 10 the King OF a sum
OF some $4,000 for use IN the arrangement or n
chapel Of the knights Of the Scottish Oroer OF
the Thistle the Cathedral OF St Giles at Eulh-
hurgh His father had left similar amount Dy
viii 10 be employed IN the reconstruction OF the
Hoyrood Chapel Of the knights Of the Thistle put
81 vas decided that it would be an act of van
daisra 70 touch the picturesque ruins Of HoIyfood
attempt their restoration; so the pequesl " 80
declined, and consequently annuIed Dy 'He "a
ecutors. When, however, young Lord l>eVeh hedio
that proposal was on foot TO convert a poruoh
Ct St Ciles's Cathedral into chapel for the
Order the Thistle, he al once placed al lhe dls
posal of the King. gift Of his own lhe hioiieS
which his father had been wiling 70 SPeLu y"
Eolyrood. He IS like his father and granhfather
before him, a banker, has a SUBURBAN nome "a
London at Roehampton and place IN Scotlaho'
bat until now had English country seat
The first Lord Melville sent as ambassador
90 England TO plead for the life OF Mary Queen oI
Scots and the drst Earl Of Leven was neId mar
shal cf the army Of King Gustavus AdolpnuS III
the Thirty Years War. took the side oi rama
fnent against Charles / and contributed 10 ms &c
feat al Marston Moor, but afterward "oIAeu " i
TIE restoration Of Charles II. The two eailuoii9'
namely. those Of Leven and of MelVlhe' were
,ufted in the rerson of the third Earl of LeVen'
VIZ vs. sfso second Earl Of Melville. The present
Carl Is unmarried.