The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-17
COUNTS ACTION MAY
EMBARRASS HIS KING

william comte d'Eu in Normandy by
Lady Piantagenet daughter OF Thomas.
Duke of Gloucester. sixth son OF Ed
ward Ill. and brother. therefore, OF
Edward the Black Prince. The barony.
owing 10 its descent In the female
line. has been twice in allegiance, once
from 1882 TO 1920. and then again from
lT4S TO 1882 Lady Berners's father
was n major OF dragons. OF the name
OF Wilson. when the allegiance OF the
Bernerss Barony was terminated IN
his favor. thus investing. him with a
seat In the House OF Lords and with
peerage a Mr.. Wilson. OF Ailexton
Hall, Leicestershire, was SO much
struck by this story. that. dying not
long afterwards, he bequeathed 10 the
new Lord Berners estates worth S5o,-
600 a year, as we'll as 100000 In
consols. although he was a perfect
stranger TO him, and the two men ma
never met.
Lord Wrottesley, who is making such
wonderful recovery from a fracture
OF the thigh, despite his cighty-seyen
years of age, represents one OF the
oldest families In England. aud can
trace lis direct and unbrokcn lnaie
descent further back than any utliet
member of the peerage. His ances-
trail home, Wrotteslcy Hall, near Vol
northampton was burned down in 1891.
when a priceless library and coli
lection of heirlooms We're destroyed.
But the property has been in the POS
session OF Lord Wrottesley's forbears
since 1867. when II was enfeoffed by
Adam, Abbot OF Evesham. to Simon
OF Verdon. a younger branch of the
baronial house of Verdon of Alton,
Simon thereupon assuming the add
tional name of Wrottesley From him
Wrottesley is descended in the direct
male line.
one OF the wrottcsleys was with
Simon of Montfort at the battle of
Evesham Another distinguished him
~ ba ~ l.
ward the Black Prince. and was one of
the original knights of the Garter.
sir Walter Wrottesley was conspic-
nous YorNst in the Wars OF the Roses.
munificentiy endowed him with lot
of land connscated from people who
had belonged to the other side.
Another Sir Walter Wrottesley fought
allied by Cromwell and the Common
wealth The baronetcy which the
Wrottesleys held is one of the Oldest
in existence, and the eighth baronet
American war OF Independence.
Although the family is so very old,
its peerage is of relatively modern
origin. having only been created in
who had represented Staffordshire in
number OF Parliaments. His son
and successor, the second baron. was
a man Of science, famous astrono-
iIleE anu Aputiutt " stit7 IVY ~ ~
tronomical Society. as. we'll as pres
ident of the Royal Society The pres
ent Lord Wrotteslcy is his son. and
was lord In waiting to the late Queen
Victoria, who held him in high es-
| tenn
Lord Wrotteslcy's only daughter,
EVELYN, married last summer the Hon.
Henry Fowler. son and heir Of Lord
| Wolverhampton. Lord President OF the
Privy Council. and sonsof a Methodist
minister His daughter Is widely
(, known in America as a novelist, under
| the name OF Ellen Thorneycroft Fow-l
| Ter, among her best works being
Isabel Carnaby'' and place and
/, Power She IS married to Laurence
! Felkin, who in addition to being a
| government inspector OF schools, Is
J likewise something of a novelist.
i Copyright, 1910, by the Brer<wood