The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-11
BY LA MARauIsE DE FoNTENoY.
QRA L,A1TENESS L. 60 ,uel1 tnoutn

=
ORD CA1THNESS is so we'll known
In America, where. indeed, he
makes his principal home. on
the Berriedale ranch, in NORTH
Dakota, that there are many people
here who will be glad to learn that
ne has Just Inherited from old Miss
Louisa Buchan. has maternal grand
with It's park and considerable
amount OF landed property. oesiaes an
income to the tune OF $4,000 year.
Thanks TO this hequest the seven
| teenth Earl of Caithness VIII for the
| hrst time become a landowner in
Scotland, where his predecessors
| ranked as the greatest territorial mag
mates of the kingdom. in the history
| of which their names appear on al
most every page. Moreover, it trans
| straitened circumstances. and with
virtually no income save that derived
from his North Dakota ranch. into a
man of independent fortune.
In olden times, the estates of the
earldom of Caithness embraced the
entire northern part of Scotland from
sea to sea, and included the orkney
Islands, which We're then subject TO
the suzcrainty OF the Norwegian crown.
But owing TO the fact that during the
| space OF a little over 100 years no
| less than four collateral branches have
come TO the succession all the estates
| We're by degrees alienated from the
earldom the fifteenth earl completing
ried, in 1889. For some reason or
other he was imbued with sentiments
of bitter hatred against the present
earl and his father, both of them very
| remote kinsmen, and on dying be-
aueathed the whole of his property TO
a college chum OF the name of +. G.
Heathcote. Suit was brought to up
set the will and the legal proceedings
ended In its being invalidated. Unfor-
tunately, the invalidation did not ben
eft the present earl or his father.
1t had the effect of rendering the If
teenth earl practically intestate. the
estates in consequence thereof COINS
to his next of kin in the female line,
These Were Sir James Buchanan OF
Craighead. as the lineal descendant OF
Lady Janet Buchanan, daughter of the
twelfth Earl Of Caithness, while the
other next of kin turned out TO be
an Australian squatter of the name
| of Murray McGregor, who furnished
proof that he was the great-grandson
of Lady Charlotte McGregor. the other
daughter of the twelfth earl, who
died in 1910.
Both the present earl and his father
have been obliged on several occa-
sions to defend their rights to the
earldom in courts of law the most
notable claimants having been Pres
byterian minister of the name of John
|
Perthshtre, who carried his case to the
| House of Lords, but without success
putting the defendants TO heavy ex-
pense. which they could Ill afford. 1t
lis doubtful whether there Is any peer
age, indeed. that has furnished more
! subjects for litigation than that of
Caithness, the ancestry Of the SINCLAIR
family being Of SO complbated and in,
| tricate a character that the earldom
has rarely passed from one holder to
another without legal proceedings.
The Sinclairs are of most ancient
origin, tracing back their descent era,n to
nently in tho annals Of Scotland, es-
| pecially in the darkest pages of her
history The fourth peer was per-
/ trived to poison the Earl and Countess
of Sutherland, at a supper which he
gave in their honor then coolly de,
nounced his accomplee; testified
/ ton. He next kidnapped the young
Lord Sutherland. who was only fifteen.
4 and forced him by torture and threats
to marry his daughter. Lady Barbara
l tain reputation. The fourth earl's ED.
est son. Lord Rerriedale, Master Of
strangled his younger brother, VIII
/ liam.
The sixth Earl OF Caithness was q
i terrible SpendthrlEt ana Contrdcteu
enormous liabilities. his principal cred
itor being Sir John Campbell, Of Glen
orchy- In the reign OF Charles Il
i he granted to Sir John the right or
:, snccesson to the Caithness estates
Land to the earldom OF Caithness IN
return for further advance or money
/ When this spendthrift peer died, SIT
} John Campbell married the widow, got
n possession of the estates. and not only
assumed the title OF Earl of Catthness,
}! but even obtained the grant OF pat
ent from Charles H., confirming him
\ In the earldom of Caithness and IN the
) possession of the entailed estates: This
Twas disputed by George sinclair, OF
i Keiss, the next of kin OF the sixth
carl. who had died childless. and
!. eventually Charles II. became convinc-
ed that he had made mistake IN
the grant which he had made TO SIT
John Campbell. OF Glenorchy. Ac-
cordingly he induced him 70 relln-
quish possession of the entalled es-
i tates, retaining only those that We're
unentailed, and also to surrender the
patent acknowledging him as seventh
!, Earl of Caithness, and conferred upon
him instead the, eaEldom OF Breadal-
hane and Of Holland is from him
/. that the present MARQUIS Of Breadal-
t Sinclair, Of Keiss, accordingly became
!, seventh Earl Of Caithness.
The wife of the fourteenth earl was
$ Ia familiar hgure for many years In
{ the American colony at Paris and on
u the French Riviera. She was tho
daughter Of q, Cuban plaptar4 and nrlar