The Washington herald., 1911-03-14
SOCIAL GOSSIP OF
FOREIGN CAPITALS


other gift. 1t was a scarf worn on his
sleeve in battle, and that scarf recently
was worn at its christening by a baby
who is the descendant of that Norman
warrior and the heir to his English lands
That baby is Viscount Milton. the eight
weeks-old child of the Earl and Countess
Fttzwilliam, who arrived after four small
daughters had made their bow to the
world, and seventy-one years after the
last direct heir to the head of the house
The rejoicings were on a monstrous
scale at Wentworth Woodhouse, in York
shire, the most splendid mansion in the
North of England, and the ancestral home
or the Fftzwilliams For the father of
the child is a great lord. enormously rich,
and this baby is the heir to millions. Very
quiet and beautiful and stately is the
classical house OF Wentworth. built two
centuries ago, on the site of an old timber
mansion. in a park of 1900 acres. with
great oaks and meadow lands. But all
around. and quite close to the park walls
are gashes cut into the hillsides and
mountains of coal dust and shafts and
pltheads. and blazing furnaces and high
black chimneys. vomiting smoke, and
stone villages as black as though built
OF coal. They belong to the works and
coal fields of Earl F'itzwilliam for when
the Conqueror gave the land to his mar
shal there was hidden treasure beneath
II.
No wonder. therefore, that this baby
was the cause of great celebrations. for
NiscOunt Milton is the child OF luck and
one day he will be lord over many lives.
The earl and countess invited 700
guests to share their joy. They were the
miners of the coal fields. steel grind
ers of Sheffield. and the tenants of the
great estates. To feed zoo people at
great picnic party 800 walters came down
in special train, carrying forty tons Of
food. To shelter them, eight pavilions
Of enormous size were put up in the
park. For the little baby. who IS to he
so great and powerful there was A chris
teninC cake six feet high. surmOunted
by smiling Cupids. and a sugar cradle in
which lay a sugar child. Everything was
on a gigantic scale. and tho immensity
or the celebration was symbolzed by the
roasting OF a whole OK. Sptted on an
iron pole ten feet long, and suspended
from A tripod OF poles as thick as young
trees. it was cooked over wooden fire
in the park. Crowds of Yorkshire men
were served with great slices cut from
the roast until its ribs were bare.
The day was bright as one in May. and
the sunlight Sparkled on the great lakes
and CLEANED on the white statuary in
the gardens. and gave more spendor to
the long facade Of Wentworth Wood
house. with its magnificent pOrtco OF
GreCian pillars and the goddess of plenty
holding her sheavPs on the high parapet
Of the roof Seven thousand guests had
heen invited by special card OF invita-
tion. but al least 2o.nnO came from the
nearby villages and from Sheffield. They
came in great brakes. in motor omnibus
es. walking. all in their Sunday
clothes.
The christening itself was a private
ceremony and only relatives and personal
friends were present. The names given to
the Young visCoUnt were William Henry
Lawrence Peter and his Codfathors were
the Hon. w II. Fitzwiliam. uncle OF
the present earl and the Marquis Of
ZetIand, the countess father. His god
mother was the Duchess OF BUcCleuch.
Aftorward the party went to the whistle
jacket room (named after a famous race
horse). where the immense christening
cake was cut by the mother OF the child.
In the afternoon, when the guests had
arrived. the earl and countess came out
OF the mansion and received the homage
OF their tenants and workmen. 1t was
a strangely feudaI scene.
In tho beautiful park spreading away
from the great mansion one remembered
only that here was a great lord receiving
the homage OF his people because a child
had been born TO him. For more than an
hour he listened smiling and CHEEKY 20
long speeches from populations Of his
tenants and toilers. They all brought
gifts for the child. gold cups gold and
silver spoons, bought by little groups
Of workers OF by single men and women
The countess stood by her husbands side
very bright and charming in her manner.
and above the great flight OF steps all the
servants of the household leaned over the
parapet. including two apple-Cheeked
page boys.
The present Earl FitzwiIliam. William
Charles dc Meuron Wentworth F'ftZ-
william. Viscount Milton. Lord Fitz-
william. Baron on Milton Cn England
Earl FitZwilliam. Viscount Milton and
Baron Fftzwiliam of Lifford Cin Ireland.
succeeded on the death OF his grandfather
AS seventh earl in 1902. his father having
died in 1877. He married Lady Maud
Dundas, daughter OF the Marquis of
Zetland. in 1896. The four daughters who
preceded the young heir recently chris
tened are Maud, Marjorie. Donatia, and
Helena
The founder Of the house in England
after the Conquest was Sir William Fitz-
william RnighO. His name first appears
in III IN a grant of a piece Of woods
made by him to the monks Of Pitand.
To this grant attached is a round seal,
representing the armed men on horse
back, and thus circumscribed: IS. Willmi
Fill Willmi Dui de Emmaliva-"
This Sir William caused a Cross to be
set up in the high street of SpratbOrough
with these words engraven in brass:
Whose is hungry and lists to cate.
Let him cpme To SprothIrgh to his meate;
And for a night and for a day
His horse shan have corn and hay.
And no man shall ask him where 30 goeth away.
In 1920 one of the knights, Sir William
FitZwiIliam, who was chancellor of the
exchequer. was created first Baron F'itz-
william. His son, the second baron, in
1716 was created a viscount and earl
Cboth Irish honors). In 174s however, his
son and successor. the third earl, was
made an English earl.
The British naval and military tourna-
ment of 1911 will be held at Olympia
from May IS to June 3. During the
second week of the tournament the mus
ical ride" will be performed by the Sec
ond Dragons. better known as the
Royal Scots Greys. This is the first
time that the regiment in question will
perform the ride in the tournament, and
it is anticipated that its inclusion in the
programme will be generally appreci-
ated. The Royal Scots Greys is the on
ly cavalry corps which wears the bear
skin cap, a distinctive head dress that
will add greatly to the effectiveness of