New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-11-02
THE SEVERED HAND AGAIN
Rinu from 1t To Be Used at
Verney.Bruce Wedding.

,-o,yriRht 1911 by the Brentwood Company
rIorence Nightingale's Granddaughter, Sir
Harry Verney. fourth baronet OF his llne'
&c about TO wed Lady Rachel Bruce
daughter of the Earl OF Elgin. formerly
vicorov OF India. and will place on her
finger at the marriage ceremony, in ac-
cordance with the family custom and tradi-
ton. an ancient ring. with miniature OF
Charles I, set in diamonds.
II Is an historic jewel. 1t belonged TO Sir
Edmund Verney. the standard bearer or
the King at the battle OF Edgehill. lie ieh
in that battle Strangely enough. his body
VAS never recovered All that was found
was severed hand still grasping piece
of the flagstaff Of the standard. and Which
was identified by the ring on the third
finger. which had been presented to sir
Edmund by King Charles. The hand was
reverently inferred at Clayton House, the
ancestral home or the Nerneys, in BUCK
'inrhamshire. There. according to family
tradition. the ghost of the old cavaler
freouentlv appears. notably on the night
of october s. which is the anniversary OF
the battle Of Edgehiil. searching Tor his
lost hand.
Clsvdon House. TO which Sir Harry Yer
nev will bring his bride after their honey
moon. has been the home OF the Nerneys
since the beginning of the thirteenth CEN
fury. one OF its most notable owners in
olden times was Sir Ralph Nerney. who
was Lord Mayor OF London in 1865 and
member OF Parliament for the metropolis
for several years afterward.
Sir Harry Nerney Is. strictly speaking,
member Of the Calvert family, which
ont d
the Atlantic in old Colonial days. and is
indebted for the name and arms of the
Verneys TO the terms Of the will by which
the Verneys bequeathed their estates TO
the Calverts. In fact. Sir Harry cannot
claim descent. even in the female line,
from King Challess standard bearer at
the battle of Edgehill.
The son Of this standard bearer was Gre
ated baronet by Charles If Immediately
after the Restoration. His son in turn, Sir
John Nerney. was raised TO the peerage as
Nlscount Fermanagh and his son was ad-
vanced TO the Earldom Of Nerney The
second Earl Of Verney died without issue,
his honors becoming extinct, while Clayton
House. and the other estates in Bucking-
hamshire went TO his niece, daughter of
an elder brother who had predeceased him.
She. too died without issue, bequeathing
the estates TO her half-sister Catherine
Calvert who. also dying without issue, lett
the Verney estates to her cousin, Sir Harry
Calvert. a distinguished general who had
received a baronetcy for his military ser
wees and who was married TO daughter
OF Thomas Hammersley. Of Pail Mall. Lon
don of the same family as the Hammers
leys Of New York.
Assembled the Verney Arms
General Sir Harry Calvert. on succeed
ing to the Verney estates. assumed by the
permission OF the Crown the name and the
arms Of Verney. in accordance with the
terms OF the will 10y which he inherited the
rroperty Ills eldest son. Sir Harry Yer
nev. who died as recently as in 1895, and
who in his ninety-second year still rode
70 hounds ard acted az master of tho
hunt married sister Of Florence Night
tnsale bearing the odd Christian name Of
Partbenope ParthenOpe owed her queer
Christian name TO the TACT that she had
been born AT Naples while her sister Flor
ence was So named through having been
born in the capital City Of Flowers. on the
banks Of tho River ArIo.
In their younger days both sisters bore
The pstronym.c Of Shore. Their father was
q certain William Shore. and It was only
after inheriting the estate Of Lea Hurst.
beautiful place i'm I'erbyshire. from his
uncle Peter Nightingale. that he. in ac-
ccrdanco with the terms ~ his relatives
will. assumed the name and armorial bear
ings Of the testator
The one great Cric' in the life Of the late
Sir Harry Verney. a. also in that Of his
wife. LADY Verney and 81 his sister-in-la"
Florence nightingale. was the disgrace or
his eldes; son. the late baronet. Sir Edmund
Vernev. and which I would not mention
hero were II not for the fact that It cost
Sir Edmund and his son, the present SIT
Harry Vernev. a fortune OF several millions
Of dollars
The late Sir Edmund in 1891 was expelled
from the House OF Commons. was dis
missed from the royal nav, In when ne
held the rank OF captain forfeited all the
medals which he had won I'm the Crimesn
war. I'm the Indian Mutiny and underwent
a sentence Of two years imprisonment
with hard labor for conviction OF a crime
in which a girl under age was concerned
Sir Edmund had up 20 that time been
de,lgnated as the heir II the large fortune
% his uncle. Frederick Calvert. .. Z,
Member Of Parliament for Aylesbury.
when. however, Sir Edmund was con-
victed Frederick Calvert altered his VIII
and left his property instead TO Edmund
younger brother Harry Lloyd Nerney.
DEPUTY Master of King Georges household
and brother-in-law OF the late William
Bayard Cutting. Of New York. who, IKE
him. had married daughter OF the Earl
az Desart Harry Lloyd Veney Is at
present heir presumptive TO the Nerney
baronetcy.
The actual owner Of the Nerney estates.
Sir Harry Calvert Verney, is man or
thirty. is Member of Parliament for North
Bucklnghamshirc and was private secre-
tary to Lord Elgin when the latter man
was Secretary Of State for the Colonies
II vas then that he made the acquaintance
Of his chiefs youngest daughter, Lady
Rachel Bruce. just twenty years old, VINO
is now TO become his wife.
Relics Of King Robert Bruce.
Lord Eigin. who three years ago refused
a. Of I'D n tho rank or