The Washington herald., 1911-05-14
NAMES OF BRITISH KINGS.

Christian names nowadays are legion.
yet English kings have been content
with nine names for thirty-three indi-
viduais since the Conqueror siezed the
sovereignty of the realm Of England at
Senlac. This remarkable fact further is
emphasized when We consider that two OF
these nine were only used once. leaving
only seven names for the other thirty
one kings, from William I to George v.
These two were Stephen and John, and
1t is notorious that these two unsatis-
factory kings were the only English
monarchs except the two Jameses. who
bore Biblical names. You will search
that storehouse of Christian names. the
Edward, Charles, Henry, and Richard
a set which completes the names which
our English kings during a period of
s45 years have borne.
Henry bears the palm as the sobriquet
Of the greatest number of kings, the
eighth Of that name being the much
welded monarch whom Sir Herbert Tree
has been putting on the stage with much
success Of late. Edward, comes next.
for the late King was the seventh of
the name 1t Is. moreover. probably the
favorite name among the kings. not only
because 1t represents warrior line.
but because it is. Saxon name. like
Alfred and Edgar.
Seeing that the Georges come from
Hanover. II Is little remarkable that
they should bear the name of the patron
saint of England-"St. George for Merry
England" The name Of the present King
Is the next on the list in point of num-
hers. he being the fifth to bear II. These
three names, then, account for no fewer
than twenty of the thirty-three kings
who have reigned since William the Con-
queror, and 1.-THE number is completed by
Charleses, two Jameses. one Stephen, and
enc John
Certainly one John was quite enough.
He is generally considered the worst king
who ever sat on the English throne, in
spite of the fact that the Magma Charta.
the foundation of the English liberties,
was product of his reign.
1t is well known that Queen Victoria,
who herself bore a unique name for an
English sovereign, would liked to have
initiated line of Alberts. as all her
sons had that name given to them at
the baptismal font. but. although Albert
preceded Edward in the late Kings
name, he acted wisely in preferring this
latter to the former. as he evidently
thought II greater honor to be the sew
enth Edward than the first Albert. and
II the eldest son of George V succeeds
to his fathers throne. he undoubtedly
will take the title of Edward WILL and
thus the Edwards will tie with the
Henrys.
For more than 200 years the heirs Of
Lord d'AuvreQuerque have been drawing
comfortable pensions for something an
| ancestor did 217 years ago. 1t was in
1884 that William. III granted to Henry
de Nassau, Lord d'Auvrequerque, his
heirs and assignees forever, the sum Of
G2,000 year in consideration Of his
many and faithful services'-which, in
fact. were of a purely nominal political
nature. Lord Cowper. to whom four
fifths Of this yearly sum was paid. COM
muted a portion Of 1t in 1853 for e375 1ss
annually.
There Is the case of the Schomberg
pension, granted also by William I'LL
He burdened the state with the sum of
$4,000 a year to the Schombergs, and.
though portions of this have been COM
muted by descendants, the government
| pays out f720 annually TO people who, Il
is alleged. are not in any way connected
with the original Schomberg family
Earl Nelson gets $500 a year through
holding the Nelson title and representing
| the famous admirars family Qn the in
direct line) In a like manner Lord Rod
ney gets f1,000 year. but he is the
direct descendant of the gallant seaman
| who defeated De Grasse.
The largest of the perpetual pensions
Is that received by the Duke of Rich
| mond. 1t amounts to E19.OcO a year The
| story of this pension takes one back to
the days Of Queen Elizabeth. who got a
| duty of one shilling per caldron on all
coal exported from the Tyne and burned
| in England. Her successors held this
| duty until the reign of Charles II who
granted IL to the first Duke Of Rich
| mond. He and his heirs received IL over
| century till in the time Of George III
it was changed to the present annual
pension. which Is known as the Rich
mond Shilling.
The Duke of Norfolk obtains esO a
year from the exchequer for what are
| known as ancient fees" and the Duke
| of Rutland go under a like heading.
These sums are nominal, 1t Is true Yet
| their recipients do nothing whatever to
| earn them. The first Duke of Grafton
was granted by Charles II a certain i'm
port duty known as "prisage and but
| lerase upon wines. In 1906 the then
existing duke commuted this duty for the
annuity of $3.50. and his heirs still re-
ceive yearly this handsome income
But 1t Is not to be supposed that 1t Is
only the aristocrats who have been
granted pensions on the British ex-
chequer. Fourteen thousand pounds odd
| Is paid out on account of the courts OF
justice for compensation to those whose
! offices have been abolished. One old man
Is still alive who obtains f55 a year, be-
cause through the operation of a new
act he was deprived, two generations ago
of the privilege of selling forms in court
Laundresses who. lost their work some
twenty years ago. through the law courts
| being removed from Westminster to their
present site, opposite Temple Bar, still
receive from ESQ to clio, according tc
| their status. A Preacher at Rolls" for.
merly Of the old chancery division, Is
paid f1O0 annually. though not a sermon
has he preached for innumerable years
and there are many other instances ir
which the taxpayer is called on to pay
every year.
| Munich's compulsory baths show thai
Germany still leads in this matter Many
| centuries ago Germany answered the
question, why wash?" on the ground OF
pleasure, II not of health. Clara Haetz
lerin. in her poesy, ranked bathing above
all other pleasures. Bathing is as clear
a passion as can be upon earth. Has g
man served lovely women in the joust
Has he borne him well in the lists? Has
he made pilgrimage or far journey.
4 hafnro oil ho mill cat SHo I, ~,