The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-05-26
Fourth Viscount of His Line.
and Owner of Vast
Estates.
by LA MARauIsE DE FoNTENoY.

ORD CoMBERMERE. who is stay
ing in New York at the Belmont
Hotel is the fourth viscount Of
his line. twenty-five years OF age.
unmarried. owns about 1900 Snrop-
shire acres, and makes his home at
Chaseley House. Rugeley. having rented
Catherine. dowager Duchess of West
minister.
Founded by cistcrcian monks in the
year 1880. the abbey sccularized by
Henry, VIII. and converted to resi-
Dental purposes, is, one Of the places
home of England" with
"Dewy pastures, dewy tr.es.
All things in neatness and in order
stored,
a haunt OF ancient peace"
Surrounded by an integral tract OF
some 5.oOn acres. II stands high
ground, overlooking "a lovely lake,
about two miles long, which Is CON
tanned within the limits OF Il thousand
acre park. whose splendid timber in
great part dates back to the days OF
the monks. before the upheaval caused
by the reformation. The refectory
OF the old Cistercians is now the libra.
~. appropriately decorated with ipncl
portrait of Henry VIII. and Anne
Bolcyn. The carved woodwork through
out the interior is celebrated, and the
aspect of the whole place Is roman
tic and beautiful enough TO sus
:
junct. the diaphanous presence of q
family ghost. OF these lntanglbilities
there arc several well authenticated
examples, monk-iikc and otherwise
tween the landlord and his tenants
the most noted of whom was the beau
tifhl and Inflated Empress OF Aus
tria, who passed several hunting sea-
sons there.
The late viscount Combermere.
father Of the present lord. was but
little seen in society. in consequence
was subjected by the great world in
London and by the county families in
Cheshire. sister OF Sir George Chef
the result OF charges brought against
his stable by the Earl of Durham. she
was first married to a AIT. Poole. OF
Marbury Hall, from whom she eloped
toward tho end of the seventies with
the late Viscount. then the Hon. Robert
Staplcton Cotton.
The flight of the couple caused n
great sensation and resulted In SEN
sational divorce suit. For Mr.. Staple
ton Cotton's wife also made this the
cause for suit for divorce. while
Mrs. Poolc's husband lost no time in
following Mrs. Stapleton Cotton's 'ex-
ample. The consequence was that both
Mr.. Staplcton Cotton and Mrs. Poole
were declared liberated from their re-
spectivc ma trimonial bonds by decree
OF the divorce court, taking advantage
in marriage.
The present viscount is not so well
off as his immediate predecessors. since
the hereditary pension of $4,000 q
year granted to the first Baron and
Niscount Combcrmere, for his distin-
guished services in the Napoleonic
Wars. expired In the last generation.
The titular distinctions of the family
antcdate the nineteenth century, how
ever. n baronctcy having been granted
in 1874 The first peer was the cele-
bratcd Field Marshal Sir StapleGn
Cotton. G.. c. b.. Il favorite lieutenant
of Wellington in the Peninsula, and
afterwards Governor. of barbados, ana
comma ndcr in chief in India.
1t is difficult to describe the sensa-
ton that has been created Throughout
the Austrian Empire by the action OF
Archdukc Francis Ferdinand. in re-
moving from the principal military
command of the metropolitan district
band of Emperor Francis Joscph's
youngest daughter. Archduchess Marie
Valerie. The latter. with her husband
and her children, has always made her
the death of his consort, Empress Eliza
beth. fourteen years ago, and there
are no members of tho reignng house
who occupy so warm place In his
heart as the archduchess and her fam
lily. She has been the leader OF The
party at court which is opposed to the
Duchess of HOhenberg, and has more
bitterly resented than any one else the
notwithstanding presumption of this
morganatic wife OF Archduke Francis
Ferdinand. The Emperor, who. alas! Is
now very feeble. reports to the con:
trary Notwithstanding. has surrendered
the command of the army, as well as
the reins of government. almost
wholly to Francis Ferdinand, as hell
apparent, and this prince would scarce
~ have dared to deprive Francis Sal
vator of his military command, on the
alleged grounds OF inefficiency, had not
| the conflict between the Duchess OF
! Hohenberg and Archduchess Marie
| Valerie reached n terribly acute stage
Among ths most welcome OF the
many foreign visitors TO these shores
| In tho near future VIII be the wei
known Baroness Bertha Won Suttner
whose coming should be hailed witt
pleasure not only for her own sake
but for the message of which sho 1:
tho bearer She received rousins
| aepd-ot from the American; colonY3 II