New-York tribune., 1912-02-23
BOOTIACK TO GEORGE Y
Queer PrerogativeS of the Earl
of RotheS, Due Here To-day.

asses among nuihDeF VI OIheA uuool
hereditary prerogatives, the strange right
~ milling off bis sovereigns boots on the
...urn OF his majesty to his apartments on
,hs elose Of any state function or ceremony
a. scotland. and is therefore sometimes
s,yied Grand Bootjack TO the Scottish
Crown"
ne e good looking-a fact which many
,ersons are disposed TO ascribe to the cir
eunstance that, like the equally well ia
,.oreS MARQUIS of Exeter he has strong
,,rs,, OF peasant blood in his veins His
Grandfather was a Devonshire peasant.
cso-ge Gwyther by name, employed by
,ha day in the gardens Of the thirteenth
rarI Of Rothes. Although he could neither
read nor write at the time, Lady Henrietta
1esIie. the eldest Of the earl's three daugh-
ters fell in love with him at the age OF
s,xteen. and contracted secret marriage
which was not revealed until she succeeded
N her fathers earldom and honors. When
a, her fathers death she became Countess
~ Rothes in her own right and a peeress
of the realm, she caused her husband 10
assume her patronymic of Leslie In place
Of his own.
The earldom of Rothes is one OF those
Scotch peerages which descend through the
female as well as through the male ine'
and out of nineteen Of its holders ten, at
,.as+ have been women. In fact, the TWO
Immediate predecessors Of the present Loro
Rothes in the possession OF the earldom
we're his cousin Henrietta who was lhe
seventeenth holder of the peerage' ana ms
grandmother, Mary. Countess OF hothes'
who was the eighteenth OF the line ehe
was one OF the children OF the marriage
between Henrietta. Countess OF Kothes'
and the peasant.
snorting people in America may be inter
.st.a IN know that the husband of the last
Countess OF Rothes and the grandfatner Oh
che nresent earl was Captain Martin Ha-
worth Ito which he afterward added the
MANS Of Ieslie). who revived the fad tor
coaching, and started the first coach pISihs
tor bira the Old Times. which ran between
rondon and Brighton. He was famous IN
his day as the best four-in-hand WHIP ~
England. After retiring from the 0o'i'
Rifles. in which he held a captancS' ne
spent more than forty years as queen
messenger and is the author OF the wen
known book ''The Silver Greyhound whlch
,s the badge Of office OF the Foreign OHlce
oficials employed to carry to foreigh capi-
tails the communications OF the soVeIeIeN
and the dispatches OF the Foreign once
which It is considered dangerous TO connoe
20 the mails.
Lord Rothes. who married the daughter
Of Thomas Edwards, OF Prinknash FarA'
makes his home at Leslie House, in County
Fife, which has been in the possession OIL
the Leslie family for many centuries. Orls
tnally il formed an immense quadrahSle'
but three sides were burned in L76S, ana IL
,s the fourth wing which forms the present
mansion, one Of the largest In scotlaho
II stands on the summit of hill, with ter
race gardens sloping down TO the River Le-
van. and in the village Of Leslie, situated on
the estate. is the old church mentioned in
the ballad Of "a Country Wedding, WRIT
ten by King James V Of Scotland, who de-
scribed II as "Christs kirk on the green
II was this same monarch who planted most
OF the grand beeches which are feature OF
the estate, and among the treasures and
family relics preserved at Leslie House are
the dagger used by Norman Leslie. master
OF Rothes, in assassinating Cardinal Betn-
une and the magnificent sword Of state car
ried by the Duke OF Rothes at the corona
ton of Charles IL The paintings include
a picture Of John. Earl of Rothes, by sh
Joshua Reynolds, and a magnificent por-
trait of Rembrandt by himself.
II is fortunate that Lord Rothes has
married an heiress; for until twenty-five
years ago the Lords and Ladies Rotnes
were still engaged in paying of the heaVy
membranes with which their estates had
been burdened for considerably more than
200 years. The seventh Earl Of Rothes'
who was also Duke Of Rothes, was one Oh
the leading statesmen Of the reign OF
Charles IL and had the misfortune 10 die
while occupying the office OF LORD High
Commissioner and Viceroy at Edinburgh
Charles II, wishing TO recognize his great
services TO the crown by mortuary honors'
gave orders that since he died while IN the
act Of representing the sovereign he
should be laid to rest with all the pomp
and ceremony reserved for the obsequies
OF uonarchs AS the corpse had 10 pe
buried at Leslie. In Fife, 1t was necessary
OF course. 70 convey it all the way from
Edinburgh. al a great expense. Charles
II forgot to pay the bill, amounting 10
millions OF dollars, and died before II could
be collected His surly successor and
brother. James II, declined TO admit the
obligation, and the Leslie family were thus
compelled to pay the entire expense them
SELVES every rood OF their land being mort
gagged for the purpose. II is only since
1880 that these liabilities were finally wiped
out
Lord Rothes. who is a representative
peer OF Scotland in the House Of Lords Is
descended like the Leslies Of Glaslough, In
Ireland, from Berthold, who was one OF
the principal Magyar magnates who es-
corted Queen Margaret from Hungary to
Scotland, In the year 1867. in the reign OF
King Malcolm !. lie won great favor OF
this King whose sister he married. AS
Chamberlain TO the Queen It was his duty
70 accompany her when she travelled, and
there were no carriages in those days
she rode behind him on pillion. On one
occasion, while fording a stream, the
Queen slipped, and nearly fell of, where
upon this founder OF the Leslie family
cried out Grip FAST" To which she re-
piled, Gin the buckle bidei" There being
only one buckle to the belt by which she
held on, II was In memory OF this that
the words Grip fast!' were accorded him
as his family motto; and at the same time
that he received orders to have three
buckles instead of one to the belt by which
the Queen held on when she rode pillion
behind him He was also authorized to
quarter three buckles on his escutcheon.
Citizenship Sacrificed for Baronetey'
Among the fellow passengers Of Lord
Rothes, while on board the Lusitania' who