New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-08
WHEN BURKE" MODS
ComplIerS of "PeerageS" Forced
to Insure Against Costly Errors.

Editors of the standard ''peerages" in
England, such as Burke, Debrett, Lodge.
Whitaker. etc. are accustomed 10 take out
insurance at Lloyds against mistakes there
In, although their publications, which are
regarded as absolutely official in the mat
ter Of authority are compiled with the ut
most care. Compiling a list OF peerages
and baronetcies is, however. like walking
through a garden OF pitfalls. since the &C
ceptance Of common report TO the effect
that this or that parsonage entitled TO men
ton in the pages Of the volumes IN question
had died unmarried or without leaving any
male issue involves a charge Of illegitimacy
against the mans lawful children. II he
has had any, and gives them grounds for
a suit for heavy damages against tho pub
fishers OF the books.
II will readily be seen how easy II is for
the editors Of a peerage TO make a mistake
Of this kind. AS a rule. the compliments
are perfectly satisfied with a promise TO
amend the mistake in the next edition, and
perhaps with the Issue Of a notice 70
certain number Of thousands Of the more
important regular subscribers 20 the work.
But in other instances the compliments
may show themselves less amenable 10 rea-
son, and the editors OF Burke's "Peerage'
seem to have caught a Tartar IN Herman
Munro who is suing them for having de-
olsred in their issue Of 1911 that his father
John Munro, died unmarried. AS Herman
Munro did not submit TO the editors the
certificate of his father and mothers mar
riage-perhaps It was a mere Scotch, that
is TO say, common law, marrlage-they IN
NhrI- Il ~ta
mentioning the name Of John Munro with
out the addition Of any information as TO
whether he had died as married man or
as a bachelor. and making no mention OF
Herman Munro as his son.
1t seems that Herman Munro. in default
Of his parents marriage certificate. had
put forward as evidence OF their lawful
union the inscription on their tomb, which
gives not only the name OF John Munro
but also OF Mrs. John Munro, his wife, and
OF several Of their children. The presiding
Judge deprecated THE form Of testimony and
showed that on the tombstone OF the patriot
John Hampden the names OF lis three
wives and OF his twelve children are IN
scribed, although the epitaph on the Same
monument explicitly stated that he died IN
married.
There are tw families OF Munro. One IS
headed by ST. Hector Munro, Of Fouls IN
Ross-shire, who makes his home at Fouhs
Castle He IS chief OF the clan. HIS
baronetcy dates from Charles I. The other
is headed by Sir Campbell Munro. of Lin
dertis. in Forfar.hire, and lie an ofshoot OF
the Munros Of Fouls and II is 70 them tha'
Herman Munro belongs.
ssTl1riKeg penTaEa ne
came involved I'm an equally odd quarrel
with James Burke Roche, brother and next
heir TO Lord Fermoy, who was parted from
his American wife. The latter had left her
husband with her twin boys and her
daughter. and had rejoined her fa'her
Frank Work. in New York. Mrs. Burke
Roche then proceeded to secure from me
Delaware courts a divorce from her lrish
husband. The divorce was recorded IN
''Rurke's Peerage," whereupon James
Burke Roche Immediately instituted pro-
ceedings against the editors OF "Burke
Peerage" for having proclaimed him IN its
PAGES as having been divorced from MS
wife He pointed out to them that. in the
nrst place. being an Irshman neither ne
nor his wife could secure dissolution OF
their marriage excepting by private act
OF Parliament since divorce is unknown 10
Itch IurtsnrudAnce He added that the
divorce obtained by his wife from the
courts OF Delaware was utterly ValneIesS IN
the ewes of English or Irish law, since MS
Uife had become a British subJect oF
marrying him and could secure matrimo-
NAL freedorn only by the decree or the
british courts or by act OF Parliament. He
claimed heavy damages from tho editors
for the injury done 10 his good name In
ireland. where, although not himself
Catholic he made his homo in country
which was alnos. wholly Catholic, and the
people OF which would naturally, at Parlla-
mentary elections, in consequence declIhe
10 accord their votes to divorced man
Indeed, It is quite true that James BURKE
Roche has never sat in Parliament since
this publication in the pages OF BurKes
Peerage" Of the Delaware divorce.
The editors Of the "Peerage" were com
ne,Ied TO make the most complete apology
10 publish a correction OF their statements
and 10 pay heavy damages. while those
r7.gas ~ their "Peerage" OF 1917 that refer
70 Lord Fermoy and his family make men
ton of James Burke Roche and OF ms WHO
and children as II they were all living TO-
eether in the happiest fashion IN England
and Ireland. Moreover. when James Burke
Roche succeeds TO his brothers irish peer
age his wife, although she has been sepa-
rated from him for nearly score OF years
vrir become ipso facto, and whether she
likes Il or not. Lady Fermoy, while tho
eldest OF her twin boys. Maurice par
ticular favorite among the younger set in
md lrn
in this country, will become on his rather
death, Lord Fermoy in his own night ana
ncer Of the Irish realn-that is to gay MS
title WI invest him with all the preroga-
tives OF the British peerage, with the ex-