The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-11
Father of Present Lord Farnham,
Who Is Now in Limelight,
It's Grand Master.
BY Ia MARauIsE DE FoNTENoY

It's Grand Master. :.
BY Ia MARaUIsE DE FoNTENoY.
ORD FARNHAAI who has just
come into the limellght, through
the seizure by the customs au-
thorities at Dublin. OF a consignment
Of 500 rifles and bayonets, dispatched
TO him from an English firm, 70 his
country seat in County Cavan. and
SAID to be Intended for use by those
Ulster Unionists who have expressed
their Intention of resisting by force
of arms any home rule legislation that
may be enacted. belongs to family
that has always been identified with
the Order Of orangemen. of which his
father. the late Lord Farnham, was the
grand master
The present Lord Farnham distin-
guished himself in the South African
war. On the occasion OF hts first oan-
didature for the life office as a repre-
sentative peer OF Ireland in the House
OF Lords. he was defeated in an alto
gether unique manner. His rival was
Lord -Ashton and the two may be said
TO have run a dead heat In the race.
which resulted IN tie. In order to
settle the maty the crown resortcd
to the odd de aof causing the two
l'compet Hors draw lots, and Lord
Ashtown won out. Lord Farnham.
however. was elected a year later, on
the next vacancy occurring IN the
ranks OF the twenty-e!ght represen-
tative peers lie belongs 10 one of
those families of the British a-isto-
cracy that seem to be pursued By
| relentless fate, and although the peer
age was created but little over
hundred years ago. he is already the
eleventh wearer OF the coronet The
seventh lord died suddenly two weeks
after succeeding to the title. while the
| eighth lord, grandfather of the pres
emf peer. lcst his life, as did also his
wife. in the terrible railroad accident
AT Aberge,e. in Wales. 1t may be
| remembered that a train of petroleum
/ trucks got loose. and started down the
/ steep incline near Abergele, coiliding
/ with the Irish mail. the wrecked car
| ragcs being Immediately enveloped in
flames The door Of the compartment
| in which were Lord and Lady Farnham,
had been locked by the conductor, in
! order TO secure them from intrusion
/ at the stations where the stops were
made, and being thus unable to escape,
4 they persisted in the flames. their re-
mains being SO entirely consumed that
nothing was left save the fused set
! ting of some jewelry worn by Lady
! F'arnham.
The present Lord garnham's elder
1
dent IN the midst OF the festivities
organized to celebrate his coming OF
age Another brother also met with
death through an accident IN 1907;
while the late and tenth Lord Farm
! ham experienced no end of unpleas
| antness in connection with charges OF
! forgery brought against him by n man
/ of the name Of Hale. The latter had
! been for more than thirty years a CON
idential servant and principal facto-
! tum OF tho ninth lord, and Insisted
J that the Will probated by his success
| sor was a bogus document, and not
the one which he knew his master TO
have signed on his deathbed. AL
though Hale never succeeded in prov
ing his accusat ton. yet the latter caused
the late Lord Farnham no end OF OK
pense and annoyance. which undoubt-
edly FASTENED Ms death. Lord Farm
ham has two little boys. the elder now
eight years old, and the anxiety OF
his parents regarding him will be read
| lily appre ciated when 1t is explained
that throughout County Cavan, In
| which the estates OF re family are
situated, superstition prevails that
! owing to some ancient curse, no Lord
! Farnham can ever transmit the title
| to his eldest SON Indeed, since the
year 1900, 1t has only in one solitary
! instance passed from a father to his
| eldest son, that son being the noble
man who persisted In such frightful
| fashion in the railroad wreck at Aber-
| gcle.
The family name OF tho Lords of
! Farnham IS Maxwell and 1t is hardly
necessary to add that like most other
Inhabitants OF the North of ireland.
they are Of Scotch origin. They owe
/ their wealth and prosperity to the fact
! that they fattened on ecclesiastical
benchccs, and held high dignities in
/ The state church OF ireland for num-
bcr of generations, Including the
J bishopr!cs of lIilmore and Ardagh Tho
| founder OF the family was Sir Aymar
de Maxwell. who was also chamber
| lain of the Kingdom OF Scotland.
! Lady Farnham was Miss Aileen
| Cootc, member OF that family which
| furnished TO New York its first Re
| form Governor In Colonial days. name-
| ly. the Earl of BelSmont who died
at his post in March, 1901, and lies
J buried in st. Paul's Churchyard, New
| York. The Cootcs are n very ancient
! family and the first baronet received
| his title and estates In Ireland from
King James |. for his military SER
vices against the O'Neils. Earls of Ty-
rome 1t was younger son of one
ljof these haronets of the King James
creation who became Earl of Belle
mont.
! The last Earl of Bellemont died in
177I, and having no Legitimate Issue,
! obtained an English baronetcy for him
self. with remainder to his illeg!timate
| son The latter on the earrs death
succeeded. not to his pecrage. but to
the haronetcy and the estates, and 1t
| is his great grandson. Sir Charles Al
gernon Cootc. who fortunately has no
| son and no heir, who has frequently
been denounced In the pages OF Lon