The San Francisco call., 1913-07-20
HISTORIC SEAT
and NOT LORD,
IS SCOTT HEIR
Great Estate Is Left to Sack
villes in Order to Pre-
serve Their Famous
Mansion
THIS CONTENTION
WINS WILL CONTEST
Diplomatic Episodes of
Washington and Madrid
in Tale of Legacy

exclusion of heirs of his own blood
strange to say, Sir Johns brothers and
sisters did not regard this disposition
of his estate with eouanimity, and the
attempt to break the will that followed
because of its sensational features ex-
Ited wide interest and came to be
known as the fight for the millions"
In this suit the Sackvi1les testified
that the bond between them and Sir
John was that of art and that the for
tune was left to them to provide for
the preservation and upkeep of Knole,
the historic seat of the dukes of Dor
set, which had come to Lord Sackville
by inheritance. The will of Sir John
Scott was sustained.
INTERNATIONAL INTEREST
The suit itself and the story that
lies behind it is one of peculiar inter
est to Americans and in one of it's
phases of direct interest to Califor-
mans. Lady Sackville, as Victoria
Sackville- West, spent her young
wonanhood in Washington. where her
father was British minister from 1881
70 1883.
The circumstances surrounding her
birth and certain episodes in the lives
of herself and her father are so dra-
matte that they seem more like a
scenario for a hectic moving picture
or the product Of the fervid ina gina
-ual happenings of real life
y TUDOR DAYS
When bluff King Hal for either per-
sonal or political reasons brought
about the reformation. he made
Eoo6ly bag # church riches both per
sonal and real, and among the latter
En0le. tie palace Of the chbishope of
Canterbury IN Kent In this way
Hnole came into the possession of the
-
Tlizaheth granted the reversion Of
Fnole to one Of her private courtiers.
Lord Buckhurst who was later created
the first earl of Dorset
IN 1871 Lord Buck hurst's descendant.
the 50 and last duke of Dorset went
the wav OF ali flesh leaving an only
daughter. who becsple b. maria ge.
Countess Of de Pa arr, and part OF
her taher:tsnce was Krole and this
estate she settled mental on one Of
her Younger so2s Mo had been
treated Baron Sac kviIle.
DIPLolIATisT Es.rEEe
= still Younger son. lionel Sackville-
west took an diploracy as his life's
work and in the mid eighteen sixties
in Madrid as secretary of legation.
There he found other things than his
diplomatic duties in the person of Pc
pita Olivia beautiful Spanish dancer.
drid of that day, for Queen. Isabella, of
lively memory then, ruled over the
destinies of Spain.
OF the union between Sackville-W West
and the Spanish dancer we're born a son
and several daughters. the eldest of the
latter, who was named Josephine Vic
toria, is the Lady Sackville of the
fight for the mill 'ons" of Sir John
Scott
A DEBUTANTE's QUANDARY
sackviue- West AUTOMATICALLY. in the
ensuing years journeyed hither and yon
and with him went his children. Dur
ing their childhood their presence
caused him little of embarrassment.
In 1881. however, when he was ap
pointed British minister to the United
States, his eldest daughter had reached
an age, when she must make her for
NAL bow TO society, and the circum-
stances of her birth rendered the recep-
tion of that bow, problematicaL In
this predicament Sackville- West con-
suited friends in the United States and
they IN turn consulted certain hostesses
who were socially dominant in Wash
ington. They one and all, when the
matter was explained to them agreed
10 visit and receive Miss Sackville- West,
and on this understanding, her father
accepted the appointment
DIPLoSIATIsT IN POLITICS
The personality, beauty and gracious
manners of Miss Sackville- West soon
made her one Of the most popular and
sought after women in Washington.
There she ruled as chatelaine of the
British legation until 1888. when oc-
Cured the "contretemps" that was to
lead TO Sackville-We retirement
from diplomatic life.
In the presidential campaign of that
year an alleged naturalized Englishman
resident of California, by name Charles
+ Muchison, wrote Sackville West ASH
ing for advice as to how to vote and on
other matters. Intemperately and un-
wisely SackVille- West gave the re-
quested advice. Shortly before the end
of the campaign this letter was pub
lished. President Cleveland sent him
his passports and terminated his diplo-
matte career.
BY the death of his brother at this
juncture Sackville-W came into the
barony of SackvilIe, $3.50 year and
the estate of Knole in Kent. To Knole
with his cases and penates. his son and
daughters he went to live and there
his eldest daughter met and married his
nephew and heir to his title and estate.
Lord Sackville felt that by this mar
riage one of his dearest hopes would
be realized. for his grandson would in
herit his title and Knoie. This nope
was not TO be realized, for no son and
but one daughter was born Of the
union.
LEGACY FOR ART
One of the points strongly insisted
on by Lady Sacl1ville in her testimony
in the Scott suit was that the money
was left in order that Knole and
its art treasures might be preserved,
the $4,000 a year, which the Sack
villes had, being inadequate.
This contention was Of much force. for
after inheriting the estate Lord Sack
vile told friend that he had never
been so hard UP in all his life, and that
only by dint of the most rigid economy
could he afford to tenant the great
stables with the single pony and chaise
in which he drove about.
Some idea of the magnificence of
Knole and OF what 1t must cost to keep
il in repair may be gained from it's
size The house itself, which is one of
the show places of England, with the
three squares 1t surrounds covers near
" five acres and contains as many
rooms as there are days in the year.
II is crammed with art objects of all
descriptions and contains the finest
collection Of furniture in existence of
the period from Charles ] to James IL
In .Iothaire" Lord Beaconsfield de-
scribes Knole Tt is Vauxe. the scat of
Lord St. Jerome of that novel.