The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-11
ENGLISH LORD MAKES
JOURNEY AS SAILOR

ceiyed pecrage ON ascending the
woolsack. left fortune of over
100000. acquired entirely by his
practice at the bar He was a Liberal
and home ruler in politics. and only
once excited unfavcrable comment
| namely. when he accepted the Grand
Cross of the Order of the Bath. He
was the first Lord High Chancellor in
three centuries to accept all order OF
knie htaood while in office, and by 80
doing was regarded as having lowered
the lofty dignity OF the keeper of
the Great Seal.
The present Lord Herschell, who is
unmarried and a man of thirty six, has
no heir to his poerage, and for time
was comptroller of the royal house
hold. AS such. he was second officer
under tho lord steward. and In the
absence of the latter replaced him.
II was his duty to check and examine
all the accounts OF the Board OF Green
Cloth for the expenses of the royal
household. and he bore en- such occa-
sions, iii token OF his office which
dates from the reign of Elwtrd ~. Il
white wani or star. lie stands par
ticularly we'll With King George, as
he did also with the late King Ed
ward. and is usually the spokesman
for foreign affairs in the House OF
Lords, Sir Edward Grey, the Secretary
Of State for Foreign Affairs, aud his
Under Secretary OF State being both
in the House of Commons.
There is one name In the new stand
ard "Peeragcs.' just issued In Eng
land, which will excite both interest
ly, that of the widowed Lady Whit
burgh. For her position Is altogether
anomalous and without precedent.
In 1912. George V. on the occasion
OF his birthday, bestowed II peerage
upon Sir Thomas Borthwlck head of
a great Liverpool and Manchester con-
cerr which virtually controls the trade
n ON the live stock marke: in Aus
tralia, to the dead meat market in
Great Britain, the firm owning enor-
NOUS ranches and sheep runs In the
Antipodos. Some months usually
elapse before the patent of peeragc
can he ma,lp out and receiv, the SOW
ereign signature and the Great Seal
of the realm. Sir Thomas died sud
been accomplished. and thereupon
King George caused new patent to be
prepared last winter, bestowing the
pecraGe upon Sir Thomas's eldest son.
who took his seat In due course In the
upper house of Parliament. as first
Lord Whitburgh, OF Whitburgh In
Midlothian.
Subsequently, the King ordered that
Lord Whtburgh's brothers and sisters
should enjoy the same style and pre-
cedence If their father had lived to
take his seat in the House of Lords.
Finally, the sovereign bestowed on
the late Sir Thomas Borthwick's
widow. BY royal warrant, The style
and title which she would have held
had her husband survived until the
letters patent comforting on him the
barony of Whitburgh had passed the
Great Seal"
But the King, either Intentionally or
by inadvortenoe, restricted her to "the
style and title" of Lady Whitburgh,
that is to say, of a borons widow but
without the status or precedence of a
peerless. Lady WhitburGf, therefore
although possessed OF the style Of "A
baroness of the United Kingdom, that
is TO say, OF peerless. remains In the
| eyes of the law u commoner, is de-
barred from any OF the privileges and
prerogatiNes of the peerage and is
forced TO yield the pas" to her own
sons and daughters. For whereas
they, by the sovereign's warrant have
the precedence and status of the chill
uren or u peer Of the realm, She de-
spite her title. remains commoner.
and has only the precedence and the
official standing of the wife OF mere
baroEct