Evening star., 1923-10-28
nv THE u.RauIsH DE FoNTENoY.

ny THE MARQUISE DE FONTENo1'
That the new Lord Hotham. head OF
one of the oldest houses of England.
should be merely q distant cousin OF
the late peer. who has just passed
away at his ancestral home In YORK
shire, is. quite in keeping with the
traditions Of the family. For since
the creation of the barony. at the
close Of the eighteenth century, In
favor of Admiral Sir William Hotham,
In recognition Of his victories as COM
mander-tn-c chief of the British forces
in the Mediterranean. it has never
once passed from father to son. The
s,x holders of the peerage have. with
out exception, been succeeoed oS d
brother, a grandson. nephew OF
cousin, and the new Lord hoffman,
who Is an officer OF the Grenadier
Guards, in his twenty-fifth year, and
a bachelor. has now. az the heir pre-
sumptive to his title. his younger
brother Peter, who is nineteen years
Of age. One can understand a certain
reluctance on the part OF Lord HOT
That in the event OF his becoming the
father Of q boy the latter Will be
doomed to die prematurely, in keep
ing with the strange fate which seems
TO have prevented any peer OF the
line from being succeeded by ms son.
netcy, one of the earliest created, ana
bestowed by King James ! upon Sir
John Hotham, who. after marrying
no less than six times. came to an
he NAV be said to have set the match
to the civil war by refusing to admit
King Charles to the town. But sub
seouently he deserted the parllamenN
tary cause, won over. 1t Is said, Dy
the destinations OF Queen Henrietta
Maria, and, when he ended by turn
ing his loaded gun upon oliver Crom.
well himself, the latter considered
that Sir Johns detection from the
principles of the commonwealth was
established and sent him to the scat
fold on Tower Hill. on the same day
as his eldest son. In 1874.
~ 4 x 4
But the Hothams were prominent In
English life for hundreds of years
before the days OF oliver Cromwell
and Of King Charles For they have
been settled in Yorkshire ever since
Sir John. de Trehouse received the
lordship of Hotham. in that county,
from william the Conqueror for his
signal services at the battle OF Hast
ings. venturesome and daring, the
Hothams have written their names in
the annals Of their country whenever
turbulence marked It's history. They
fought under the first three EDWARDS
in France and In Scotland. They
crossed the seas with Henry Nv ana
Henry ". playing their part valtantly
at the battles Of Crecy and Agin-
court. They Joined their fortunes 70
the Iancastrian cause In the wars OF
the roses, fought under Northumber-
land in the battle Of the spurs and
under Surrey In the battle Of Flodden
field, 1t was Hotham who played
an important role in assisting Wil-
liam OF Orange to the throne OF Eng.
land after the flight to France Of
King James II, and Admiral Sir WIZ
liam Of Hotham, the first of them tio
be raised to the peerage, won the
respect and admiration of both Hood
and of Nelson and played no mean
part In their naval victories.
The Hothams in modern times may
be said to live up to the traditions or
the family. For one OF the half dozen
naval officers Of the British empire,
holding the rank Of admiral OF the
fleet, which is equivalent to the grade
Charles Frederick Hotham. who has
worn the grand cross OF the Order of
the Bath for q quarter Of q century,
and who was held In particularly
high favor of Queen Victoria. Inf
deed, when he was Communicating.
chief at Portsmouth and governor 0f
that great naval stronghold the OH