Evening star., 1923-07-03
Chief Justice Taft Deals Blow
To Hopes of Prohibition Repeal

George III, who insisted that no per-
| son engaged in trade should ever be
allowed to enter the gilded chamber,
and in the kings opinion to be bank
er was to be engaged in trade. Pitt
used to take the ground that any man,
who was in command of an income of
100000 year, mainly derived from
! land. was entitled to a seat in the
house of lords. Finally the obstinate
old monarch yielded to the extent of
bestowing upon the banker Bob"
Smith, not an English peerage, but an
Irish one. which did not carry with 1t
seat in the house of lords Bob"
Smith selected as his title that of Lord
Darlington and his son, the second
lord, lost no time after his succession
in securing permission from the
crown to drop the patronymic of
Smith and to assume in lieu thereof
that of Darlington. His son in turn
obtained from the throne advance
ment, first to an earldom of Caring
ton and then TO the Marquisite Of
Lincolnshire, and having held num-
Der of dignities at court and served
as governor of Australian colonies.
was the principal one of the de-
scendants of old Abel Smith at the
unveiling of the portrait of Premier
Pitts, banker, in the royal exchange
the other day
But the Carringtons were not the
only descendants of Abel Smith who
found it necessary to renounce his
name as indicating the absence Of
blue blood. Another of the family
and firm, George Smith. on being
created a baronet, married an ille-
gitimate granddaughter of Prince
Rupert of Bohemia, son of King
Charles Is sister, the last Queen Of
Bohemia, and, deeply impressed by
the fact that in this way there was
strain of royal Stuart blood in the
veins of his son, secured permission
from the crown to exchange the
young fellows patronymic from Smith
TO Bromley. 1t may be remembered
that his descendant, Sir Robert Brom-
ley, sixth baronet of his line was a
quarter of a century ago attache Of
the British embassy at Washington,
Where he married the daughter OF his
chief, who was likewise his kinsman
Lord Pauncefote. The present
holder of the Bromley baronetcy has
stlll further added the name of Will
son to that of Bromley, so as to
completely obscure the name of
Smith.
*
As for Lord Pauncefote, who left
no male issue, and whose peerage
became extinct with his death at
Washington, he, too, was a descend
ant from old Abel Smith. The latter's
second son was John, whose sons OBJ
tanned the permission from the crown
to drop their patronymic of Smith
Tor that of Pauncefote. This was,
greatly objected to in print and
otherwise by the Paunceforts OF
Gloucestershlre, especially by the
Iate Slr Phillip Pauncetort and by his
son, the present baronet, Sir E;ver-
dfu. Iney were able to show an
unoroken descent in the male line
dlrect from that Godfrey de Paunce-
tort who is on historical REGARD as
having been the lord steward of the
court 10 King John in 1910. King
Henry III bestowed upon the SON oT
tnis Geonrey de Pauncefort the manor
OF HatSfield, In Glouceslersnlre. an.
IN that grant, which is still in exist-
ence on official flle, mention is ex
pllcltiy made of the fact that tha
Faunceforts had at that time been
IN possession Of fair lands" in the
county OF Gloucestershire since the
reign or William the Conuueror
fact confirmed by entries in the
Dioonsday 70 Book. Naturally, the late
oir Phlllip Pauncefort, who was thus
aDle TO show a direct male line do
scent or his house extending over
seven centuries, was moved to protest
Wnen the late Sir Julian Pauncefota
sreat-grandson of old Abel Smith
was raised to the peerage with the
tisle OF Lord Pauncefote.