Evening star., 1923-10-11
Birth of Heir in Raby Castle !.
Recalls Jest of Famed Wit

who loved her home at Raby Castles
where she spent the closing years of
her life. She wrote q most interesting
| monograph on the place for private
circulation. a copy Of which l have
now before me-
That Christopher Vane should
reign" at Barnard Castle, after hav-
ing escaped death in the great war
with two severe wounds the Military
Cross and other distinctions that war
In which his elder brother Henry gave
his life. is in the nature of a romance.
On the death of the. fourth and last
Vane, Duke of Cleveland. in 1891, all
of his honors and peerages. owing to
his childlessness became extinct, withE
the exception of the harony of Bar,
nard The latter was destined to go
to any one who could prove nearest
descent from the first and second
provided in his will that. subject to
the life interest of his wife. Raby
Castle. with the estates. as well as
his very stately mansion in London.
known as Cleveland House in st.
James Square, together with fixed
! income of s259,000 year should go
to the person who, within five years
from that time, established his right
to the barony of Barnard to the salts
| faction of the committee of privileges
crown. Failing this. the entail was
to be considered as broken and Raby
Castle and the estates were to go to
a kinsman Of the duchess, Capt. Fran
els Foster.
The first Lord Barnard was Christie
pher Vane, son of the Sir Harry yane
of long parliament, from whom Oliver
Cromwell on dissolving II by armed
force. prayed the Lord to deliver him.
The second. Lord Barnard was OF no
particular importance, his principal
title to fame having been his mar
riage to Lady Grace Fitzroy. the
grandchild of CHARLES II and daughter
of that monarchs son by Barbara
yilliers. the first Duke of Cleveland.
Lady Grace Fitzroy's son. by reason
of his royal ancestry, was created
Earl of Darlington, and his grand
son. in turn. was made the first OF
the Vane Dukes of Cleveland the
ducal line becoming extinct In 1891,
as above described.
As soon as the terms Of the old
dukes will became known. a claimant
to the barony of Barnard appeared
in the person of Harry Vane. then
merely $1,0cO-a-year clerk In the
OF
charities, a perfect stranger to the
Duke of Cleveland and to his widow,
; and entirely unknown in society. He
managed, without much difficulty, to
establish his lineal descent from Sir
Morgan Vane, the second son of the
second Lord Barnard and of his wife,
Lady Grace FitZroy.
Capt. Foster, however was reluc-
I.tant to lose the inheritance. and con-
tested Harry Vane's rights to the
barony of Barnard. be.o ore the COM
mittee of privileges of the house Of
lords, not because he denied the
lineal descent of the claimant from
! Sir Morgan Vane. but in consequence
of an alleged flaw in connection with
the birth of the claimants father,
! who made his advent into the worlds
only three months after the marriage
of his parents. The committee OF
, privileges held. however, that this
was not sufficient to invalidate the
claimants rights of succession. and
on the strength of its recommenda-
tion to the crown. summoned the,
, present peers father to take his seat.
| in the house of lords as ninth of the
yane Lords of Barnard.
This sudden transition of poverty.
stricken and obscure government
clerk to the house of lords, and to
the possession of fortune of $780,
! 600 a year and one of the grandest
castles and most historic estates In
England may well be regarded as.
constituting one of the romances OF
1.-THE British peerage. .--~->-