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

who loved her home al Raby Castle.
where she spent the closing years of
her life. She wrote most interesting
monograph on the place for private
circulation, a copy of which I have
now before me.
That Christopher Vane should
reign" at Barnard Castle. after hav-
ing escaped death in the great war
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 10
his childlessness. became extinct, with
the exception OF the barony 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 we'll as
| his very stately mansion in London
James Square. together with a fixed
! income of S250,000 a year, should so
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 so to
| a kinsman of the duchess, Capt Fran
els Foster.
The first Lord Barnard was Christie
pher Vane. son OF the Sir Harry vane
of long parliament, from whom Oliver
Cromwell, on dissolving 1t by armed
force, prayed the Lord to deliver him.
The second Lord Barnard was OF no
particular importance, hfs principal
title to fame having been his mar
riage to Lady Grace Fityroy, the
grandchild of Charles II and daughter
of that monarch's son by q Barbara
viiliers, 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
merely a s1,oo0-a-year clerk in the
government department OF public
charities, a perfect stranger TO the
Duke of Cleveland and to his widow,
and entirely unknown in society. lie
managed, without much difficulty, 10
establish his lineai descent from Sir
Morgan Vane, the second son of the
second Lord Barnard and OF his wife,
Lady Grace Fitzroy Asg
Capt. Foster, however. was reluc-
tant to lose the inheritance, and con-
tested Harry vane's rights to the
barony of Barnard, before the c0na-
mittee of privileges OF the house OF
| lords. not because he denied the
| lineal descent of the claimant from
| Sir Morgan Vanes. butt IN consequence
| OF an alleged flaw In connection with
| the birth Of the claimants father,
| who made his advent into the world
| only three months after the marriage
/ of his parents. The committee or
| privileges held, however that this
1 was not sufficient to invalidate the
| claimants rights of succession. and
on the strength of its recommends
! tion to the crown, summoned the
present peers father to take his seat
| in the house of lords as ninth OF tie
| Vane Lords of Barnard.
| This sudden transition of a poverty
Estricken and obscure government
clerk to the house of lords and to
| the possession of fortune of $25Of-
| 600 a year and one of the, grandest
| castles and most historic estates I'm
| England may well be regarded as
constituting one OF the romsnces or
the British -peerages - t+<~-.7'.- y.
-a-t-zs isst5-y