Evening star., 1923-10-24
BY THE MARaursE DE FoNTENoY.


Since the three younger brothers OF
the aged Duke of Somerset have pre-
deceased him without leaving any
, male issue. and he himself Is now
lowering on the brink of the grave.
past all hopes of recovery-indeed,
his death may even have taken place
ere this letter appears in print-it
may be well to call attention to the
next heir TO his historic honors. very
distant cousin. Gen. Sir Edward Ham
ilton Seymour. K. B. E., c. B.. c. NJ. G..
of Ivy House. Lymington. Hants Sir
Edward is sixth In descent from the
eighth Duke of Somerset. and If the
entailed property to which he will
succeed is restricted to bare 10000
acres. II is because the formerly vast
landed possessions of the family and
its enormous fortune were alienated
by the twelfth duke. known and ex-
ecrated among his kinfolks to this
day as "the Sheridan Duke" owing
to his marriage to the lovely daugh-
ter of Thomas Sheridan. son OF Rich
ard Brinsley Sheridan. She was the
I queen of beauty" of the celebrated
Eglinton tournament. This twelfth
duke hated. with a bitter hatred, his
younger brothers. Lord Archibald st
Maur and Lord Algernon ST. Maur.
and when he lost his two sons, the
younger of them. Lord Edward st.
Maur. disappearing In very mys-
to no end of pains to bequeath every
vestige of property which he could
ALLEVIATE from the dukedom to his
three daughters. Lady Jane Graham
of Netherby. Lady Ulrica Thyme, and
! Lady Helen Ramsden of Huddersfieid.
leaving to his brothers, Archibald and
Algernon, who followed him as the
thirteenth and fourteenth dukes. re-
spectively. merely the relatively un-
! important and heavily incumbered
! is the eldest son of the fourteenth
duke. and a nephew. therefore. of
the Sheridan Duke" While Gen. Sir
Edward Seymour, who spells the
family patronymic In the fashion OF
the 71rst duke Cinstead of as St. Maur,
readopted by the eleventh duke as the
original name of William de ST. Maur,
who was the founder of the family in
124e). will be the sixteenth duke.
y y X
The Seymours, or St. Maurs. like
.''e Cavendishes. the Russells and the
/! ~elhams, were OF that old nobility
which rose into eminence and power
after the devastating wars of the
Roses Wealth came to the Seymours
from the spoliation. of the church
lands and power and honors from the
caprice of a king and the ambition
of a woman. Their fortunes may De
said to have been first secured when
Jane Seymour, one of the eight chill
dren of Sir John Seymour OF WolHe
Hall In Monmouthshire. as maid OF
honor of Queen Anne Boleyn, at
tracted the attention and aroused the
admiration of King Henry VIII.
Queen Anne's adversartes, VINO were
many. took advantage of this intatu-
alton of the bluebeard monarch to
undermine her position, and sne was
sent to the scaffo!d on Tower HUI
on a charge of high treason. S,aan aeasIhs E,IiIs
abeth, Her disappearance In TINS
tragic fashion enabled King Henry
to legalize. somewhat tardily, nls
relations with her maid OF nonor'
lane Seymour. by means OF marriage
Queen Jane bore him son., VINO
eventually succeeded to his throne
as Edward VI. Queen Jane died pc
fore her consort had time TO tire OF
her. and while she still posssssea @ hlo to
establish her two brothers. Edward
and Thomas Seymour, In an aoso-
lutely impregnable position al court;
so that when hing i;, rninnS nnnrs Succeeded M
him on the throne as EDWARD ~,
Edward Seymour was abie 10 selHe
mon the tutelage of his royal nephew
and upon the reins of government as
ragent with the title OF lord pro.
tectnr. putting his brother Ihotnas
fo death without the siightest e4,d
n,,nction when he found that ne mao
IN him a rival Fratricide was notn,
Ing to the great lord hign prolector'
wbo secured for himself advancemenh.
~ the duk edom of Somerset whiGn =
was Inherited In due course oy ui'
~randson and the latter's descend
ants in the male line.
d
II In from the hrst duke, who lived
to a very advanced age. that the
Seymour Marquesses OF Hertford are
also descended in direct line. Ihe
present Lord Hertford will be re-
membered In the United States In
connection with his unhappy mar
riage to Miss Alice Thaw of Pitts
burgh, Pa, who subsequently, OBJ
! tained from the English courts MOI
| A divorce. but a decree OF the nuilItS
of the union on statutory grounds
The marriage Of the now moTi6nn6