Evening star., 1924-01-11
Observation-Disclosures
Causing England Grave Concern

army. He was the father of the pres
ent Sir John Twisden.
n 4
The litigation served to disclose
an eighteenth century romance. At
the beginning of the reign of George
III, Sir Roger Twisden; lord of the
manor at Bradbourne and member of
parliament for Kent, had three sons,
the second of whom, William, was a
lieutenant in the royal navy and
badly wounded in the early stages of
the American war Of independence.
lnvalfded home to England from his
ship. he was nursed back to COM
parative health at the house of a Mrs.
Kirk, the widow of a ships gunner.
that Is to say, warrant officer. at
Portsea, and falling in love with her
pretty daughter, married her.
Now his people were immensely
proud of their ancestry, which they
traced back to the reign Of Edward
1, the last crusader king of Eng
land. They We're beside themselves
with indignation at this misalliance.
would not regard II as q marriage at
all, and declined to~have anything to
do with William. In fact, his father.
old Sir Roger. resettled the family
estates in such a fashion as to ex-
clude his second son, William, and
the latter's children by his union with
Mary Kirk.
The eldest and unmarried son Of old
Sir Roger predeceased him and so,
too, did Lieut.. William Twisden. But
instead of the latter's son inheritins
the baronetcy and the large family
estates in Kent, the latter went by
old Sir Rogers act OF resettlement to
ms own youngest son, John Papillon
Twisden, who thereupon unlawfully
quest of $4,000 being, however, left
to the lieutenants eldest boy, who
was described as natural" that is
to say, illegitimate.
This boy christened John, was
brought up to the navy and was
have been the recipient of a certain
amount of financial assistance on the
part of his uncle, Sir John PapiI-
Ion Twtsden, who was evidently en-
deayorins thereby to atone for what
ne knew To- be the wrongful posses
He also left him a bequest at his
death, the young fellow having in
the meantime made his way from be-
fore the mast to commission in the
royal navy and to the rank of cap
tain. "Sir" John Papillon Twisden's
own son and nan1esake. Succeeded to
the estates and assumed the baronetcy
and died In 1841, leaving a married
daughter to whom he beQueathed the
estates.
- Nothing more was heard of the mat
ter. until proceedings were started by
the late Rev. John Francis Twisden,
the great-grandson of that Lieut..
William Twisden who married the
gunner's daughter. Associated with
him In the suit was his aged aunt,
Miss Emily Twisden. Indeed she was
nominally the chief party in the suit.
since. strictly speaking, the applica-
ton In the courts was not for the
baronetcy, but for the judicial decla-
ration and recognition of the legiti-
macy of her father. who had until
then figured as natural SON. This
was established, and once achieved,
the baronetcy went Of its own accord
to her clergyman nephew. She died
a few days: after the grant of the
decree determining the legitimacy of
her father.
The suit attracted an immence
amount of attention at the time and
the proceedings were OF q most In
teresting description, entailing the
production and the reading in court
of all sorts of. family correspondence
of the Twisdens and Twysdens dating
from a period prior and Immediately
subsequent to- the American war of
independence.
Now this, thus, romantically reviv-
ed Twisden baronetcy Of 1855 is about
once more to become extinct on the
death of Its present holder, and the
Continuation OF this ancient house
will remain in the hands of Sir Roger
Twysden, with q ~, holder of the
1911 baronetcy, and the respondent
in the present TWysden divorce suit
He has an only SON OF Ave years old,
OF the name OF Anthony. whose GUS
ftody and guardianship will probably
be awarded by the courts to his
mother. Failing him. the baronetcy
will 60 to Sir Rodgers younger
brother, wfalfam. = retired lieutenant
of the royal navy.