Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-02-26
HISTORIC ESTATES
GO UNDER HAMMER
Last SurVivaIS of FeudaIiSm
in Britain Vanishing
With New Order.
BY JOHN GUNTHER,
Correspondence OF The star and the Chicas
Daily News

Correspondence Of The star and the Chicago
Daily News.
LONDON, England, February q
Britain's quietest revolution goes on
day by day as hundreds of thousands
of acres of her choicest land changes
ownership Great ducal estates are
being broken into farm land. Royal
parks have gone to war profiteers. The
hammer of the estate broker taps the
death rattle of the old feudal system.
An investigation of Britains amaz-
Ing land problem was suggested by a
newspaper advertisement Offering for
sale the estate which once was Bonnie
Prince Charles Lochiel is its name.
1t comprises 1000 acres, about 1873
square miles, and includes "Achdalieu,
GIendessary, Kimlock Quoich, Glen
kingie and Achmacarry, in the iordship
of Lochabar."
The details of the offer are enough
to wiring a tear from any die-hard aris-
tocrat. 1.-The more ancient and hiSto-
rical portion of the Lochliel estate eN-
tends to about 10000 acres" it reads,
.'of which about half forms the deer
forest so stays and $50 to
200 brace of grouse should be shot in
a fair season .. Includes the
largest part of the remaining Caledo-
MAN forest yielding stays of exception
al weight $ Fishing in Loeb
Arkaig =" And 50 on. And the
hammer is falling.
Castle for Sale.
A London real estate firm took a
whole page to advertise its current
offers of historic English countryside,
on sale for a song. The astonishing
Totals lots, totaling $4,000 acres, $50
square miles-was put on the block
ON one day.
Romance fills each item. by direc-
tion of the Right Hon. Viscount Elibank,
Peeblesshire, the estate of Darn Hall,
Eddleston, extending to IA, 203 acres, in
Guiding fourteenth century castle and
three bathrooms, is offered for sale
by private treaty.
In Shropshire Sir John Leigh, Bart,
offers 5000 acres of the Woodcote es-
tate, with y hunting lodges crowd
ing its park like a summer resort. The
Right Hon. Lord Woolayington puts for
ward Il, 900 acres in Ross ''called the
well known sporting estate of TORI
don" with 80 to 40 stays and electric
light by water power" In Yorkshire
the heirs of the Earl of Veralum offer
6,03S acres, from which the 1916 bag
was 3,l5S brace" The biggest single
item in the list is the North Jura estate
of Argylishire-64,O 600 acres of one of
the best known deer forests of Scotland.
Transfers on Since 1907.
No official figures are available to
show the total amount of land which
has changed hands. The movement, it
appears, began in 1907-at least it was
III that year this correspondent was told
by several land agents when the sale of
agricultural and park land began to in
crease in marked degree.
This increase, of course, was immense
ly stimulated by the war apd by post
war conditions.
1t is doubtful, in view of, the enor-
nous activity in land movement, il any
comprehensive record of the actual
amount of property sold exists or ever
can be compiled. One firm from 1913
to 1922 sold 1885. 900 acres, realizing
E31. 231,052 (about $3.50, 1000, 000).
The estate brokers say the great shift
in land was caused by taxes. The
greater number of estates sold had been
owned by members of the same families
for long periods-often for centuries.
Pressure of circumstances, largely eco