Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1871-05-27 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

SINGULAR LEGEND OF THE TICHBORNE FAMILY.  The family of Tichborne date their possession of the manor of Tichborne so far back as 200 years before the Conquest. When the Lady Mabella, worn out with age and infirmity, was lying on her deathbed, she besought Iler loving husband, as her last request, that he would grant her the means of leaving behind her a charitable bequest, in a dole of bread to be distributed to all who should apply for it annually on the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Sir Roger, her husband, readily acceded to her request by promising the produce of as much land as she could go over in the vicinity of the park while a certain brand Or billet was burning, supposing that, from her long infirmity (for she had been bedridden sonic years), she would be able to go round a small portion only of his property. The venerable dame, however, ordered her attendants to convey her to the corner of the park, where, being deposited on the ground, she seemed to receive a renovation of strength, and to the surprise of her anxious and admiring lord, who began to wonder when this pilgrimage might end, she crawled round several rich and goodly acres. The field which was the scene of Lady Mabella's extraordinary feat, retains the name of " Crawis" to this day. It contains an area of 23 acres. Her task being completed, she was reconveyed to her chamber, and, summoning her family to her bedside, she predicted its prosperity while the annual dole existed, and left her malediction on any of her descendants who should be so mean or covetous as to discontinue or divert it, prophesying that when such should happen the old house should fall, and the family name would become extinct from the failure of heirs male, and that this would be foretold by a generation of. seven sons being immediately followed by a generation of seven daughters and no son. The custom thus founded in the reign of Henry 11. continued to be observed until the middle of the last century. Singularly enough, the baronet of the day had seven sons, and when he was succeeded by the eldest there appeared a generation of seven daughters, and the apparent fulfilment of the prophecy by the change of the name of the late baronet to Doughty, under the will of his kinswoman. (This allusion is to Sir Edward Doughty, ninth baronet, who inherited the " Doughty " estate, then Mr Edward Tichborne).— Winchester Observer.  The Gazette contains a new Order in Council respecting prize money for slave vessels captured. On Saturday morning, Lord Sandhurst (Sir Wm. Mansfield) inspected the Corps of Commissionaires in Hyde Park.  At Leicester, on Monday morning, John Henry Shelton, alias Heiafry, was arrested for a murderous outrage, commitkd in ()etcher last, on a marble merchant, named Devilliers. M. Devißiers, it will be remembered, was asleep in a railway carriage, when he was attacked by a man said to be the prisoner, his only fellow traveller. He struggled with his assailar who, however, escaped by leaping from the carriage. Prisoner i a deserter from the army, and is described as a notoriously bail character. The prisoner has been removed to Melton Mowbray for examination, the offence having been committed in that division of the county.