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BARONETAGE |
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Last updated 07/11/2017 |
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Names of
baronets shown in blue |
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have not yet proved succession and, as a |
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result, their name has not yet been placed on |
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the Official Roll of the Baronetage. |
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Date |
Type |
Order |
Name |
Born |
Died |
Age |
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Dates in italics in the "Born" column
indicate that the baronet was |
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baptised on that date;
dates in italics in the "Died" column indicate |
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that the baronet was buried on that date |
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VALCKENBURG of Middleing,Yorks |
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20 Jul 1642 |
E |
1 |
Matthew
Valckenburg |
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4 Apr 1644 |
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1644 |
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2 |
John Anthony van Valckenburg |
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1 Sep 1679 |
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to |
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Extinct
on his death |
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Sep 1679 |
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VANACKER of London |
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31 Jan 1701 |
E |
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See "Sambrooke" |
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VAN COLSTER of Amsterdam,Holland |
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28 Feb 1645 |
E |
1 |
Joseph van
Colster |
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c Apr 1665 |
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to |
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Extinct
on his death |
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c Apr 1665 |
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VANDEN-BEMPDE-JOHNSTONE |
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of Hackness Hall,Yorks |
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6 Jul 1795 |
GB |
1 |
Richard Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone |
21 Sep 1732 |
14 Jul 1807 |
74 |
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For
details of the special remainder included |
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in the creation of this baronetcy,see the note |
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at the foot of this page |
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MP for Weymouth 1790-1796 |
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14 Jul 1807 |
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2 |
John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone |
28 Aug 1799 |
24 Feb 1869 |
69 |
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MP for Yorkshire 1830-1832 and |
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Scarborough 1832-1837 and 1841-1869 |
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For further information on the death of this MP, |
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see the note at the foot of this page |
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24 Feb 1869 |
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3 |
Harcourt Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone |
3 Jan 1829 |
1 Mar 1916 |
87 |
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He was subsequently created Baron |
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Derwent (qv) in 1881 with which title the |
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baronetcy then merged |
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VANDEPUT of Twickenham,Middlesex |
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7 Nov 1723 |
GB |
1 |
Peter
Vanderput |
c 1688 |
25 Aug 1748 |
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25 Aug 1748 |
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2 |
George
Vandeput |
c 1717 |
17 Jun 1784 |
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to |
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Extinct
on his death |
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17 Jun 1784 |
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VANDERBRANDE of Cleverskirke,Holland |
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9 Jun 1699 |
E |
1 |
John Peter Vanderbrande |
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c 1713 |
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c 1713 |
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2 |
Cornelius Vanderbrande |
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after 1713 |
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to |
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Presumably extinct on his death |
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after 1713 |
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VANE-FLETCHER of Hutton,Cumberland |
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27 Jun 1786 |
GB |
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See "Fletcher-Vane" |
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VANE-TEMPEST of Long Newton,Durham |
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13 Jul 1782 |
GB |
1 |
Henry Vane |
c 1725 |
7 Jun 1794 |
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7 Jun 1794 |
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2 |
Henry Vane-Tempest |
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7 Aug 1813 |
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to |
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MP for Durham 1794-1800 |
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7 Aug 1813 |
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Extinct
on his death |
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VAN FREISENDORF of Hirdech,Sweden |
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4 Oct 1661 |
E |
1 |
John Frederick van Freisendorf |
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Nothing further is known of this baronetcy |
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VAN LORE of Tylehurst,Berks |
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3 Sep 1628 |
E |
1 |
Peter van Lore |
c 1580 |
c 1645 |
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to |
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Extinct
on his death |
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c 1645 |
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VANNECK of Putney,Surrey |
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14 Dec 1751 |
GB |
1 |
Joshua Vanneck |
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6 Mar 1777 |
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6 Mar 1777 |
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2 |
Gerard Vanneck |
c 1743 |
22 May 1791 |
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MP for Dunwich 1768-1790 |
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22 May 1791 |
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3 |
Joshua Vanneck |
31 Dec 1745 |
15 Aug 1816 |
70 |
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He was subsequently created Baron |
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Huntingfield (qv) in 1796 with which title |
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the baronetcy remains merged,although,as at |
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30/06/2014,the baronetcy does not appear in |
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the Official Roll of the Baronetage |
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VAN NOTTEN-POLE of Todenham House,Gloucs |
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28 Jul 1791 |
GB |
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See "Pole" |
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VAN TROMP of Holland |
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23 Apr 1675 |
E |
1 |
Cornelius Martinus van Tromp |
c 1630 |
29 May 1691 |
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to |
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On his death the baronetcy is presumed to |
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29 May 1691 |
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have become either extinct or dormant |
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VASSAR-SMITH of Charlton Park,Gloucs |
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10 Jul 1917 |
UK |
1 |
Richard Vassar Vassar-Smith |
11 Jul 1843 |
2 Aug 1922 |
79 |
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2 Aug 1922 |
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2 |
John George Lawley Vassar-Smith |
10 Dec 1868 |
2 May 1942 |
73 |
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2 May 1942 |
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3 |
Richard Rathborne Vassar-Smith |
24 Nov 1909 |
12 Aug 1995 |
85 |
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12 Aug 1995 |
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4 |
John Rathborne Vassar-Smith |
23 Jul 1936 |
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VAUGHAN of Nannau,Merioneth |
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28 Jul 1791 |
GB |
1 |
Robert Howell Vaughan |
c 1738 |
13 Oct 1792 |
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13 Oct 1792 |
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2 |
Robert Williames Vaughan |
29 Mar 1768 |
22 Apr 1843 |
75 |
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MP for Merioneth 1792-1836 |
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22 Apr 1843 |
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3 |
Robert Williames Vaughan |
23 Jun 1803 |
29 Apr 1859 |
55 |
to |
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Extinct
on his death |
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29 Apr 1859 |
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VAUGHAN-MORGAN of Outwood,Surrey |
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29 Jan 1960 |
UK |
1 |
John Kenyon Vaughan-Morgan |
2 Feb 1905 |
26 Jan 1995 |
89 |
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He was subsequently created Baron |
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Reigate [L] (qv) in 1970 with which title the |
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baronetcy then merged until its extinction |
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in 1995 |
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VAVASOUR of Haselwood,Yorks |
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24 Oct 1628 |
E |
1 |
Thomas Vavasour |
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before 1636 |
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before 1636 |
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2 |
Walter Vavasour |
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after 1666 |
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after 1666 |
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3 |
Walter Vavasour |
c 1644 |
16 Feb 1713 |
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16 Feb 1713 |
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4 |
Walter Vavasour |
c 1659 |
May 1740 |
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May 1740 |
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5 |
Walter Vavasour |
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13 Apr 1766 |
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13 Apr 1766 |
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6 |
Walter Vavasour |
16 Jan 1744 |
3 Nov 1802 |
58 |
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3 Nov 1802 |
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7 |
Thomas Vavasour |
c 1745 |
20 Jan 1826 |
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to |
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Extinct
on his death |
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20 Jan 1826 |
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VAVASOUR of Killingthorpe,Lincs |
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22 Jun 1631 |
E |
1 |
Charles Vavasour |
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Feb 1644 |
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to |
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Extinct
on his death |
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Feb 1644 |
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VAVASOUR of Copmanthorpe,Yorks |
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17 Jul 1643 |
E |
1 |
William Vavasour |
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18 Feb 1659 |
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to |
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Extinct
on his death |
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18 Feb 1659 |
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VAVASOUR of Spaldington,Yorks |
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20 Mar 1801 |
UK |
1 |
Henry Vavasour |
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15 Mar 1813 |
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15 Mar 1813 |
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2 |
Henry Maghull Mervin Vavasour |
19 Jul 1768 |
4 Jan 1838 |
69 |
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4 Jan 1838 |
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3 |
Henry Mervin Vavasour |
17 Jun 1814 |
9 Dec 1912 |
98 |
to |
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Extinct
on his death |
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9 Dec 1912 |
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For further information on this baronet,and a |
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listing of those baronets who have reached their |
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centenaries,see the note at the foot of this page |
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VAVASOUR of Haslewood,Yorks |
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14 Feb 1828 |
UK |
1 |
Edward Marmaduke Stourton Vavasour |
6 May 1786 |
15 Mar 1847 |
60 |
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15 Mar 1847 |
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2 |
Edward Marmaduke Vavasour |
17 jan 1815 |
23 Aug 1885 |
70 |
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23 Aug 1885 |
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3 |
William Edward Joseph Vavasour |
28 Nov 1846 |
18 Nov 1915 |
68 |
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18 Nov 1915 |
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4 |
Leonard Pius Vavasour |
22 Sep 1881 |
14 Sep 1961 |
79 |
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14 Sep 1961 |
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5 |
Geoffrey William Vavasour |
5 Sep 1914 |
28 Jul 1997 |
82 |
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28 Jul 1997 |
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6 |
Eric Michel Joseph Marmaduke Vavasour |
3 Jan 1953 |
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VERDIN of The Brockhurst,Cheshire |
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24 Jul 1896 |
UK |
1 |
Joseph Verdin |
4 Jan 1838 |
28 Dec 1920 |
82 |
to |
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Extinct
on his death |
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28 Dec 1920 |
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VERNATTI of Carleton,Yorks |
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7 Jun 1634 |
NS |
1 |
Philibert Vernatti |
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c Jun 1643 |
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c Jun 1643 |
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2 |
Philibert Vernatti |
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after 1678 |
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to |
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On his death the baronetcy is presumed to |
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after 1678 |
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have become dormant |
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VERNER of Verners Bridge,Armagh |
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22 Jul 1846 |
UK |
1 |
William Verner |
25 Oct 1782 |
20 Jan 1871 |
88 |
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MP for co.Armagh 1832-1868 |
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20 Jan 1871 |
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2 |
William Verner |
4 Apr 1822 |
10 Jan 1873 |
50 |
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MP for co.Armagh 1868-1873 |
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For information on his daughter,Alice Emily, and |
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her involvement in the Bagot Will Case of 1878-80, |
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see the note at the foot of this page |
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10 Jan 1873 |
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3 |
William Edward Hercules Verner |
11 Jan 1856 |
8 Jun 1886 |
30 |
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8 Jun 1886 |
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4 |
Edward Wingfield Verner |
1 Oct 1830 |
21 Jun 1899 |
68 |
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MP for
Lisburn 1863-1873 and co.Armagh |
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1873-1880 |
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21 Jun 1899 |
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5 |
Edward Wingfield Verner |
22 Nov 1865 |
1 Nov 1936 |
70 |
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1 Nov 1936 |
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6 |
Edward Derrick Wingfield Verner |
28 May 1907 |
27 Mar 1975 |
67 |
to |
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Extinct
on his death |
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27 Mar 1975 |
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VERNEY of Middle Claydon,Bucks |
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16 Mar 1661 |
E |
1 |
Ralph Verney |
12 Nov 1613 |
24 Sep 1696 |
82 |
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MP for Aylesbury 1640 and 1640-1645 |
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and Buckingham 1681-1690 |
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24 Sep 1696 |
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2 |
John Verney |
5 Nov 1640 |
23 Jun 1717 |
76 |
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He was subsequently created Viscount |
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Fermanagh (qv) in 1703 with which title the |
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baronetcy then merged until its extinction |
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in 1791 |
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VERNEY of Claydon House,Bucks |
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3 Dec 1818 |
UK |
1 |
Harry Calvert |
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3 Sep 1826 |
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3 Sep 1826 |
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2 |
Harry Verney |
8 Dec 1801 |
12 Feb 1894 |
92 |
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MP for Buckingham 1832-1841,1857-1874 |
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and 1880-1885 and Bedford 1847-1852 |
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PC 1885 |
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12 Feb 1894 |
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3 |
Edmund Hope Verney |
6 Apr 1838 |
8 May 1910 |
72 |
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MP for Buckingham 1885-1886 and 1889-1891 |
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For further information on this baronet, see the |
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note
at the foot of the page containing details |
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of the MPs for Buckingham |
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8 May 1910 |
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4 |
Harry Calvert Williams Verney |
7 Jun 1881 |
23 Dec 1974 |
93 |
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MP for Buckingham Dec 1910-1918 |
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For further information on this baronet, see the |
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note
at the foot of the page containing details |
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of the MPs for Buckingham |
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23 Dec 1974 |
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5 |
Ralph Bruce Verney |
18 Jan 1915 |
17 Aug 2001 |
86 |
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17 Aug 2001 |
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6 |
Edmund Ralph Verney |
28 Jun 1950 |
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VERNEY of Eaton Square,London |
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16 Jul 1946 |
UK |
1 |
Sir Ralph Verney |
25 May 1879 |
22 Feb 1959 |
79 |
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22 Feb 1959 |
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2 |
John Verney |
30 Sep 1913 |
2 Feb 1993 |
79 |
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2 Feb 1993 |
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3 |
John Sebastian Verney |
30 Aug 1945 |
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VERNON of Hodnet,Salop |
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23 Jul 1660 |
E |
1 |
Henry Vernon |
16 Dec 1606 |
11 Apr 1676 |
69 |
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MP for Shropshire 1660 and West Looe |
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1661-1676 |
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Apr 1676 |
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2 |
Thomas Vernon |
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5 Feb 1683 |
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5 Feb 1683 |
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3 |
Richard Vernon |
22 Jun 1678 |
1 Oct 1725 |
47 |
to |
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Extinct
on his death |
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1 Oct 1725 |
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VERNON of Hanbury Hall,Worcs |
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23 Jul 1885 |
UK |
1 |
Harry Foley Vernon |
11 Apr 1834 |
1 Feb 1920 |
85 |
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MP for Worcestershire East 1861-1868 |
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1 Feb 1920 |
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2 |
Bowater George Hamilton Vernon |
12 Sep 1865 |
14 Jun 1940 |
74 |
to |
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Extinct
on his death |
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14 Jun 1940 |
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For further information on this baronet, see the |
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|
note at the foot of this page |
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VERNON of Shotwick Park,Cheshire |
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24 Jan 1914 |
UK |
1 |
William Vernon |
13 Dec 1835 |
24 Jun 1919 |
83 |
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24 Jun 1919 |
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2 |
John Herbert Vernon |
12 Jul 1858 |
13 Jun 1933 |
74 |
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13 Jun 1933 |
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3 |
William Norman Vernon |
19 Apr 1890 |
12 Apr 1967 |
76 |
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12 Apr 1967 |
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4 |
Nigel John Douglas Vernon |
2 May 1924 |
4 Sep 2007 |
83 |
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4 Sep 2007 |
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5 |
James William Vernon |
2 Apr 1949 |
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VESEY of Abbey Leix,Queen's Co. |
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28 Sep 1698 |
I |
1 |
Thomas Vesey |
1673 |
6 Aug 1730 |
57 |
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6 Aug 1730 |
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2 |
John Denny Vesey |
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25 Jul 1761 |
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He was subsequently created Baron |
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Knapton (qv) in 1750. The 2nd Baron was |
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created Viscount de Vesci (qv) in 1776 |
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with which title the baronetcy remains |
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merged |
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VESTEY of Bessemer House,Camberwell |
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21 Jun 1913 |
UK |
1 |
William Vestey |
21 Jan 1859 |
10 Dec 1940 |
81 |
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|
He was subsequently created Baron |
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Vestey (qv) in 1922 with which title the |
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baronetcy remains merged |
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VESTEY of Shirley,Surrey |
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27 Jun 1921 |
UK |
1 |
Edmund Hoyle Vestey |
3 Feb 1866 |
18 Nov 1953 |
87 |
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18 Nov 1953 |
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2 |
John Derek Vestey |
4 Jun 1914 |
29 Jun 2005 |
91 |
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29 Jun 2005 |
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3 |
Paul Edmund Vestey |
15 Feb 1944 |
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VILLIERS of Brooksby,Lincs |
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19 Jul 1619 |
E |
1 |
William Villiers |
c 1575 |
12 Jun 1629 |
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12 Jun 1629 |
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2 |
George Villiers |
Feb 1620 |
1682 |
62 |
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1682 |
|
3 |
William Villiers |
9 Jan 1645 |
27 Feb 1712 |
67 |
to |
|
|
MP for Leicester 1698-1701 |
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27 Feb 1712 |
|
|
Extinct
on his death |
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VINCENT of Stoke d'Abernon,Surrey |
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26 Jul 1620 |
E |
1 |
Francis Vincent |
c 1568 |
1640 |
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MP for Surrey 1626 |
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1640 |
|
2 |
Anthony Vincent |
1594 |
1642 |
48 |
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1642 |
|
3 |
Francis Vincent |
c 1621 |
c May 1670 |
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MP for Dover 1661-1670 |
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c May 1670 |
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4 |
Anthony Vincent |
c 1645 |
Sep 1674 |
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Sep 1674 |
|
5 |
Francis Vincent |
12 Apr 1646 |
10 Feb 1736 |
89 |
|
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|
MP for Surrey 1690-1695 and 1710-1713 |
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10 Feb 1736 |
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6 |
Henry Vincent |
c 1685 |
10 Jan 1757 |
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MP for Guildford 1728-1734 |
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10 Jan 1757 |
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7 |
Francis Vincent |
c 1717 |
22 May 1775 |
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MP for Surrey 1761-1775 |
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22 May 1775 |
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8 |
Francis Vincent |
11 Oct 1747 |
17 Aug 1791 |
43 |
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17 Aug 1791 |
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9 |
Francis Vincent |
24 Jul 1780 |
17 Jan 1809 |
28 |
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17 Jan 1809 |
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10 |
Francis Vincent |
3 Mar 1803 |
6 Jul 1880 |
77 |
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MP for St.Albans 1831-1835 |
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6 Jul 1880 |
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11 |
Frederick Vincent |
8 Jan 1798 |
9 Jan 1883 |
85 |
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9 Jan 1883 |
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12 |
William Vincent |
20 Sep 1834 |
16 Feb 1914 |
79 |
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16 Feb 1914 |
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13 |
Francis Erskine Vincent |
24 May 1869 |
28 Aug 1935 |
66 |
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28 Aug 1935 |
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14 |
Anthony Francis Vincent |
30 Jun 1894 |
24 Feb 1936 |
41 |
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24 Feb 1936 |
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15 |
Frederick d'Abernon Vincent |
12 Feb 1852 |
2 Mar 1936 |
84 |
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2 Mar 1936 |
|
16 |
Edgar Vincent |
19 Aug 1857 |
1 Nov 1941 |
84 |
|
|
|
He had previously been created Viscount |
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|
D'Abernon (qv) in 1926 with which title the |
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|
baronetcy then merged until its extinction |
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|
in 1941 |
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VINCENT of Watton,Norfolk |
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18 Jan 1937 |
UK |
1 |
Sir Percy Vincent |
3 Sep 1868 |
22 Jan 1943 |
74 |
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22 Jan 1943 |
|
2 |
Lacey Eric Vincent |
13 Jan 1902 |
21 Oct 1963 |
61 |
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21 Oct 1963 |
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3 |
William Percy Maxwell Vincent |
1 Feb 1945 |
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VINER of London |
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10 May 1666 |
E |
1 |
Robert Viner |
1631 |
2 Sep 1688 |
57 |
to |
|
|
Extinct
on his death |
|
|
|
2 Sep 1688 |
|
|
For further information on this baronet, |
|
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|
|
|
see the note at the foot of this page |
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VITUS of Limerick |
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29 Jun 1677 |
E |
1 |
Ignatius Vitus |
c 1626 |
21 Aug 1694 |
|
to |
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|
Baronetcy forfeited |
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11 May 1691 |
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VIVIAN of Truro,Cornwall |
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19 Jan 1828 |
UK |
1 |
Richard Hussey Vivian |
28 Jul 1775 |
20 Aug 1842 |
67 |
|
|
|
He was subsequently created Baron Vivian |
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(qv) in 1841 with which title the |
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baronetcy remains merged |
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VIVIAN of Singleton,Glamorgan |
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13 May 1882 |
UK |
1 |
Henry Hussey Vivian |
6 Jul 1821 |
28 Nov 1894 |
73 |
|
|
|
He was subsequently created Baron Swansea |
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|
(qv) in 1893
with which title the |
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|
baronetcy remains merged,although as at |
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|
30/06/2014 the baronetcy does not appear |
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|
on the Official Roll of the Baronetage |
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VYNER of London |
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18 Jun 1661 |
E |
1 |
Thomas Vyner |
15 Dec 1588 |
11 May 1665 |
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11 May 1665 |
|
2 |
George Vyner |
c 1639 |
5 Jul 1673 |
|
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5 Jul 1673 |
|
3 |
Thomas Vyner |
21 Jun 1664 |
3 May 1683 |
18 |
to |
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|
Extinct on his death |
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May 1683 |
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VYVYAN of Trelowarren,Cornwall |
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12 Feb 1645 |
E |
1 |
Richard Vyvyan |
c 1613 |
3 Oct 1665 |
|
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MP for Penrhyn 1640, Tregony 1640-1644 |
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and St.Mawes 1663-1665 |
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3 Oct 1665 |
|
2 |
Vyell Vyvyan |
20 May 1639 |
24 Feb 1697 |
57 |
|
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|
MP for Helston 1679-81 |
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24 Feb 1697 |
|
3 |
Richard Vyvyan |
c 1677 |
12 Oct 1724 |
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MP for Mitchell 1701-1702 and |
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Cornwall 1703-1708 and 1712-1713 |
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12 Oct 1724 |
|
4 |
Francis Vyvyan |
29 Sep 1698 |
29 Dec 1745 |
47 |
|
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Dec 1745 |
|
5 |
Richard Vyvyan |
11 May 1731 |
20 Oct 1781 |
50 |
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20 Oct 1781 |
|
6 |
Carew Vyvyan |
11 Jan 1737 |
4 Oct 1814 |
77 |
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4 Oct 1814 |
|
7 |
Vyell Vyvyan |
12 Jul 1767 |
27 Jan 1820 |
52 |
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27 Jan 1820 |
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8 |
Richard Rawlinson Vyvyan |
6 Jun 1800 |
15 Aug 1879 |
79 |
|
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|
MP for Cornwall 1825-1831, Okehampton |
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1831-1832, Bristol 1832-1837 and Helston |
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1841-1857 |
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15 Aug 1879 |
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9 |
Vyell Donnithorne Vyvyan |
16 Aug 1826 |
27 May 1917 |
90 |
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27 May 1917 |
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10 |
Courtenay Bourchier Vyvyan |
5 Jun 1858 |
15 Nov 1941 |
83 |
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15 Nov 1941 |
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11 |
Richard Philip Vyvyan |
21 Nov 1891 |
15 May 1978 |
86 |
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15 May 1978 |
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12 |
John Stanley Vyvyan |
20 Jan 1916 |
6 Oct 1995 |
79 |
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6 Oct 1995 |
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13 |
Ralph Ferrers Alexander Vyvyan |
21 Aug 1960 |
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The special remainder to the baronetcy of
Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone created in 1795 |
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From the "London Gazette" of 20 June
1795 (issue 13789, page 646):- |
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'The King has been pleased to grant the Dignity
of a Baronet of the Kingdom of Great Britain to |
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Richard
Bempde Johnstone, of Hackness Hall in the North Riding of the County of York,
Esq; |
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with Remainder to his Brother Charles
Johnstone, of Haverfordwest, Esq; and his Issue Male.' |
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Sir John Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 2nd baronet |
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Sir John died from injuries received in a
hunting accident. According to the London 'Standard' |
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of 26 February 1869:- |
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'It is with great regret we record the death of
[Sir John Johnstone], which took place between |
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nine and ten o'clock yesterday morning at his
residence in Belgrave-Square. Sir John, who was |
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an enthusiastic sportsman, was out with Mr.
Lowndes' hounds, at Bletchley, on Saturday last, |
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when, in taking a drop fence, by some means he
lost his saddle, and came down a crash on his |
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shoulder,
sustaining severe location and serious internal injury. Mr. Deans, surgeon,
of |
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Bletchley, was immediately sent for, and
without delay arrived on the scene. On examination |
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he pronounced the injuries to be of a very
serious nature. After the skilful attention of the |
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above gentleman Sir John became somewhat
composed, and it was thought advisable that he |
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should be removed to London. Accordingly he was
conveyed by rail to his town residence, |
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accompanied by Mr. Deans, arriving about 11
o'clock on Saturday night. He was placed under |
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the care of Messrs. Prescott, Hewitt and
Leggett, who, assisted by Mr. Deans, used every |
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exertion to mitigate his sufferings, but
without avail.' |
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Sir Henry Mervin Vavasour, 3rd baronet |
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The following article appeared in "The
Washington Post" on 6 January 1913:- |
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'Much money changed hands on the death last
week of old Sir Henry Mervin Vavasour, of |
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Spaldington, at the age of nearly 99. For some
two or three years ago the fact was brought |
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to
light that neither the British peerage nor yet its baronetage had ever
produced a |
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centenarian. Sir Henry Vavasour was thereupon
discovered to be the very oldest baronet, |
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and was found to be so hale and vigorous that
numerous bets were made, not only in his |
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native county of Yorkshire, but also in London
clubland, that he would safely pass the |
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hundredth milestone. |
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'Indeed, the wagers for and against this
probability assumed altogether phenomenal proportions, |
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and many of the bettors endeavored to protect
themselves by taking out insurance at Lloyds, |
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both against and in favor of his dying before
he reached the century mark. |
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'Now the bettors and Lloyds have been called
upon to settle up, since the old baronet has been |
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gathered to his fathers within a little more
than twelve months of the goal, his baronetcy |
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becoming extinct.' |
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Whilst it was true that at the time of the
writing of the above article no peer had ever reached |
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100 years, my records show that four baronets had already achieved
this feat. The following |
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baronets are those who have reached their
centenaries:- |
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Sir John Morres, 3rd baronet (29 August 1620-26 October 1720) |
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Sir Patrick Grant, 4th baronet (c 1655-10 April 1755) |
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Sir Robert Grierson, 5th baronet (c 1737-8 August 1839) |
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Sir Moses Montefiore, 1st baronet (24 October 1784-28 July 1885) |
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Sir Fitzroy Donald Maclean, 10th baronet (18 May 1835-22 November 1936) |
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Sir Brooke de Malpas Grey-Egerton, 13th
baronet (19 August 1845-5 Nov 1945) |
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Sir James Swinburne, 9th baronet (28 February 1858-30 March 1958) |
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Sir Harry Platt, 1st baronet (7 October 1886-20 December 1986) |
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Sir Alexander Frank Philip Christison, 4th
baronet (17 November 1893-21 December
1993) |
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Sir Jack Wolfred Ashford Harris, 2nd
baronet (23 July 1906-26 August 2009) |
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Dame Anne Maxwell Macdonald, baronetess [11th
in line] (8 September 1906-21 April
2011) |
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Sir Richard Michael Keane, 6th baronet (29 January 1909-28 December 2010) |
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Sir Gilbert Simon Heathcote, 9th baronet (21 September 1913-15 April 2014) |
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Sir Roger Moon, 6th baronet (17 Nov 1914-16 Oct 2017) |
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Sir Daniel Patrick FitzGerald, 4th baronet (28 Jun 1916-9 Aug 2016) |
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Sir Hereward Wake, 14th baronet (7 Oct 1916- |
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Alice Emily Verner (12 April 1853-9 July 1908),
daughter of Sir William Verner, |
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2nd baronet |
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Alice Verner was a central figure in a
remarkable trial which held the attention of the British and |
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Irish
public between 1878 and 1880. The contemporary newspapers devoted a very
large |
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amount of space to the case, to the extent that
I have been forced to limit myself to mere |
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summaries of the case which appeared in
Australian papers of the time. A good précis of the |
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trial
was published in "The Singleton Argus and Upper Hunter General
Advocate" on 7 August |
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1878:- |
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'After a trial which has lasted for twenty-two
days the Bagot case has ended in a verdict which |
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sets aside a will and hands a great property
over to a disinherited child........ |
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'The object of the trial was to set aside the
will of Christopher Neville Bagot, who died on May |
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23 last year [1877]. The youngest son of an
Irish country gentleman who lived in Roscommon, |
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he
emigrated to Australia in 1844, and becoming a grazier, he amassed a great
fortune. |
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Returning to his native country a few years
ago, he bought a large estate for more than a |
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hundred thousand pounds. His family connections
as well as his wealth brought him into good |
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society. He was also a man of exceptionally
rigorous intellect, and, in spite of his toilsome life |
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in Australia, he retained the cultivated tastes
of his youth. On the other hand, he had, it is |
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said, met with some accidents during his work
in the bush; his personal habits were not favour- |
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able to health; he certainly drank very hard
after his return to this country, and, all events, he |
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was crippled and paralytic. |
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'During a visit to London in July, 1873, he met
at dinner Miss Alice Emily Verner, the eldest |
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daughter
of the late Sir William Verner, of Churchill in the County of Armagh. She was
22 [20] |
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years
of age when she met Mr. Bagot, and he was 50 [46]. He was so charmed with her
that |
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we
are told that he asked her to marry him a week after they had met. She did
not give him a |
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definite
answer at the time, but she says that she was attached to him, in spite of
his |
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enfeebled state. During the courtship he became
intimate with her family. He went to the |
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Continent
with them. She drove about with him, received presents from him, and, in
company |
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with her sister, attended supper parties which
he gave at his hotel in London. |
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'The friendship went on till the July of 1874,
when Miss Verner says that she agreed to marry |
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Mr.
Neville Bagot. He wished, however, to be married privately, and she gives a
strange |
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account of the manner and the place in which
the ceremony was conducted. Meeting him by |
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appointment
in the streets, she drove with him in a closed carriage for half-an-hour to
some |
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part
of the town which she cannot identify and went to a kind of office on the
first floor of |
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some house, where she found two men, who made
her and her companion sign their names in a |
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book. That was the "preliminary" part
of the ceremony. Making another appointment with those |
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persons, Mr. Neville Bagot brought her back
again, and one of the men read a very small part |
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of the marriage service out of the Prayer Book,
asked some questions, and thus completed the |
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marriage
ceremony. Mrs. Bagot believed the place to be registrar's office, but she
cannot find |
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it, and there is no record of such a marriage
in any of the registrars' books. |
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'Some time afterwards she was alarmed, she
says, by hearing Mr. Neville Bagot say, in a fit of |
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drunken raving, that there had been no marriage
at all; and, as she was soon to give birth to |
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a child, she was anxious to put the legality of
the union beyond a doubt. He agreed that they |
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should be married by special license; he gave
her £30 to pay for it, and, after she had attemp- |
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ted to carry her application direct to the
Archbishop of Canterbury, the license was obtained |
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on August 8, 1875. She was married the same
night, between 9 and 10, at the house of her |
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family
in Eaton Square. The legality of that union is not disputed. |
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'On
October 22, or a little more than two months after the wedding, she gave
birth, at |
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Tunbridge Wells, to the son whose claims have
been made the subject of the litigation in |
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Dublin. The child was afterwards virtually
disinherited on the ground that Mr. Neville Bagot was |
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not his father, and, as the Bagot family
profited by his loss, it was all-important for them to |
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make good that contention. One of them, Mr.
Bernard Bagot, declared that his brother, the |
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testator, had emphatically denied that there
had been any private marriage - the inference |
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being that the lady had been the mistress of
Mr. Neville Bagot, and that if she had been the |
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mistress of one man she might have been the
mistress of more. But its is very difficult to |
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reconcile such a denial with a statement made
by Mr. Neville Bagot himself in more than one |
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of the letters which he wrote immediately after
the public ceremony. He said that the marriage |
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had taken place some time before, and had for
family reasons been concealed at the wish of |
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Miss Verner. |
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'The defendants tried to show, by means of some
extraordinary conditions which she had |
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signed on the eve of the public marriage, that
Mr. Neville Bagot had doubted her purity. She |
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unquestionably did sign a written stipulation
that she would always accompany her husband, |
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that she would keep no secrets from him, that
she would "give up and cut" all her "fast and |
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tipsy acquaintances and lovers and
admirers," that she would cease to write to them and to |
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receive letters and presents from them. Such a
document does show that her ways had not |
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been altogether pleasant to her husband. But it
is incredible, as the Judge said, that Mr. |
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Neville Bagot would have married a lady who was
soon to become a mother if he had not |
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believed himself to be the father of the child.
Medical evidence respecting his state of health |
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was adduced on both sides, but it was so
contradictory that it may be safely disregarded. |
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We need not, however, go to conjecture for
proof that he believed the child to be his, since |
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the
evidence showed beyond a doubt that was overjoyed when it was born, that he
was |
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proud of the likeness which observers traced
between it and himself, and that he made it the |
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heir
of his estates. On August 16, 1875, two months before the child was born, he
made a |
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will, leaving to it his landed property. |
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'At this stage begins one of the darkest parts
of the whole story, and sometimes we can do |
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little else than grope for the truth amid a
dense cloud of sworn contradictions. Down to March |
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13, 1876, or for about five months after the
birth of the child, Mr. Neville Bagot believed it to |
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be his; but only four days later he displayed a
sudden change of conviction. In two wills, one |
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dated April 15, and the other September 7,
1876, he expressed that change by bequeathing |
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his estates to his brother, John Bagot, and by
directing that no more than the first £200 a year, |
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and
then £450 should be allotted for the support of Mrs. Bagot's son till he
should reach the |
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age of thirty, when he should receive £10,000.
Mrs. Bagot herself was to have £1,000 a year. |
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'What was the cause of the sudden and
extraordinary change of belief which led him to set |
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aside the old will? Was it justified by any
fact which had come to his own knowledge? No |
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evidence of the slightest value was adduced to
show that he had been deceived by Mrs. Bagot, |
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and the judge therefore presumed that the
paternity of the child was beyond reasonable doubt. |
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Was Mr. Neville Bagot, then, likely to be the
victim of a delusion? That he was naturally a man |
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of
vigorous intellect is certain; but Sir Richard Graves McDonnell, late
Governor of South |
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Australia, testified that, although he had a
clear head when dealing with public affairs, he was |
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liable to extravagant personal antipathies. He
was apt to lose self-control when talking about |
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persons. His habits were also such as would
weaken the strongest intellect in the world, and |
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cloud the clearest brain. Although paralytic,
and forced to wheel himself from one room to |
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another, he would, if we may trust the evidence
of a waiter at one of the hotels where he |
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stayed, drink a pint of iced champagne in the
forenoon, have sherry, and sometimes another |
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pint of champagne, at lunch; sherry every day
before he drove out, champagne and sherry at |
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dinner, and whisky and hot water before he went
to bed. Thus enfeebled by disease that he |
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was always drunk. It was no wonder that [when]
he was subject to wild fits of rage and drink, |
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he could easily be misled by stronger minds
than his own; and the contention of the plaintiff |
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was that the delusion as to the paternity of
the child was planted in the first place by his |
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brother, Bernard Bagot. |
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'That gentleman is the central figure of one
very dramatic scene. He had come to visit Neville |
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Bagot after the drawing up of the will which
gave the estates to the child. At an hotel after |
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dinner he was seen, if we may trust one of the
witnesses, to take a paper off the chimney of |
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an adjoining bedroom, and place it on the top
of a jug of hot water in order to open the seal |
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with the steam. Then he read the inclosed
documents and sealed them again. Presently Mr. |
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Neville Bagot came in and asked for his will.
Mr. Bernard Bagot answered that it was in the |
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bedroom, and he pretended to go for it; but the
witness saw him take it out of his side pocket |
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and bring it in to his brother, who locked it
in a tin box. The inference of the plaintiff was that |
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Mr. Bernard Bagot had opened the will to
ascertain its contents, and that, on finding all the |
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landed property left to her son, he had
deliberately tried to make his brother repudiate the |
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paternity of the child. |
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'Mr. Bernard Bagot himself, of course, tells a
very different story. He knew what the will |
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contained, and he opened it merely to give his
brother an opportunity of completing some |
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forgotten formality. Be the truth what it may,
Mr. Neville Bagot's household was speedily |
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disturbed by scandalous scenes. He denied that
the child was his, and called the mother |
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opprobrious names. She retorted by demanding
the authority for his accusations, and, when |
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he would not give it, she called him a
"liar." Her theory is that her husband's [mind] was poison- |
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ed by the letters which he received from
Bernard Bagot and John Bagot, and by their talk with |
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him when they were his guests. She says that
she was sometimes kept away from him; that |
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she
was not allowed to enter his room, and that she would remain crying in the
passage |
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outside. On one occasion, she adds, when the
vigilance of the brothers had been relaxed, she |
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got into the sick man's room through the
window, and he then said that it was not he who had |
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shut her out. A nurse who had tended him in his
last hours declared that he made exclamations |
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implying
that he had wronged both his wife and his child. |
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'The defendants retort by making accusations
against Mrs. Bagot. They say that she neglected, |
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disobeyed, and insulted her husband. She
enraged him, they assert, by her extravagance, and |
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by going about with men whom he did not know.
Nay, an attempt was made to show that her |
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conduct was open to the worst construction when
she and her sister dined with two officers |
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at an hotel in Chester. The climax of the
insinuations was that she had tried to poison her |
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husband. The attempt to substantiate these
charges, however, conspicuously failed. |
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'The
result of the quarrels was a deed of separation from him, drawn up at his
desire; and, |
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when she went to ask him why he wanted her to
go away, Mr. John Bagot, she says, gave |
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her a push, knocked her down with her head
against the fender, and then, with the help of a |
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doctor who was present, dragged her out of the
room so violently as to tear the sleeves from |
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her dress. At another time, she declares, he
showed her a photograph, and remarked, "That's |
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your successor." She adds that he set
spies to watch her, and that he himself dogged her |
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footsteps
to find evidence against her. A good deal of that evidence was irrelevant
or |
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unproved,
and some of it was directly met by sworn denials; but, to a certain extent,
it did |
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tend to show that an attempt had been made to
oust her from the household for reasons which |
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could not be substantiated. |
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'The
real question for the jury, however, was whether Mr. Neville Bagot had been
the victim of |
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a delusion, practically amounting to insanity,
in so far as he believed that Mrs. Bagot's child |
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was not his. If that question was to be
answered in the affirmative, it was of comparatively |
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little
importance to trace the origin of the delusion. The jury might hold either
that it had |
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sprung from Mr. Neville Bagot's own excited
mind, or that, in good or bad faith, it had been |
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implanted by others. The jury have affirmed
that he did show himself incapable of making a |
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will in so far as he fancied he was not the
father of his wife's child. That verdict must have |
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been confidently expected by most calm readers
of the evidence, and it commands the agree- |
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ment of the judge. |
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'The result is that the will is set aside, and
that the young child becomes the heir of the landed |
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estates and a great part of the personalty. The
plaintiff, Mrs. Neville Bagot, on the other hand, |
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gains little by the verdict. She has been
fighting the battle of her son, and it ends an extra- |
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ordinary trial. But it not unlikely that, in
spite of the enormous cost entailed by the presentation |
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of the evidence, and by the twenty-two days'
litigation, an attempt will be made to secure |
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another
trial, and that the less irrelevant parts of much astonishing evidence may be
heard |
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over again.' |
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And so it proved, as reported in "The
Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser" on |
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26 July 1879:- |
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'The Court of Appeal, on June 5, delivered
judgment in the will case of Bagot v. Bagot. The suit |
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had been instituted by Alice Emily Bagot,
daughter of the late Sir William Verner, and widow of |
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Christopher Neville Bagot, for the purpose of
having the will of her late husband, dated Sept- |
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ember, 1876, pronounced invalid. The defendants
to the suit were Bernard W. Bagot and Arthur |
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Holmes,
executors of deceased. The jury in the Probate Court found the testator was
of |
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unsound mind as regarded the paternity of his
child, whom he disinherited by the will, and after |
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23 days' trial Judge Warren made an order
declaring the will invalid. The defendants moved for |
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a new trial, which was refused by Judge Warren,
and from this refusal the present appeal was |
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brought. The Lord Chancellor [of Ireland],
after stating the facts of the case at great length, |
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delivered the unanimous judgment of the Court
that, alike upon the nature of the case and |
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conduct of the trial, the verdict found by the
jury upon the issue of capacity, and the verdict |
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directed
by the judge upon the issue of knowledge and approval of the contents of
the |
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instruments, could not be maintained. The costs
of the motion in the court below and of the |
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appeal must be borne by Mrs. Bagot.' |
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Eventually, in August 1880, the case came to a
close when the two opposing parties
reached |
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a compromise. According to a report in the
"Sydney Morning Herald" of 23 September 1880:- |
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'The
case of Bagot v. Bagot, which occupied the attention of the public so long,
was brought |
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to
a close on August 2 on a motion before Chief Registrar Pilkington, Q.C., at
the Probate |
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|
Office, Dublin. Mr. James Murphy, Q.C., on
behalf of the defendants, Bernard William Bagot, |
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brother of the deceased and executor to his
will, and Joseph Arthur Holmes, the co-executor, |
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applied for an order pursuant to three several
consents that the issues of fact to be tried in |
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the Queen's Bench Division by a special jury of
the City of Dublin be discharged, and that the |
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defence and other pleadings filed by the
plaintiff, Alice Emily Roberts, widow of the testator |
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[she had since re-married], to try the validity
of the will, dated September 7, 1876, of the late |
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Christopher Neville Bagot, her husband, be
withdrawn, and the defendants as executors be at |
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liberty to obtain probate of the will in common
form. They further sought an order that upon |
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such grant of administration Mr. George Morris,
of Well Park, county Galway, who had been |
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appointed administrator pendente
lite [pending litigation] of the personal
estate, should be |
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|
discharged as such administrator, and the
security entered into by himself and his brother, |
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Chief Justice [Michael] Morris [later Baron
Killanin], in £15,000, be vacated, the defendants |
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undertaking to pay him anything due in respect
of £1,000, the amount of his remuneration, |
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and any balance due in respect to his costs,
Mr. Morris to hand over to them the lease of |
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the house and demesne of Aughrane, executed to
John Lloyd Neville Bagot, and the keys of |
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the books and presses there, and also the six
cases of plate deposited by him in the Provincial |
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|
Bank, Dublin. It was also sought to discharge
the receiver pendente lite, Mr. Joseph Arthur |
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Holmes, one of the defendants, without
accounting his security bonds to be cancelled. Mr. |
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Pilkington, Q.C., made the order required, the
framing of which was settled, with the assistance |
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of the counsel present.' |
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Sir Bowater George Hamilton Vernon, 2nd
baronet [UK 1885] |
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Sir George's obituary in "The Times"
of 19 June 1940 reads:- |
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'Sir George Vernon, Bt., died at Hanbury Hall,
Worcestershire, on June 14. |
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'Bowater George Hamilton Vernon was born on
September 12, 1865, the eldest son of Sir Harry |
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Vernon, 1st baronet, and Lady Georgina Vernon,
who was the youngest daughter of the tenth |
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Earl of Haddington. He was educated at Eton and
at Brasenose College, Oxford. During the |
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South African War he served with Rimington's
Guides, afterwards joining the Worcestershire |
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Yeomanry. In 1920 he succeeded to the baronetcy
created of Hanbury Hall in 1885. He spent |
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many years farming in Argentina, and was keenly
interested in agriculture and in everything |
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|
connected with the life and welfare of the
parishes in which he was a landowner. He married |
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in 1905 Doris, younger daughter of Mr. James
Allan, of Shrawley Wood House, Worcestershire, |
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who survives him.' |
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Although "The Times" obituary simply
states that Sir George had died, he had in reality shot |
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himself.
Sir George appears to have been a man of principle, as is demonstrated by
two |
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interesting glimpses into Vernon's character
appeared in the Press. Firstly, from the London |
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"Daily Mail" of 15 June 1940:- |
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'Sir
George Vernon, 74-years-old baronet, owner of 5,000 acres, was found shot
yesterday |
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with a revolver near his body, in a bedroom at
his Worcestershire home, Hanbury Hall, near |
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Droitwich. There is no heir to the title. |
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Sir George was until two years ago chairman of
Droitwich County Bench. He resigned after |
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Worcestershire Quarter Sessions had allowed the
appeal of a motorist sentenced by the magis- |
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trates to four months; imprisonment for
dangerous driving involving a fatal accident. In |
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resigning, he said: "It is no good my
trying to be severe at Droitwich if decisions are reversed |
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at Worcester." |
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Secondly, from the London "Telegraph"
of 18 June 1940:- |
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'Sir George Vernon, 74, who shot himself at
Hanbury Hall, near Droitwich, Worcestershire, was |
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buried yesterday at Shrawley Wood,
Worcestershire, without service or ceremony. Six years ago |
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he told a Worcestershire tithe payers' meeting
that as a protest against the tithe
system he |
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would not be buried in the local churchyard. He
stated that he had given instructions that his |
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burial was to take place in unconsecrated
ground in a wood, and declared: "No parson is going |
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to read any service over me." |
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'The
coffin was taken in a farm lorry from Hanbury to Shrawley, a distance of 14
miles. The |
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grave
was near an old summer-house in which Sir George Spent some of his time.
Only |
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employees attended the burial.' |
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Sir Robert Viner, 1st and only baronet |
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The following biography of Sir Robert Viner
appeared in the October 1970 issue of the Australian |
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monthly magazine "Parade." Note that
the article uses the alternative spelling of Viner's name, |
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which I have left unaltered. |
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'One evening in the 1670s when London's Lord
Mayor, Sir Robert Vyner, was entertaining King |
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Charles II in great state, the Merry Monarch
decided that his wine-bibbing host was becoming |
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somewhat
too familiar. Tactfully the King decided to leave the party before Sir
Robert |
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committed some indiscretion that could not be
pardoned, even from a Lord Mayor in his cups. |
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Stealing unobtrusively from the table, Charles
made his way to the coach waiting for him in the |
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courtyard of the Guildhall. He had just reached
the coach when a figure reeled out of the gloom |
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in pursuit, a hand clutched his arm and a
hoarse voice roared in his ear: "Sire, you shall stay |
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and take the other bottle." Recognising
the Lord Mayor's flushed features, Charles said good- |
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humouredly:
"He that's drunk is as good as a king." Then he allowed himself to
be led back to |
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the banquet. |
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'However, the king had more reason than his
customary good nature for being indulgent to the |
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magnificent Sir Vyner. There was one thing, the
matter of some 400,000 golden guineas (about |
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$10 million in present-day [1970] money)
already owed to Vyner by the King and his ministers. |
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There was also His Majesty's future debts to be
provided for, the greedy little hands of his |
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mistresses to be satisfied and the other
pleasures of the court of Whitehall to be financed. On |
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top of all (though of rather less importance to
King Charles) was the fact that even the pay of |
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England's army and navy sometimes depended on
the Vyner coffers. |
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'History
records many more outwardly splendid and peacock characters than Vyner -
great |
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nobles, politicians, courtesans and poets - in
the reign of Charles II. But Sir Robert Vyner was a |
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unique
figure of his age. He was the Rothschild of Stuart England, the financier to
a kingdom, |
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the
shrewd man with the moneybags behind the glittering State pageant. Unlike
the |
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Rothschilds,
however, Vyner tasted fully the truth of the old adage about the folly of
putting |
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trust
in princes. He died bankrupt and ruined after King Charles's Government
repudiated its |
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debts, falling with a crash that shook the
credit of the City of London to its foundations. |
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'Robert Vyner, the goldsmith's apprentice who
was destined for such a meteoric career, was |
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born in Warwickshire in 1631. The younger son
of an ancient family in the county, he was sent |
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to London as a youth and apprenticed to his
goldsmith uncle, Thomas Vyner. Thomas Vyner |
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thrived
greatly during Cromwell's regime when he was Lord Mayor of London
[1653-1654], |
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Controller
of the Mint and one of the leading bankers to the Puritan Government.
The |
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Restoration of 1660 brought no change in the
Vyner fortunes, for Charles II, arriving penniless |
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from his European exile, urgently needed money
to maintain the new royalist regime. The only |
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way to satisfy the demands of his ministers,
favourites and mistresses was to turn to the |
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financiers of London. This he proceeded to do
on a staggering scale. |
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'By now the 30-year-old Robert Vyner had
already set up a flourishing business of his own and |
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was competing in wealth and influence with his
famous uncle. In those days "goldsmith" meant |
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much more than a mere dealer in plate and
jewellery, and members of the powerful Goldsmiths |
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Company were the equivalent of the big trading
banks of today. Their vaults were the strong- |
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rooms where wealthy Londoners deposited their
coin, bullion and valuables and to earn interest. |
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In turn, the goldsmiths financed merchant
ventures, trading fleets and the needs of govern- |
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ment from military expeditions down to the
king's personal loans. |
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'No
other monarch ever borrowed on such a scale as the pleasure-loving Charles
II. And no |
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other London financier rocketed to such power
and eminence as Robert Vyner. The momentous |
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friendship
between the monarch and the young goldsmith began within a few months of
the |
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king's return. Preparations for his coronation
had begun when it was realised that not a single |
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item of the ancient royal regalia of England
could be found. Crowns, sceptre, orb, gem- |
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encrusted robes and all the other Crown jewels
had either been pawned by Charles I during the |
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Civil War or broken up and sold by the
victorious Parliament. Robert Vyner was commissioned to |
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make
an entirely new set of regalia costing £30,000 - the foundation of the
enormous royal |
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debt that was to pile up over the years. |
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'For all his hard-headed pursuit of profits,
Vyner was a charming, cultivated man with a zest for |
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high
living and deep drinking that instantly appealed to Charles II. In 1661 he
was appointed |
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royal goldsmith and the king's private banker.
He was allotted apartments in Whitehall Palace, a |
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favour
never shown to a London merchant before. In return, Vyner advanced the
ministry |
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£30,000 to pay the army in Ireland, having
shrewdly made a deal securing the loan on the Irish |
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customs and excise duties. However, what really
launched Robert Vyner on his golden flood of |
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fortune was his marriage in June 1665 to a
wealthy widow, Lady Mary Hyde, who brought him a |
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dowry of more than
£100,000. |
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'Backed by this money and his unrivalled credit
as a merchant banker, Vyner plunged into the |
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business
of royal moneylender on a scale that staggered contemporaries. At times he
was |
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almost financing the English Government
singe-handed - from lending money to build ships and |
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raise regiments down to providing jewels for
the pretty necks of the king's mistresses. His most |
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spectacular intervention came during the
disasters of the Dutch War in 1667 when the enemy |
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fleet inflicted the crowning humiliation of
burning British shipping in the Thames. With its sailors |
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mutinous
and unpaid, its ships unprepared and its morale at the lowest ebb, the Royal
Navy |
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was almost bankrupt when Vyner came to the
rescue. |
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'The goldsmith's usual practice was to borrow
money from the big London merchants and guild |
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companies
at about six per cent and charge his royal customer at least 10 per cent.
Now, |
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drawing on every resource he could muster, he
advanced the Treasury the then vast sum of |
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£300,000 to meet the expenses of the navy, army
and the king's personal debts. Not long |
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afterwards he offered the even more sensational
amount of £800,000 for the right to collect |
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|
the poll tax throughout Britain. The corrupt
and inefficient royal officials had estimated that the |
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tax would not produce much more than half that
amount if they collected it themselves. |
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'Vyner's moneylending and tax-farming coups
were calculated risks on a grand scale. But, as |
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long as his credit was unshaken and the
Government honoured its obligations, the profits were |
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dazzling. The grateful monarch created his
financier a baronet. Sir Robert Vyner was now his |
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intimate friend, confidant and often his boon
drinking crony. Vyner's counting house having |
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|
been burned down in the Great Fire in 1666,
Charles allowed his friend to store his hoard of |
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coin, bullion, plate and jewels in one of the
towers of Windsor Castle. |
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'When Sir Robert Vyner became Lord Mayor in
1674 he was at the peak of his fortunes as one |
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of the richest and most powerful citizen London had ever known. He
had an enormous, |
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rambling
town house in Lombardy Street, where he lived in luxury that princes would
have |
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envied, as well as suites of apartments in
Whitehall Palace and Windsor Castle. Outside London |
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in Middlesex was his magnificent country
mansion of Swakeleys. "No man in England lived in |
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|
greater plenty," Samuel Pepys recoded in
his diary after inspecting the sumptuous furniture, |
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paintings and gardens. Londoners had never seen
such spectacular lord mayoral feasts, |
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processions and pageants as those staged during
Sir Robert Vyner's regime at the Guildhall. |
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King Charles was a frequent banquet guest. The
food and wine, he explained genially, were |
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better and more plentiful than he could afford
at Whitehall - especially the wine from the Vyner |
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cellars. |
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'At this time it was calculated that the total
royal debt to the City of London had reached the |
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colossal figure of about £1 million sterling or
something like $20 million in modern [1970] times. |
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About half of it was owed to Sir Robert Vyner,
who in turn had borrowed huge sums from his |
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|
merchants and goldsmiths to satisfy the king's
insatiable demands. The Court swallowed money |
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|
like a bottomless pit. Nothing, it seemed,
could keep pace with Charles's spending. For several |
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|
years there were sinister signs of the coming
crash that was to shake the credit of the city to |
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|
its foundations. Interest on the royal loans
lagged far in arrears or remained unpaid altogether. |
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Vyner had a struggle to meet his commitments to
his own worried band of creditors. |
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'Then
came the final thunderbolt. The king's ministers calmly announced the
repudiation of |
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|
every penny of the debt in exchange for a
system of annuities for His Majesty's creditors. |
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Vyner's annuity was fixed at £26,000, an amount
that made it utterly impossible for him to |
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|
meet
his debts let alone maintain his princely style of living. In March 1683 the
former dictator |
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|
of
the London money market was forced to call a meeting of his creditors and beg
them to |
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|
enter into some arrangement. However, there
were many jealous rivals glad to see the "lord |
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|
of Lombard Street" dragged down. A year
later Vyner was declared bankrupt and much of his |
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|
estate was broken
up and sold. |
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'Though owning only a shadow of his former
fortune, Vyner remained on friendly terms with the |
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new
king, James II, who succeeded his spendthrift brother Charles in 1685. It was
among the |
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|
royal household at Windsor Castle that the
magnificent and fallen Sir Robert Vyner died on |
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|
September 2, 1688.' |
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Copyright @ 2003-2017
Leigh Rayment |
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