PEERAGES
Last updated 22/11/2018 (20 Jan 2024)
Date	Rank	Order	Name	Born	Died	Age
DE BLAQUIERE
30 Jul 1800	B[I]	1	Sir John de Blaquiere, 1st baronet Created Baron de Blaquiere 30 Jul 1800 MP [I] for Old Leighlin 1773‑1783, Carlingford 1783‑1790, Charleville 1790‑1798 and Newtown(ards) 1798‑1800; MP for Rye 1801‑1802 and Downton 1803‑1806; PC [I] 1772	15 May 1732	27 Aug 1812	80
27 Aug 1812		2	John de Blaquiere	5 Nov 1776	7 Apr 1844	67
7 Apr 1844		3	William de Blaquiere For information on the death of this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	27 Jan 1778	12 Nov 1851	73
12 Nov 1851		4	John de Blaquiere	2 Jul 1812	2 Jan 1871	58
2 Jan 1871		5	William Barnard de Blaquiere	16 Dec 1814	24 Nov 1889	74
24 Nov 1889 to     28 Jul 1920		6	William de Blaquiere Peerage extinct on his death	5 Sep 1856	28 Jul 1920	63
DECHMONT
3 Jan 1696	B[S]	1	Lord George Hamilton Created Lord Dechmont, Viscount of Kirkwall and Earl of Orkney 3 Jan 1696 See "Orkney"	9 Feb 1666	29 Jan 1737	70
DECIES
31 Jan 1569 to     28 Dec 1572	V[I]	1	Sir Maurice Fitzgerald Created Baron of Dromana 27 Jan 1569 and Viscount Decies 31 Jan 1569 Peerage extinct on his death		28 Dec 1572
9 Oct 1673	V[I]	1	Richard Power, 6th Baron Power Created Viscount Decies and Earl of Tyrone 9 Oct 1673 See "Tyrone"	1630	14 Oct 1690	60
21 Dec 1812	B[I]	1	William Beresford Created Baron Decies 21 Dec 1812 PC [I] 1794	16 Apr 1743	6 Sep 1819	76
6 Sep 1819		2	John Horsley‑Beresford MP [I] for Coleraine 1798‑1800	20 Jan 1774	1 Mar 1855	82
1 Mar 1855		3	William Robert John Horsley‑Beresford	Jun 1811	3 Jul 1893	82
3 Jul 1893		4	William Marcus de la Poer Beresford	12 Jan 1865	30 Jul 1910	45
30 Jul 1910		5	John Graham Hope de la Poer Beresford PC [I] 1918	5 Dec 1866	31 Jan 1944	77
31 Jan 1944		6	Arthur George Marcus Douglas de la Poer Beresford	24 Apr 1915	7 Nov 1992	77
7 Nov 1992		7	Marcus Hugh Tristram de la Poer Beresford	5 Aug 1948
DE CLIFFORD
29 Dec 1299	B	1	Robert de Clifford Summoned to Parliament as Lord de Clifford 29 Dec 1299	1275	25 Jun 1314	38
25 Jun 1314		2	Roger de Clifford	2 Feb 1299	23 Mar 1322	23
23 Mar 1322		3	Robert de Clifford	1 Nov 1305	20 May 1344	38
20 May 1344		4	Robert de Clifford	1331	c 1350
c 1350		5	Roger de Clifford	10 Jul 1333	13 Jul 1389	56
13 Jul 1389		6	Thomas de Clifford	1363	c 1392
c 1392		7	John de Clifford KG 1421	1390	13 Mar 1422	31
13 Mar 1422		8	Thomas de Clifford	25 Mar 1414	22 May 1454	40
22 May 1454 to     28 Mar 1461		9	John Clifford He was attainted and the peerage forfeited	1434	28 Mar 1461	26
1485		10	Henry Clifford He obtained a reversal of the attainder in 1485	c 1454	23 Apr 1523
23 Apr 1523		11	Henry Clifford, 1st Earl of Cumberland	1493	22 Apr 1542	48
22 Apr 1542		12	Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland	1517	8 Jan 1570	52
8 Jan 1570		13	George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland	8 Aug 1558	30 Oct 1605	47
30 Oct 1605		14	Anne Herbert On her death the peerage fell into abeyance	30 Jan 1590	22 Mar 1676	86
1678		15	Nicholas Tufton, 3rd Earl of Thanet Abeyance terminated in his favour 1678	7 Aug 1631	24 Nov 1679	48
24 Nov 1679		16	John Tufton, 4th Earl of Thanet	7 Aug 1638	27 Apr 1680	41
27 Apr 1680		17	Richard Tufton, 5th Earl of Thanet	30 May 1640	8 Mar 1684	43
8 Mar 1684 to     30 Jul 1729		18	Thomas Tufton, 6th Earl of Thanet On his death the peerage again fell into abeyance	30 Aug 1644	30 Jul 1729	84
3 Aug 1734 to     28 Feb 1775		19	Margaret Coke Abeyance terminated in her favour 1734. On her death the peerage fell into abeyance for the third time	16 Jun 1700	28 Feb 1775	74
17 Apr 1776		20	Edward Southwell MP [I] for Kinsale 1761‑1768; MP for Bridgwater 1761‑1763 and Gloucestershire 1763‑1776 Abeyance terminated in his favour 1776	6 Jun 1738	1 Nov 1777	39
1 Nov 1777 to     30 Sep 1832		21	Edward Southwell On his death the peerage fell into abeyance for the fourth time	23 Jun 1767	30 Sep 1832	65
4 Mar 1833		22	Sophia Russell Abeyance terminated in her favour 1833	4 Nov 1791	3 Jan 1874	82
3 Jan 1874		23	Edward Southwell Russell MP for Tavistock 1847‑1852	30 Apr 1824	6 Aug 1877	53
6 Aug 1877		24	Edward Southwell Russell	5 Apr 1855	6 Apr 1894	39
6 Apr 1894		25	Jack Southwell Russell For further information on the death of this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	2 Jul 1884	1 Sep 1909	25
1 Sep 1909		26	Edward Southwell Russell For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	31 Jan 1907	3 Jan 1982	74
3 Jan 1982		27	John Edward Southwell Russell	8 Jun 1928	2 Nov 2018	90
2 Nov 2018		28	Miles Edward Southwell Russell [Elected hereditary peer 2023‑]	7 Aug 1966
DE DUNSTANVILLE
17 Jun 1796 to     14 Feb 1835	B	1	Sir Francis Basset, 1st baronet Created Baron de Dunstanville 17 Jun 1796 MP for Penryn 1780‑1796 Peerage extinct on his death	9 Aug 1757	14 Feb 1835	77
DEECH
5 Oct 2005	B[L]		Dame Ruth Lynn Deech Created Baroness Deech for life 5 Oct 2005	29 Apr 1943
DEEDES
23 Sep 1986 to     17 Aug 2007	B[L]		William Francis Deedes Created Baron Deedes for life 23 Sep 1986 MP for Ashford 1950‑1974; Minister without Portfolio 1962‑1964; PC 1962 Peerage extinct on his death	1 Jun 1913	17 Aug 2007	94
DEERHURST
26 Apr 1697	V	1	Thomas Coventry, 5th Baron Coventry Created Viscount Deerhurst and Earl of Coventry 26 Apr 1697 See "Coventry"	1637	15 Jul 1699	62
DE FREYNE
16 May 1839 to     29 Sep 1856 5 Apr 1851	B B	1 1	Arthur French Created Baron de Freyne 16 May 1839 and 5 Apr 1851 For details of the special remainder included in the creation of the Barony of 1851, see the note at the foot of this page MP for Roscommon 1821‑1832; Lord Lieutenant Roscommon 1854‑1856 On his death the creation of 1839 became extinct whilst the creation of 1851 passed to -	c May 1788	29 Sep 1856	68
29 Sep 1856		2	John French	1788	22 Aug 1863	75
22 Aug 1863		3	Charles French	22 Oct 1790	28 Oct 1868	78
28 Oct 1868		4	Arthur French For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	9 Jul 1855	22 Sep 1913	58
22 Sep 1913		5	Arthur Reginald French For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	3 Jul 1879	9 May 1915	35
9 May 1915		6	Francis Charles French	15 Jan 1884	24 Dec 1935	51
24 Dec 1935		7	Francis Arthur John French	3 Sep 1927	24 Nov 2009	82
24 Nov 2009		8	Fulke Charles Arthur John French	21 Apr 1957
DE GREY
25 Oct 1816	E	1	Amabell Hume-Campbell, Baroness Lucas of Crudwell in her own right Created Countess de Grey 25 Oct 1816 For details of the special remainder included in the creation of this peerage, see the note at the foot of this page	22 Jan 1751	4 May 1833	82
4 May 1833		2	Thomas Philip de Grey, 2nd Baron Grantham Lord Lieutenant Bedford 1818‑1859; First Lord of the Admiralty 1841‑1844; PC 1834; KG 1844	8 Dec 1781	14 Nov 1859	77
14 Nov 1859		3	George Frederick Samuel Robinson He was created Marquess of Ripon 1871 with which title this peerage then merged until its extinction in 1923	24 Oct 1827	9 Jul 1909	81
DEIGHTON
1 Nov 2012	B[L]		Paul Clive Deighton Created Baron Deighton for life 1 Nov 2012	18 Jan 1956
DEINCOURT
6 Feb 1299 to     1327	B	1	Edmund Deincourt Summoned to Parliament as Lord Deincourt 6 Feb 1299 Peerage extinct on his death		1327
27 Jan 1332	B	1	William Deincourt Summoned to Parliament as Lord Deincourt 27 Jan 1332	1301	2 Jun 1364	62
2 Jun 1364		2	William Deincourt	1357	14 Oct 1381	24
14 Oct 1381		3	Ralph Deincourt	c 1380	7 Nov 1384
7 Nov 1384		4	John Deincourt	28 Feb 1382	11 May 1406	24
11 May 1406 to     1422		5	William Deincourt Peerage extinct on his death	1403	1422	19
DEINCOURT OF SUTTON
26 Oct 1624	B	1	Sir Francis Leke Created Baron Deincourt of Sutton 26 Oct 1624 and Earl of Scarsdale 11 Nov 1645 See "Scarsdale"	by 1581	9 Apr 1655
D'EIVILL
18 Dec 1264 to     after 1274	B	1	John D'Eivill Summoned to Parliament as Lord D'Eivill 18 Dec 1264 On his death the peerage is presumed to have become extinct		after 1274
DELACOURT-SMITH
13 Oct 1967 to     2 Aug 1972	B[L]		Charles George Percy Smith Created Baron Delacourt-Smith for life 13 Oct 1967 MP for Colchester 1945‑1950; Minister of State, Technology 1969‑1970; PC 1969 Peerage extinct on his death	25 Apr 1917	2 Aug 1972	55
DELACOURT-SMITH OF ALTERYN
5 Jul 1974 to     8 Jun 2010	B[L]		Margaret Rosalind Delacourt‑Smith Created Baroness Delacourt‑Smith of Alteryn for life 5 Jul 1974 Peerage extinct on her death	5 Apr 1916	8 Jun 2010	94
DE LA MARE
6 Feb 1299 to     1316	B	1	John de la Mare Summoned to Parliament as Lord de la Mare 6 Feb 1299 Peerage extinct on his death		1316
DELAMER
20 Apr 1661	B	1	Sir George Booth, 2nd baronet Created Baron Delamer 20 Apr 1661 MP for Cheshire 1660‑1661; Lord Lieutenant Cheshire	18 Dec 1622	8 Aug 1684	61
8 Aug 1684		2	Henry Booth Created Earl of Warrington 17 Apr 1690 MP for Cheshire 1678‑1685	13 Jan 1652	2 Jan 1694	41
2 Jan 1694		3	George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington	2 May 1675	2 Aug 1758	83
2 Aug 1758 to     9 Jan 1770		4	Nathaniel Booth Peerage extinct on his death	1709	9 Jan 1770	60
22 Apr 1796	B	1	George Harry Gray, 5th Earl of Stamford Created Baron Delamer and Earl of Warrington 22 Apr 1796 See "Warrington" - extinct 1883	1 Oct 1737	23 May 1819	81
DELAMERE
17 Jul 1821	B	1	Thomas Cholmondeley Created Baron Delamere 17 Jul 1821 MP for Cheshire 1796‑1812	9 Aug 1767	30 Oct 1855	88
30 Oct 1855		2	Hugh Cholmondeley MP for Denbighshire 1840‑1841 and Montgomery 1841‑1848	3 Oct 1811	1 Aug 1887	75
1 Aug 1887		3	Hugh Cholmondeley	28 Apr 1870	13 Nov 1931	61
13 Nov 1931		4	Thomas Pitt Hamilton Cholmondeley	19 Aug 1900	13 Apr 1979	78
13 Apr 1979		5	Hugh George Cholmondeley	18 Jan 1934
DE LA POLE
6 Aug 1385 to     Feb 1388	B	1	Michael de la Pole Summoned to Parliament as Lord de la Pole 20 Jan 1366 Lord Chancellor 1383‑1386 He was subsequently created Earl of Suffolk in 1385 but was attainted and the peerages forfeited - see "Suffolk"	c 1330	5 Sep 1389
DELAVAL
17 Oct 1783 21 Aug 1786 to     17 May 1808	B[I] B	1 1	Sir John Hussey Delaval, 1st baronet Created Baron Delaval [I] 17 Oct 1783 and Baron Delaval [GB] 21 Aug 1786 MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed 1754‑1761, 1765‑1774 and 1780‑1786 Peerages extinct on his death	17 Mar 1728	17 May 1808	80
DE LA WARDE
29 Dec 1299	B	1	Robert de la Warde Summoned to Parliament as Lord de la Warde 29 Dec 1299		25 Jan 1307
25 Jan 1307 to     9 Apr 1334		2	Simon de la Warde Peerage extinct on his death		9 Apr 1334
DE LA WARR
6 Feb 1299	B	1	Roger la Warr Summoned to Parliament as Lord de la Warr 6 Feb 1299		c 1320
c 1320		2	John la Warr	c 1277	1347
1347		3	Roger la Warr	c 1329	27 Aug 1370
27 Aug 1370		4	John la Warr	c 1344	27 Jul 1398
27 Jul 1398		5	Thomas la Warr	c 1358	7 May 1426
7 May 1426		6	Reginald West, 3rd Lord West	7 Sep 1395	27 Aug 1450	54
27 Aug 1450		7	Richard West (also 4th Lord West)	28 Oct 1430	10 Mar 1476	45
10 Mar 1476		8	Thomas West (also 5th Lord West) KG 1510	c 1455	11 Oct 1525
11 Oct 1525 to     25 Sep 1554		9	Thomas West (also 6th Lord West) KG 1549 On his death the peerage fell into abeyance		25 Sep 1554
5 Feb 1570	B	1	William West Created Baron de la Warr 5 Feb 1570	by 1520	30 Dec 1595
30 Dec 1595		2	Thomas West	1556	24 Mar 1602	45
24 Mar 1602		3	Thomas West	9 Jul 1577	7 Jun 1618	40
7 Jun 1618		4	Henry West	3 Oct 1603	1 Jun 1628	24
1 Jun 1628		5	Charles West	Feb 1626	22 Dec 1687	61
22 Dec 1687		6	John West	c 1663	26 May 1723
26 May 1723 18 Mar 1761	E	7 1	John West Created Viscount Cantelupe and Earl de la Warr 18 Mar 1761 MP for Grampound 1715‑1722; PC 1731	4 Apr 1693	16 Mar 1766	72
16 Mar 1766		2	John West	1729	22 Nov 1777	48
22 Nov 1777		3	William Augustus West	27 Apr 1757	Jan 1783	25
Jan 1783		4	John Richard West	28 Jul 1758	28 Jul 1795	37
28 Jul 1795		5	George John Sackville‑West PC 1841	26 Oct 1791	23 Feb 1869	77
23 Feb 1869		6	Charles Richard Sackville‑West For further information on the death of this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	13 Nov 1815	22 Apr 1873	57
22 Apr 1873		7	Reginald Windsor Sackville He had previously succeeded as 2nd Baron Buckhurst in 1870 For further information on the death of Viscount Cantelupe, the 7th Earl's heir, see the note at the foot of this page	21 Feb 1817	5 Jan 1896	78
5 Jan 1896		8	Gilbert George Reginald Sackville	22 Mar 1869	16 Dec 1915	46
16 Dec 1915		9	Herbrand Edward Dundonald Brassey Sackville Lord Privy Seal 1937‑1938; President of the Board of Education 1938‑1940; PC 1936	20 Jun 1900	28 Jan 1976	75
28 Jan 1976		10	William Herbrand Sackville For further information on the death of this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	16 Oct 1921	9 Feb 1988	66
9 Feb 1988		11	William Herbrand Sackville	10 Apr 1948
DELFONT
29 Jun 1976 to     28 Jul 1994	B[L]		Sir Bernard Delfont Created Baron Delfont for life 29 Jun 1976 Peerage extinct on his death	5 Sep 1909	28 Jul 1994	84
DE L'ISLE AND DUDLEY
13 Jan 1835	B	1	Philip Charles Sidney Created Baron de L'Isle and Dudley 13 Jan 1835 MP for Eye 1829‑1831	11 Mar 1800	4 Mar 1851	50
4 Mar 1851		2	Philip Sidney	29 Jan 1828	17 Feb 1898	70
17 Feb 1898		3	Philip Sidney	14 May 1853	24 Dec 1922	69
24 Dec 1922		4	Algernon Sidney	11 Jun 1854	18 Apr 1945	90
18 Apr 1945		5	William Sidney	19 Aug 1859	18 Jun 1945	85
18 Jun 1945 12 Jan 1956	V	6 1	William Philip Sidney VC Created Viscount de L'Isle 12 Jan 1956 MP for Chelsea 1944‑1945; Secretary of State for Air 1951‑1955; Governor General of Australia 1961‑1965; PC 1951; KG 1968 For further information on this peer and VC winner, see the note at the foot of this page	23 May 1909	5 Apr 1991	81
5 Apr 1991		2	Philip John Algernon Sidney	21 Apr 1945
DE LONGUEVILLE
21 Apr 1690	V	1	Henry Yelverton, 15th Lord Grey de Ruthyn Created Viscount de Longueville 21 Apr 1690 See "Grey de Ruthyn"	c 1664	24 Mar 1704
DELORAINE
29 Mar 1706	E[S]	1	Henry Scott Created Lord Scott of Goldielands, Viscount of Hermitage and Earl of Deloraine 29 Mar 1706	1676	25 Dec 1730	54
25 Dec 1730		2	Francis Scott	5 Oct 1710	11 May 1739	28
11 May 1739		3	Henry Scott	11 Feb 1712	31 Jan 1740	27
31 Jan 1740 to     Sep 1807		4	Henry Scott Peerages extinct on his death	8 Feb 1737	Sep 1807	70
DELVIN
c 1389	B[I]	1	Sir William Fitzrichard Nugent Created Baron Delvin c 1389		by 1415
by 1415		2	Richard Nugent		after 1450
after 1450		3	Christopher Nugent		c 1483
c 1483		4	Richard Nugent		28 Feb 1537
28 Feb 1537		5	Richard Nugent	1523	23 Nov 1559	36
23 Nov 1559		6	Christopher Nugent	1544	1 Oct 1602	58
1 Oct 1602		7	Richard Nugent He was created Earl of Westmeath 1621 with which title this peerage then merged	1583	1642	59
DE MAULEY
10 Jul 1838	B	1	William Francis Spencer Ponsonby Created Baron de Mauley 10 Jul 1838 MP for Poole 1826‑1831, Knaresborough 1832 and Dorset 1832‑1837	31 Jul 1787	16 May 1855	67
16 May 1855		2	Charles Frederick Ashley Cooper Ponsonby MP for Poole 1837‑1847 and Dungarvon 1851‑1852	12 Sep 1815	24 Aug 1896	80
24 Aug 1896		3	William Ashley Webb Ponsonby For further information on the death of this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	2 Mar 1843	13 Apr 1918	75
13 Apr 1918		4	Maurice John George Ponsonby	7 Aug 1846	15 Mar 1945	98
15 Mar 1945		5	Hubert William Ponsonby	21 Jul 1878	13 Sep 1962	84
13 Sep 1962		6	Gerald John Ponsonby	19 Dec 1921	17 Oct 2002	80
17 Oct 2002		7	Rupert Charles Ponsonby [Elected hereditary peer 2005-]	30 Jun 1957
DE MONTALT
18 Jul 1776 to     17 May 1777	B[I]	1	Sir Thomas Maude, 1st baronet Created Baron de Montalt 18 Jul 1776 MP [I] for Tipperary County 1761‑1776; PC [I] 1768 Peerage extinct on his death	1726	17 May 1777	50
25 Jun 1785	B[I]	1	Sir Cornwallis Maude Created Baron de Montalt 25 Jun 1785 and Viscount Hawarden 10 Jun 1791 MP [I] for Roscommon Borough 1783‑1785	19 Sep 1729	23 Aug 1803	73
23 Aug 1803		2	Thomas Ralph Maude, 2nd Viscount Hawarden	16 Apr 1767	26 Feb 1807	39
26 Feb 1807		3	Cornwallis Maude, 3rd Viscount Hawarden	28 Mar 1780	12 Oct 1856	76
12 Oct 1856 9 Sep 1886 to     9 Jan 1905	E	4 1	Cornwallis Maude, 4th Viscount Hawarden Created Earl de Montalt 9 Sep 1886 Lord Lieutenant Tipperary 1885‑1905 On his death the Earldom became extinct whilst the Barony remains united with the Viscountcy of Hawarden	4 Apr 1817	9 Jan 1905	87
DENBIGH
28 Sep 1564 to     4 Sep 1588	B	1	Lord Robert Dudley Created Baron of Denbigh 28 Sep 1564 and Earl of Leicester 29 Sep 1564 KG 1559 Peerage extinct on his death	24 Jun 1532	4 Sep 1588	56
14 Sep 1622	E	1	William Feilding Created Baron Feilding and Viscount Callan 30 Dec 1620 and Earl of Denbigh 14 Sep 1622	c 1582	8 Apr 1643
8 Apr 1643		2	Basil Feilding Created Baron St. Liz 2 Feb 1664 Lord Lieutenant Denbigh and Flint 1642 and Warwick 1643	c 1608	28 Nov 1675
28 Nov 1675		3	William Feilding He had previously succeeded as 2nd Earl of Desmond in 1666. The two Earldoms remain united	29 Dec 1640	23 Aug 1685	44
23 Aug 1685		4	Basil Feilding (also 3rd Earl of Desmond) Lord Lieutenant Leicester 1703‑1706 and 1711‑1714; Lord Lieutenant Denbigh	1668	18 Mar 1717	48
18 Mar 1717		5	William Feilding (also 4th Earl of Desmond)	26 Oct 1697	2 Aug 1755	57
2 Aug 1755		6	Basil Feilding (also 5th Earl of Desmond) PC 1760	3 Jan 1719	14 Jul 1800	81
14 Jul 1800		7	William Basil Percy Feilding (also 6th Earl of Desmond) PC 1833	25 Mar 1796	25 Jun 1865	69
25 Jun 1865		8	Rudolph William Basil Feilding (also 7th Earl of Desmond)	9 Apr 1823	10 Mar 1892	68
10 Mar 1892		9	Rudolph Robert Basil Aloysius Augustine Feilding (also 8th Earl of Desmond)	26 May 1859	25 Nov 1939	80
25 Nov 1939		10	William Rudolph Stephen Feilding (also 9th Earl of Desmond)	17 Apr 1912	31 Dec 1966	54
31 Dec 1966		11	William Rudolph Michael Feilding (also 10th Earl of Desmond)	2 Aug 1943	23 Mar 1995	51
23 Mar 1995		12	Alexander Stephen Rudolph Feilding (also 11th Earl of Desmond)	4 Nov 1970
DENHAM
24 May 1937	B	1	Sir George Edward Wentworth Bowyer, 1st baronet Created Baron Denham 24 May 1937 MP for Buckingham 1918‑1937	16 Jan 1886	30 Nov 1948	62
30 Nov 1948		2	Bertram Stanley Mitford Bowyer PC 1981 [Elected hereditary peer 1999‑2021]	3 Oct 1927	1 Dec 2021	94
1 Dec 2021		3	Richard Grenville Mitford Bowyer	8 Feb 1959
DENINGTON
10 Jul 1978 to     22 Aug 1998	B[L]		Dame Evelyn Joyce Denington Created Baroness Denington for life 10 Jul 1978 Peerage extinct on her death	9 Aug 1907	22 Aug 1998	91
DENMAN
28 Mar 1834	B	1	Thomas Denman Created Baron Denman 28 Mar 1834 MP for Wareham 1818‑1820 and Nottingham 1820‑1826 and 1830‑1832; Attorney General 1830; Chief Justice of the Kings Bench 1832‑1850; PC 1832	23 Feb 1779	22 Sep 1854	75
22 Sep 1854		2	Thomas Aitchison‑Denman For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	30 Jul 1805	9 Aug 1894	89
9 Aug 1894		3	Thomas Denman Governor General of Australia 1911‑1914; PC 1907	16 Nov 1874	24 Jun 1954	79
24 Jun 1954		4	Thomas Denman	2 Aug 1905	21 Mar 1971	65
21 Mar 1971		5	Sir Charles Spencer Denman, 2nd baronet	7 Jul 1916	21 Nov 2012	96
21 Nov 2012		6	Richard Thomas Stewart Denman	4 Oct 1946
DENNING
24 Apr 1957 to     5 Mar 1999	B[L]		Alfred Thompson Denning Created Baron Denning for life 24 Apr 1957 Lord Justice of Appeal 1948‑1957; Lord of Appeal in Ordinary 1957‑1962; Master of the Rolls 1962‑1982; PC 1948; OM 1997 Peerage extinct on his death	23 Jan 1899	5 Mar 1999	100
DENNY DE WALTHAM
27 Oct 1604	B	1	Sir Edward Denny Summoned to Parliament as Lord Denny de Waltham 27 Oct 1604 He was created Earl of Norwich 1625	14 Aug 1569	27 Sep 1637	68
27 Sep 1637 to     30 Oct 1660		2	James Hay, 2nd Earl of Carlisle Peerage extinct on his death	c 1612	30 Oct 1660
DENTON
27 Jul 1914	B	1	Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Viscount Kitchener Created Baron Denton, Viscount Broome and Earl Kitchener of Khartoum 27 Jul 1914 See "Kitchener of Khartoum"	24 Jun 1850	5 Jun 1916	65
DENTON OF WAKEFIELD
11 Jun 1991 to     5 Feb 2001	B[L]		Jean Denton Created Baroness Denton of Wakefield for life 11 Jun 1991 Peerage extinct on her death	29 Dec 1935	5 Feb 2001	65
DERAMORE
18 Nov 1885	B	1	Sir Thomas Bateson, 2nd baronet Created Baron Deramore 18 Nov 1885 For details of the special remainder included in the creation of this peerage, see the note at the foot of this page MP for co. Londonderry 1844‑1847 and Devizes 1864‑1885	4 Jun 1819	1 Dec 1890	71
1 Dec 1890		2	George William de Yarburgh‑Bateson	2 Apr 1823	29 Apr 1893	70
29 Apr 1893		3	Robert Wilfrid de Yarburgh‑Bateson Lord Lieutenant East Riding Yorkshire 1924‑1936	5 Aug 1865	1 Apr 1936	70
1 Apr 1936		4	George Nicholas de Yarburgh‑Bateson	20 Nov 1870	4 Nov 1943	72
4 Nov 1943		5	Stephen Nicholas de Yarburgh‑Bateson	18 May 1903	23 Dec 1964	61
23 Dec 1964 to     20 Aug 2006		6	Richard Arthur de Yarburgh‑Bateson Peerage extinct on his death	9 Apr 1911	20 Aug 2006	95
DE RAMSEY
8 Jul 1887	B	1	Edward Fellowes Created Baron de Ramsey 8 Jul 1887 MP for Huntingdonshire 1837‑1880	14 May 1809	9 Aug 1887	78
9 Aug 1887		2	William Henry Fellowes MP for Huntingdonshire 1880‑1885 and Ramsey 1885‑1887	16 May 1848	8 May 1925	76
8 May 1925		3	Ailwyn Fellowes Lord Lieutenant Huntingdon 1947‑1965 and Huntingdon and Peterborough 1965‑1968	16 Mar 1910	31 Mar 1993	83
31 Mar 1993		4	John Ailwyn Fellowes	27 Feb 1942
DERBY
1138	E	1	Robert Ferrers Created Earl of Derby 1138		1139
1139		2	Robert Ferrers		c 1162
c 1162		3	William Ferrers		21 Oct 1190
21 Oct 1190		4	William Ferrers		22 Sep 1247
22 Sep 1247		5	William Ferrers	by 1200	24 Mar 1254
24 Mar 1254 to     1266		6	Robert Ferrers The peerage was forfeited 1266	c 1241	c 1279
16 Mar 1337 to     13 Mar 1362	E	1	Henry Plantagenet Created Earl of Derby 16 Mar 1337 Created Duke of Lancaster 1352 Peerage extinct on his death	c 1299	13 Mar 1362
3 Sep 1385 to     30 Sep 1399	E	1	Henry Plantagenet Summoned to Parliament as Earl of Derby 3 Sep 1385 He succeeded to the throne as Henry IV in 1399 when the peerage merged with the Crown	30 May 1366	20 Mar 1413	46
27 Oct 1485	E	1	Thomas Stanley, 2nd Lord Stanley Created Earl of Derby 27 Oct 1485 KG 1483	c 1435	29 Jul 1504
29 Jul 1504		2	Thomas Stanley He succeeded as 10th Lord Strange de Knokin in 1514	by 1485	23 May 1521
23 May 1521		3	Edward Stanley Lord Lieutenant Lancashire 1552 and Cheshire 1569; KG 1547	c 1508	24 Oct 1572
24 Oct 1572		4	Henry Stanley He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Strange 23 Jan 1559 Lord Lieutenant Lancashire and Cheshire 1572; KG 1574	Sep 1531	25 Sep 1593	62
25 Sep 1593		5	Ferdinando Stanley He was summoned to Parliament by a Writ of Acceleration as Baron Strange 28 Jan 1589 Lord Lieutenant Lancashire and Cheshire 1594	c 1559	16 Apr 1594
16 Apr 1594		6	William Stanley Lord Lieutenant Lancashire and Cheshire 1607‑1642; KG 1601	c 1561	29 Sep 1642
29 Sep 1642		7	James Stanley MP for Liverpool 1625; Lord Lieutenant Lancashire and Cheshire 1626; KG 1650 He had previously been created Baron Strange 7 Mar 1628 For information on his wife, see the note at the foot of this page	31 Jan 1607	15 Oct 1651	44
15 Oct 1651		8	Charles Stanley Lord Lieutenant Lancashire and Cheshire 1660‑1672	19 Jan 1628	21 Dec 1672	44
21 Dec 1672		9	William George Richard Stanley Lord Lieutenant Lancashire 1676‑1687, 1688‑1689 and Jun‑Nov 1702, Cheshire 1676‑1687 and 1688‑1702, and Anglesey June‑Nov 1702	c 1655	5 Nov 1702
5 Nov 1702		10	James Stanley MP for Clitheroe 1685‑1689, Preston 1689‑1690 and Lancashire 1690‑1702; Lord Lieutenant Lancashire 1702‑1710 and 1714‑1736; Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1706‑1710; PC 1706	3 Jul 1664	1 Feb 1736	71
1 Feb 1736		11	Sir Edward Stanley, 5th baronet MP for Lancashire 1727‑1736; Lord Lieutenant Lancashire 1742‑1757 and 1771‑1776	17 Sep 1689	22 Feb 1776	86
22 Feb 1776		12	Edward Smith‑Stanley MP for Lancashire 1774‑1776; Lord Lieutenant Lancashire 1776‑1834; Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1783 and 1806; PC 1783	12 Sep 1752	21 Oct 1834	82
21 Oct 1834		13	Edward Smith‑Stanley Created Baron Stanley of Bickerstaffe 22 Dec 1832 MP for Preston 1796‑1812 and Lancashire 1812‑1832; Lord Lieutenant Lancashire 1834‑1851; PC 1831; KG 1839	21 Apr 1775	30 Jun 1851	76
30 Jun 1851		14	Edward Geoffrey Smith‑Stanley He was summoned to Parliament by Writ of Acceleration as Baron Stanley of Bickerstaffe 4 Nov 1844 MP for Stockbridge 1822‑1826, Preston 1826‑1830, Windsor 1831-1832 and Lancashire North 1832‑1844; Chief Secretary for Ireland 1830‑1833; Secretary of State for Colonies 1833‑1834 and 1841‑1845; Prime Minister 1852, 1858‑1859 and 1866‑1868; PC 1830; PC [I] 1831; KG 1859	19 Mar 1799	23 Oct 1869	70
23 Oct 1869		15	Edward Henry Stanley MP for Kings Lynn 1848‑1869; Secretary of State for Colonies 1858; Secretary of State for India 1858‑1859; Foreign Secretary 1866‑1868 and 1874‑1878; Secretary of State for Colonies 1882‑1885; PC 1858; KG 1884	21 Jul 1826	21 Apr 1893	66
21 Apr 1893		16	Frederick Arthur Stanley Created Baron Stanley of Preston 27 Aug 1886 MP for Preston 1865‑1868, Lancashire North 1868‑1885 and Blackpool 1885‑1886; Secretary of State for War 1878‑1880; Secretary of State for Colonies 1885‑1886; President of the Board of Trade 1886‑1888; Governor General of Canada 1888‑1893; Lord Lieutenant Lancashire 1897‑1908; PC 1878; KG 1897	15 Jan 1841	14 Jun 1908	67
14 Jun 1908		17	Edward George Villiers Stanley MP for Westhoughton 1892‑1906; Postmaster General 1903‑1905; Secretary of State for War 1916‑1918 and 1922‑1924; Lord Lieutenant Lancashire 1928‑1948; PC 1903; KG 1915	4 Apr 1865	4 Feb 1948	82
4 Feb 1948		18	Edward John Stanley Lord Lieutenant Lancashire 1951‑1968 For further information on the attempted murder of this peer's wife in 1952, see the note at the foot of this page	21 Apr 1918	28 Nov 1994	76
28 Nov 1994		19	Edward Richard William Stanley	10 Oct 1962
DE ROS
14 Dec 1264	B	1	Robert de Ros Summoned to Parliament as Lord de Ros 14 Dec 1264		17 May 1285
17 May 1285		2	William de Ros	1255	15 Aug 1316	61
15 Aug 1316		3	William de Ros		16 Feb 1342
16 Feb 1342		4	William de Ros	1326	1352	26
1352		5	Thomas de Ros	1338	8 Jun 1383	44
8 Jun 1383		6	John de Ros	1366	6 Aug 1393	27
6 Aug 1393		7	William de Ros	1369	1 Sep 1414	45
			KG 1403
1 Sep 1414		8	John de Ros	1396	22 Mar 1421	24
22 Mar 1421		9	Thomas de Ros	1407	18 Aug 1431	24
18 Aug 1431 to     4 Nov 1461		10	Thomas de Ros He was attainted and the peerage forfeited	9 Sep 1427	17 May 1464	36
1485 to     15 Oct 1508		11	Edmund de Ros He obtained a reversal of the attainder in 1485. On his death the peerage fell into abeyance	1446	15 Oct 1508	62
c 1512		12	Sir George Manners Abeyance terminated in his favour c 1512	c 1470	27 Oct 1513
27 Oct 1513		13	Thomas Manners, later [1525] 1st Earl of Rutland	by 1492	20 Sep 1543
20 Sep 1543		14	Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland	23 Sep 1526	17 Sep 1563	37
17 Sep 1563		15	Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland	12 Jul 1548	14 Apr 1587	38
14 Apr 1587		16	Elizabeth Cecil	Dec 1575	11 May 1591	15
11 May 1591		17	William Cecil	1590	27 Jun 1618	27
27 Jun 1618		18	Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland	1578	17 Dec 1632	54
17 Dec 1632		19	Katherine Villiers		by 1663
by 1663 to     16 Apr 1687		20	George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham On his death the peerage fell into abeyance	30 Jan 1628	16 Apr 1687	59
9 May 1806		21	Charlotte Fitzgerald‑de Ros Abeyance terminated in her favour 1806	24 May 1769	9 Jan 1831	61
9 Jan 1831		22	Henry William Fitzgerald‑de Ros MP for West Looe 1816‑1818 For further information on this peer, see the note at the foot of this page	12 Jun 1793	29 Mar 1839	45
29 Mar 1839		23	William Lennox Lascelles Fitzgerald‑de Ros PC 1852	1 Sep 1797	5 Jan 1874	76
5 Jan 1874		24	Dudley Charles Fitzgerald‑de Ros KP 1902	11 Mar 1827	29 Apr 1907	80
29 Apr 1907 to     4 May 1939		25	Mary Frances Dawson On her death the peerage fell into abeyance	31 Jul 1864	4 May 1939	74
May 1943 to     9 Oct 1956		26	Una Mary Ross Abeyance terminated in her favour 1943. On her death the peerage again fell into abeyance	1879	9 Oct 1956	77
Aug 1958		27	Georgiana Angela Maxwell Abeyance terminated in her favour 1958	2 May 1933	21 Apr 1983	49
21 Apr 1983		28	Peter Trevor Maxwell	23 Dec 1958
DERWENT
10 Oct 1881	B	1	Sir Harcourt Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone, 3rd baronet Created Baron Derwent 10 Oct 1881 MP for Scarborough 1869‑1880	3 Jan 1829	1 Mar 1916	87
1 Mar 1916		2	Francis Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone	26 May 1851	20 Apr 1929	77
20 Apr 1929		3	George Harcourt Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone	22 Oct 1899	12 Jan 1949	49
12 Jan 1949		4	Patrick Robin Gilbert Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone	26 Oct 1901	2 Jan 1986	84
2 Jan 1986		5	Robin Evelyn Leo Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone	30 Oct 1930
DERWENTWATER
7 Mar 1688	E	1	Sir Francis Radclyffe, 3rd baronet Created Baron Tyndale, Viscount Radclyffe and Langley and Earl of Derwentwater 7 Mar 1688	1625	Apr 1697	71
Apr 1697		2	Edward Radclyffe	9 Dec 1655	29 Apr 1705	49
29 Apr 1705 to     24 Feb 1716		3	James Radclyffe He was beheaded for high treason and the peerage forfeited For information on the attempt made by Amelia Radcliffe, self-proclaimed Countess of Derwentwater, to claim the family estates, see the note at the foot of this page	28 Jun 1689	24 Feb 1716	26
DESAI
5 Jun 1991	B[L]		Meghnad Jagdishchandra Desai Created Baron Desai for life 5 Jun 1991	10 Jul 1940
DESART
10 Nov 1733	B[I]	1	John Cuffe Created Baron Desart 10 Nov 1733 MP [I] for Thomastown 1715‑1727	1683	26 Jun 1749	65
26 Jun 1749		2	John Cuffe	16 Nov 1730	25 Nov 1767	37
25 Nov 1767 6 Jan 1781 20 Dec 1793	V[I] E[I]	3 1 1	Otway Cuffe Created Viscount Desart 6 Jan 1781 and Viscount Castle Cuffe and Earl of Desart 20 Dec 1793	1737	9 Aug 1804	67
9 Aug 1804		2	John Otway Cuffe MP for Bossiney 1808‑1817	20 Feb 1788	23 Nov 1820	32
23 Nov 1820		3	John Otway O'Connor Cuffe MP for Ipswich 1842	12 Oct 1818	1 Apr 1865	46
1 Apr 1865		4	William Ulick O'Connor Cuffe	10 Jul 1845	15 Sep 1898	53
15 Sep 1898 12 May 1909 to     4 Nov 1934	B	5 1	Hamilton John Agmondesham Cuffe Created Baron Desart [UK] 12 May 1909 Lord Lieutenant Kilkenny 1919‑1922; PC 1913; KP 1919 Peerages extinct on his death	30 Aug 1848	4 Nov 1934	86
DE SAUMAREZ
15 Sep 1831	B	1	Sir James Saumarez, 1st baronet Created Baron de Saumarez 15 Sep 1831	11 Mar 1757	9 Oct 1836	79
9 Oct 1836		2	James Saumarez	9 Oct 1789	9 Apr 1863	73
9 Apr 1863		3	John St. Vincent Saumarez	28 May 1806	8 Jan 1891	84
8 Jan 1891		4	James St. Vincent Saumarez	17 Jul 1843	25 Apr 1937	93
25 Apr 1937		5	James St. Vincent Broke Saumarez	29 Nov 1889	16 Jan 1969	79
16 Jan 1969		6	James Victor Broke Saumarez	28 Apr 1924	20 Jan 1991	66
20 Jan 1991		7	Eric Douglas Saumarez	13 Aug 1956

	William de Blaquiere, 3rd Baron de Blaquiere
	Lord de Blaquiere committed suicide in November 1851. The following report on the resultant inquest appeared in the London Standard of 17 November:-
	The lamentable circumstances attending the death of Lord William de Blaquiere [sic], of Beulah Villa, Norwood, Surrey, aged 74, were on Friday investigated before W. Carter, Esq., coroner for West Surrey, and 14 highly respectable jurors.
	From the evidence of Caroline Brown, Mary Ann Shaw, Mr. Street (surgeon), and other witnesses, it appeared that the deceased gentleman had taken up his residence in the locality of Norwood for about ten months past. During this period his charities and good offices to the poor of the district had been in accordance with the course he has invariably pursued. His health had for some time been very indifferent, arising from a lithotripic disease, but latterly he had been seized with an attack of smallpox - which had evidently affected his lordship's intellect; but this did not appear to be of a suicidal character, and consequently he was not watched so strictly as might have been deemed necessary.
	On Tuesday night last his lordship retired to rest at an early hour; he awoke at about four o'clock on the following morning, and asked one of his female servants to bring him one of his pistols, which was accordingly done. It was not then charged, but his lordship desired that his valet, Francis Johnson, should be called, and during the absence of the female servant it would seem that his lordship loaded the pistol with a heavy charge of powder and a large quantity of swan shot, and before the valet could be aroused the report of fire-arms created the utmost alarm in the mansion, and on several of the domestics rushing to his lordship's chamber they found him lying on the ground weltering in his blood. Immediately the services of Mr. Street, of Norwood, surgeon, were called into requisition, but before the arrival of that gentleman his lordship had ceased to exist.
	From a post mortem examination the noble lord, it would seem, had discharged the pistol into his mouth, through the roof of which the charge had passed, and several of the shots were found lodged in various cavities of the brain, quite sufficient to cause death. His lordship must have been a great sufferer from disease, for a calculus of unusually large dimensions was discovered in the bladder; and this circumstance, combined with the effects of the disease of smallpox, had doubtless produced that nervous debility which had so impaired his lordship's mind as to urge him to commit self-destruction.
	The noble Lord was a peer of Ireland, and entered the army in 1791, in which he was actively engaged for several years, attaining the rank of full general in 1841. His son and successor, Lord John, a captain of the 3rd West Indies Regiment, is the possessor of the celebrated yacht America.
	On the conclusion of the evidence, the Coroner summed up, and the Jury returned a verdict of Temporary Insanity.
	Jack Southwell Russell, 25th Baron de Clifford
	Lord de Clifford became one of the earlier victims of a car accident when he was killed in 1909, aged only 25. The following account of the accident appeared in the London Morning Leader of 1 September 1909:-
	Death, which is no respecter of persons, has claimed Lord de Clifford, head of an ancient family, who has lost his life in a motor car accident in Sussex.
	Lord de Clifford, who was accompanied by his chauffeur, was himself driving, when at the foot of Small Dole Hill, on the Henfield road, between Henfield and Steyning, he was confronted after rounding a curve in the road, by two market carts. Lord de Clifford applied the brakes with such suddenness that the car turned a complete somersault. He was pinned under the car and instantly killed. The chauffeur had a miraculous escape. He was flung from his seat on to the bank beside the road, but was practically unhurt.
	The spot where the accident occurred is some six miles from East Ridge, Lord de Clifford's place at Cowfold, whither he was returning after a journey to Brighton. The road way is only 12 ft. wide, and is so winding that scarcely sixty yards of it can be seem from any one point, while the hedges on either side are very high.
	Describing the accident, Edward Hards, aged seventy, the owner of one of the carts, said - "Both carts were going at a slow walk. We had just come down the hill and had reached the flat, when a large motor car came suddenly round the corner. The car pulled up quite short. It never touched the carts, but it turned completely over. Bridger's (the other driver's) horse reared at the sight of the car and backed into my cart, which was upset, but I was not hurt very much."
	Borman, the chauffeur, immediately ran for help, being powerless to shift the car or remove the body of his master. When the car was eventually lifted away it was found that Lord de Clifford's head had been terribly injured by one of the lamp brackets.
	Edward Southwell Russell, 26th Baron de Clifford
	On 15 August 1935, a car driven by Lord de Clifford collided with another driven by Douglas Hopkins on the Kingston by-pass. Lord de Clifford was subsequently charged with manslaughter. At that time, a peer still had the right to be tried by 'God and his peers' in the House of Lords. De Clifford was tried in the House of Lords on 12 December 1935 and was unanimously found to be not guilty. For a description of the proceedings, see The Times of 13 December 1935.
	The case gave rise to a number of questions in the House of Commons, especially in relation to the cost of such a trial and the right to trial by peers was eventually abolished by the Criminal Justice Act 1948.
	Lord de Clifford therefore became the last peer to be tried in the House of Lords. This right was not often exercised, the previous occasion being the trial of Earl Russell for bigamy in 1901, and, before that, the trial of the Earl of Cardigan on a charge of attempted murder (arising from his duel with Harvey Tuckett) in 1841.
	The special remainder to the Barony of de Freyne created in 1851
	From the London Gazette of 7 March 1851 (issue 21189, page 659):-
	The Queen has been pleased to direct letters patent to be passed under the Great Seal, granting the dignity of a Baron of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland unto Arthur Baron de Freyne, and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, by the name, style, and title of Baron de Freyne, of Coolavin, in the county of Sligo, with remainders, in default of such heirs male, to his brothers, John French, Clerk, Charles French, Esq. and Fitzstephen French, Esq. severally and successively, and to the heirs male of their bodies lawfully begotten.
	Arthur French, 4th Baron de Freyne
	The 3rd Baron de Freyne was Charles French, who on 13 February 1851 married Catherine Maree. The ceremony was performed by a Roman Catholic priest, under the rites of the Roman Catholic Church. At that time, under the laws of Ireland, a marriage between a Protestant and a Catholic, conducted by a Catholic priest, was held to be invalid and, as a result, the couple were again married on 17 May 1854 in a ceremony performed under the rites of the Church of Ireland.
	When the 3rd Baron died in 1868, he left six sons. Of these sons, three had been born in the period between the first and second marriages - Charles, born 21 October 1851, John, born 13 March 1853, and William John, born 21 April 1854. The first son born after the second marriage in 1854 was Arthur, who was born on 9 July 1855.
	For some years after the death of the 3rd Baron, the question remained as to who was entitled to succeed as 4th Baron de Freyne. Eventually, it was decided that, since the 1851 marriage was considered to be invalid, any children born of that marriage were illegitimate. As a result, Arthur, being the first son born after the 1854 marriage, was the oldest legitimate son of the late Lord, and therefore entitled to succeed as 4th Baron de Freyne. Exactly when this matter was decided I have been unable to ascertain, but it appears to have taken quite a few years after the death of the 3rd Baron. For example, the annual Roll of the House of Lords, which was issued each year, shows blanks against the name of the holder of the de Freyne peerage in both 1875 and 1876, indicating that the matter was still undecided at that time.
	The 4th Baron enjoyed the doubtful privilege of reading his own obituary in The Times on 11 September 1913. On 23 September 1913, The Times included a further death notice, which stated that "Lord de Freyne, whose death was wrongly announced last Thursday week, died yesterday morning at his residence, Frenchpark, County Roscommon, in his 59th year".
	Arthur Reginald French, 5th Baron de Freyne
	In early 1905, Arthur Reginald French, the eldest son of the 4th Baron de Freyne, disappeared in New York while on his way to visit his uncle in New Mexico.
	The following [abridged] report is from the New York Times of 18 February 1905:-
	Arthur Reginald French, eldest son and heir of the Baron de Freyne, has strangely disappeared in this city, and since yesterday the combined efforts of the British Consulate, the city detective force, and a private bureau have been directed toward finding him, so far without the slightest success.
	French came to this country on the Umbria of the Cunard Line on Jan. 16 last. Upon his arrival here he went at once to the Hotel St. Denis, at Broadway and Eleventh Street, where he registered and a suite on the fourth floor was assigned to him. Three days later he went out and never returned. His luggage is still at the hotel.
	The young man was on his way to join his uncle, Captain French, who has a ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico, and he had in his possession a draft for $1,000, which he cashed shortly before his disappearance through a man named Clark. The police have been unable to find this man, but the draft has been returned to the foreign bank on which it was drawn, and was in every way straight and regular. As French had the $1,000 and expressed a desire "to do the Bowery" when he disappeared, the police think there are grounds for the suspicion that he was foully dealt with.
	Co-incidentally, his disappearance was solved on the same day as the above report was published. His photograph was recognised by a sergeant at the Army recruiting office, who informed the authorities that the man in the photograph had recently enlisted as Private French in Company A, Eighth United States Infantry. French later explained that he had enlisted in the US Army because he did not have the means to support himself in the British Army, where he had previously been a lieutenant in the Royal Fusiliers.
	French appears to have served out his three-year enlistment period and eventually returned to England, where he succeeded his father as 5th Baron in 1913. When war broke out in 1914, he joined the South Wales Borderers as a captain in the 1st battalion, and was killed at the Battle of Aubers Ridge on the Western Front on 9 May 1915. On the same day, his half-brother, George Philip French, who was a lieutenant in the 3rd battalion of the same regiment, was also killed in the same battle, and the two brothers were buried in the same grave.
	*******************************
	Under the heading of "Barmaid to Baroness", the following report appeared in the Nottingham Evening Post on 30 September 1913:-
	There have just been disclosed the details of another romance in the career of the new Lord De Freyne, who recently succeeded to the peerage. Formerly a lieutenant in the Royal Fusiliers, Lord De Freyne visited New York in 1905, and while there was reported to have disappeared. For many weeks no trace of him could be found, but eventually he was discovered at Fort Slocum, New Rochelle, where he had enlisted for three years as a private in the United States army.
	In the obituary notices of the late Lord De Freyne it was stated of the new peer: "He married, in 1902, Annabel, daughter of Mr. William Angus". Behind this announcement there lies, according to the Aberdeen Journal, "a love romance, the heroine of which is a Speyside girl, who spent her early days in the quiet town of Rothes, went to London, and by her beauty and charm of manner won the heart of the Hon. Arthur Reginald French, the eldest son of Lord De Freyne, who made her his wife.
	Lady De Freyne's father and mother," says the Journal, "were of humble parentage. Her father was the son of an hotel keeper in Aberdeenshire, and her mother the daughter of a Banffshire crofter. There were three daughters of the marriage - Annabel being the second. Mr. Angus died, leaving a widow with three young children. Mrs. Angus purchased the Seafield Arms Hotel, Rothes, and went to reside in the Speyside village, where she spent the remainder of her days. It was in the early 'eighties that the family settled in Rothes, and even as a child the future Lady De Freyne was considered remarkably pretty.
	She was educated at the public school of the village, and was a favourite pupil of the school-master, the late Mr. John Gordon, M.A. Not only was she a handsome and attractive girl, but she was regarded by Mr. Gordon and by her own schoolmates as particularly clever; and when the end of a session came - or 'hairst play', as the annual vacation was known - she was never far removed from the top of the class. A bright, gracious girl, she was popular with all her classmates. She left school at an early age, and assisted her mother in the hotel. For a few years she helped in the duties associated with the management of the hotel.
	When Lady De Freyne was 18 years of age she left the little town of Rothes for London. When she had been in London for a few years she was joined by her eldest sister, her other sister remaining with her mother, who died in 1899, and was buried in the churchyard of Rothes, where her grave is marked by a cross erected by her daughters. In London, where the future Lady De Freyne occupied a position in one of the leading hotels, she met the Hon. Arthur Reginald French, the then Baron De Freyne's eldest son, by Lady Laura Octavia Dundas, sister of the first Marquis of Zetland, who died in 1881. The young aristocrat became deeply attached to this charming girl, and he proposed to her and was accepted, the wedding taking place on November 14th, 1902, by special licence. The Hon. Arthur Reginald French and his beautiful young wife spent part of their honeymoon in the north of Scotland, visiting Aberdeen, where they lived for a short time in one of the principal hotels.
	Hackneyed as is the phrase 'Truth is stranger than fiction', the romance of Lord and Lady De Freyne certainly surpasses in interest any story written by a novelist. Lord De Freyne is an interesting personality, and no less interesting is his wife. He is 34 years of age, and is the inheritor of a well-known Irish peerage and two estates said to extend to 40,000 acres in Roscommon.
	Reference has been made to the new peer having served in the United States army. He disappeared, as has been stated, while on a visit to New York. He seems to have been a young man of spirit and independence, not afraid to encounter hardship, and with the ability to make his way in [the] world apart from social influence. He enlisted as a private for a period of three years, and liked the life immensely. His salary as a United States soldier was £2 12s a month, and when found he was greatly surprised to hear that his disappearance had casuded a sensation as he had taken care to inform his relatives of his whereabouts. He rose to the rank of sergeant.
	To my mind, one major question arises out of this report: If, as the reader is led to believe, Lord and Lady de Freyne were still married at the time of his succession to the barony, why on earth had he previously proceeded to New York where he joined the US army? The statement that he 'rose to the rank of sergeant' suggests that he served out his enlistment period of three years. Where was his wife during this time?
	The special remainder to the Earldom of De Grey
	From the London Gazette of 14 September 1816 (issue 17172, page 1767):-
	His Royal Highness the Prince Regent has been pleased, in the name and on the behalf of His Majesty, to grant the dignity of a Countess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland unto the Right Honourable Amabell, Baroness Lucas, of Crudwell, in the County of Wilts (eldest daughter and co-heir of Jemima the late Marchioness Grey), by the name, style, and title of Countess de Grey, of Wrest, in the county of Bedford, and the dignity of an Earl of the said United Kingdom to the heirs male of her body, lawfully begotten, by the name, style, and title of Earl de Grey, of Wrest, in the said county of Bedford; and in default of such issue male, the said dignity of Countess de Grey to the Right Honourable Mary Jemima, Dowager Baroness Grantham (the only younger daughter and co-heir of the said Marchioness Grey); and the said dignity of Earl de Grey to the heirs male of the body of the said Dowager Baroness Grantham lawfully begotten.
	Charles Richard Sackville-West, 6th Earl de la Warr
	The following report is taken from The Derby Mercury of 30 April 1873:-
	A painful feeling has been caused in aristocratic and military circles by the suicide of Earl de la Warr. His lordship was on Monday night [i.e. 21 April] staying at the Bull Hotel, Cambridge, where he expected the steward of his Bourne estate to visit him on the following day. His lordship rose at seven o'clock on Tuesday morning, and after writing some letters left the house. From that time he was missing until Thursday morning, when his dead body was found in the [River] Cam. In one of the letters which he wrote his lordship had expressed his intention to drown himself. Information was immediately given to the police, and the river dragged, but it was not until Thursday morning that the body was found. His lordship's hat was first picked up, near the Robinson Crusoe, Sheep's Green, and on the drags being taken to the part of the river where the hat was found the body was discovered … We learn that at the inquest, Mr. Harradine, his lordship's agent, produced the letters left addressed to him, which were as follows:-
	"Harradine - My body will be found in the river at the nearest point from the Bull Hotel, after turning up to the left from the door. Delawarr."
	"Harradine - I have been the cause of the death of Miss Ann Nethercote, who was living under my protection. I cannot survive this; indeed the law would not allow it, so I shall be found in the river. Delawarr. Send word to Hastingfield I shall not be there."
	Dr. Kirby, of Hyde Park, stated that he attended Miss Nethercote at the deceased's request. She was suffering from irritation of the stomach, produced by stimulants. There was no foundation for the supposition which the deceased seemed to entertain that she had not had sufficient nourishment, or that he had done her any injury. She died rather suddenly on April 6th, and deceased seemed much distressed. The Earl's valet deposed to the strangeness of his manner since the time, and the jury returned a verdict of temporary insanity.
	Lionel Charles Cranfield Sackville, styled Viscount Cantelupe, eldest son of the 7th Earl de la Warr
	One of the most violent storms ever to hit England and Ireland struck on the night of 7 November 1890. One of its victims was Viscount Cantelupe, eldest son and heir of the 7th Earl de la Warr.
	The following report is from Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper of 16 November 1890:-
	Telegrams received from various parts of the country testify to the severity of the gale on Thursday night. A Lloyd's telegram states that the yacht Urania was wrecked at Bangor, co. Down. The crew were saved, but the owner was drowned. The owner proved to be Viscount Cantelupe, eldest son of Earl de la Warr. The disaster occurred within a stone's throw of the terrace of houses at the foot of the main street of the village of Bangor. A terrible sea was running. Signals of distress were sent up from the Urania, and it became evident that she was drifting fast upon the Salt Pan rock, upon which the ship City of Lucknow was wrecked some years ago. The wind blew with terrific force, and the night was so dark that to launch a boat at that moment would have been reckless folly. The Urania, therefore, drifted, with no hope of assistance from the shore and finally, about 10 minutes past two, ran upon the rocks. Her keel struck in a rocky cleft, and in that perilous position she remained for about two hours, with the furious waves breaking clean over her. It was impossible for any living soul to remain upon the storm-swept deck, and Lord Cantelupe and his men took to the rigging, in which position they would be clear of the waves, although fully exposed to the furious biting cold wind. The yacht, too, was beginning to fill, and it was evident that no time was to be lost. Lord Cantelupe went first, but just as his lordship had reached the top step, and was stooping down, with a buoy on the arm which clasped the rigging, and the other hand extended to help the next man, a tremendous sea struck the little craft, and the unfortunate young nobleman, who at that moment was cheerily encouraging his men, was swept headlong into the boiling surf, and was never seen again. Those left on board could do nothing except to throw life buoys and other things into the sea, in the hope that the drowning man might, perchance, seize hold of them, but these efforts were quite fruitless. Meanwhile, the people on shore had not been idle. Captain Hanney and the gallant Coastguard men, with Mr. Arthur Hill Coates, and several other residents of Bangor, were busily engaged preparing the rocket apparatus for service and getting the life-lines ready. After a few ineffectual attempts the life-line was caught by one of the yachtsmen, and having been made secure, storm-beaten seamen were safely hauled ashore one after the other, after three hours of very hard work for all the gallant fellows concerned. The last man was landed at five o'clock, and a few minutes afterwards the Urania slipped off the rocks and foundered.
	Lord Cantelupe's body was not recovered until 3 December, nearly a month after the storm, and was identified by two watches and a pocketbook found on the body. The unfortunate Viscount was only 22 years old and had been married for less than 5 months.
	William Herbrand Sackville, 10th Earl de la Warr
	The 10th Earl committed suicide by throwing himself under a train on the London Underground in February 1988. The following report on the subsequent inquest appeared in The Times of 17 March 1988:-
	The tenth Lord De La Warr killed himself when he dived under a London Underground train after anxiety and depression brought on by the storms last October, a Westminster inquest was told yesterday.
	The jury returned a verdict that he killed himself. Lord De La Warr, aged 66, died instantly. The incident happened last month at St. James's Park Underground station.
	His suicide came after a board meeting and a lunch with business colleagues.
	Lord De La Warr was being treated for anxiety by his general practitioner, Dr. Trevor Hudson, of Cadogan Place, south-west London, when the October storms wrought havoc to his property, Ashdown Forest in East Sussex.
	Dr. Hudson said that Lord De La Warr was "considerably worse" after the storms. He had recently offered to sell the forest to East Sussex County Council.
	The anxiety worsened when a young farmhand, Mr Daniel Thompson, of Crowborough, was dragged into a muck-spreader and killed on his estate. The accident did not involve Lord De La Warr in any way but he took it personally.
	William Philip Sidney VC, 6th Baron de L'Isle and Dudley and 1st Viscount de L'Isle
	Sidney was a Captain and temporary Major in the Grenadier Guards during the Second World War when he won the Victoria Cross for his actions at Anzio in Italy in February 1944. The citation reads:-
	For superb courage and utter disregard of danger in the action near Carroceto, in the Anzio beach-head, in February, 1944.
	The period February 6-10, 1944, was one of critical importance to the whole state of the Anzio beach-head. The Germans attacked a British division with elements of six different divisions and a continuous series of fierce local hand-to-hand battles was fought, each one of which had its immediate reaction on the position of other troops in the neighbourhood and on the action as a whole. It was of supreme importance that every inch of ground should be doggedly, stubbornly, and tenaciously fought for. The area Carroceto-Buonriposo Ridge was particularly vital.
	During the night February 7-8 Major Sidney was commanding the support company of a battalion of the Grenadier Guards, company headquarters being on the left of battalion headquarters in a gully south-west of Carroceto Bridge. Enemy infantry who had by-passed the forward rifle company north-west of Carroceto heavily attacked in the vicinity of Major Sidney's company headquarters and successfully penetrated into the wadi. Major Sidney collected the crew of a 3-inch mortar firing nearby and personally led an attack with tommy guns and hand grenades, driving the enemy out of the gully. He then sent the detachment back to continue their mortar firing while he and a handful of men took up a position on the edge of the gully in order again to beat off the enemy, who were renewing their attack in some strength. Major Sidney and his party succeeded in keeping the majority of the Germans out, but a number reached a ditch 20 yards in front, from which they could outflank Major Sidney's position. This officer - in full view and completely exposed - dashed forward without hesitation to a point whence he could engage the enemy with his tommy gun at point-blank range. As a result the enemy withdrew, leaving a number of dead.
	On returning to his former position on the edge of the gully, Major Sidney kept two guardsmen with him and sent the remainder back for more ammunition and grenades. While they were away the enemy vigorously renewed his attack, and a grenade struck Major Sidney in the face, bounced off and exploded, wounding him and one guardsman and killing the second man. Major Sidney, single-handed and wounded in the thigh, kept the enemy at bay until the ammunition party returned five minutes later, when once more they were ejected. Satisfied that no further attack would be made, he made his way to a cave near by to have his wound dressed, but before this could be done the enemy attacked again. He at once returned to his post and continued to engage the enemy for another hour, by which time the left of the battalion position was consolidated and the enemy was finally driven off. Only then did Major Sidney, by that time weak from loss of blood and barely able to walk, allow his wound to be attended to.
	Throughout the next day contact with the enemy was so close that it was impossible to evacuate this officer until after dark. During that time, as before, although extremely weak, he continued to act as a tonic and inspiration to all with whom he came in contact.
	Throughout the engagement Major Sidney showed a degree of efficiency, coolness, gallantry and complete disregard for his personal safety of a most exceptional order, and there is no doubt that as the result of his action, taken in the face of great odds, the battalion's position was re-established with vitally far-reaching consequences on the battle as a whole.
	Later that year, Sidney was returned unopposed to the House of Commons for the constituency of Chelsea for which he sat until he succeeded as 6th Baron de L'Isle and Dudley in June 1945. He later became a minister in Churchill's second government of 1951-1955, Governor General of Australia 1961-1965 and a Knight of the Garter in 1968.
	William Ashley Webb Ponsonby, 3rd Baron de Mauley
	Lord de Mauley disappeared on 13 April 1918 and his body was not found until a week later. The following reports appeared in The Times :-
	18 April 1918 -
	Lord de Mauley has been missing since Saturday, when he started to cycle from Brympton, near Yeovil, to Wantage, Berks, where his brother, Canon the Hon. Maurice Ponsonby, is vicar. The circumstances have been reported to the Berkshire County Constabulary. His bicycle was found on Sunday near Lambourn, and since that day the constabulary have been making close inquiries. He has not been seen at Wantage, nor has any message been received from him.
	It has been ascertained that a boy living in Lambourn passed a man in Pit Lane about 9.30 on Saturday night. The stranger was standing by his bicycle, which had been laid on the grass. It carried no light; indeed, no lamp has been traced as having been attached to the bicycle. The boy states that the visitor asked him how far he was from Lambourn, and the boy told him. He states that his questioner was a "tall gentleman, who spoke like a gentleman", but beyond that he can give no description of the visitor. The bicycle was found near some woods in a thickly wooded country.
	Lord de Mauley, who is the third baron, was born in 1843, and is unmarried. He was formerly a lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade, and served as aide-de-camp to the Governor-General of Canada. He succeeded his father in 1896. The title was conferred on Mr. W.F. Spencer Ponsonby (son of the third Earl of Bessborough), who married Lady Barbara Ashley-Cooper, co-heiress of the ancient barony of Mauley, created in 1295, and abeyant since 1415.
	22 April 1918 -
	As announced in the later editions of 'The Times' on Saturday, the body of Lord de Mauley, who had been missing since April 13, was found on Friday evening about two miles from the spot where he had asked to be directed to Lambourn. He had cycled from Brympton, near Yeovil, a distance of more than 90 miles, and it is supposed that he had lost his way and fallen from exhaustion, after physical exertions which few men well over 70 would be prepared to attempt. The inquest will be held to-day at Eastbridge Farm, Ramsbury.
	Lord de Mauley is succeeded by his brother, the Rev. the Hon. Maurice John George Ponsonby, Hon. Canon of Bristol, and vicar of Wantage, to whom he was going on a visit. The new peer was born in 1846, and married, in 1875, the Hon. Madeleine Emily Augusta Hanbury-Tracy, daughter of the second Baron Sudeley, having issue Hubert William Ponsonby, born in 1878, a lieutenant in the Yeomanry.
	23 April 1918 -
	At Eastbridge Farmhouse, situated in a lonely part of the borders of Wiltshire and Berkshire, an inquest was held yesterday on the body of William Ashley Webb Ponsonby, third Baron de Mauley, who disappeared on April 13 while on a bicycle ride from Yeovil to Wantage. The body of Lord de Mauley, who was 75 years of age, was found lying face downwards last Friday evening in a field, where it had lain undiscovered for a week, in spite of diligent search by Boy Scouts and others.
	Canon the Hon. Maurice Ponsonby, vicar of Wantage, identified the body as that of his brother, whom he had expected at Wantage on a visit on April 13 from Brympton, Yeovil.
	Joseph Prior, a lad of 16, said that at 10 on the night of April 13 Lord de Mauley stopped him and inquired the distance to Lambourn. He asked the boy where his bicycle was, saying he had placed it against some railings surrounding a pit near the spot.
	Sidney Thomas Marriner said that he found the bicycle by the roadside near the pit on Sunday morning, April 14. The chain of the machine was off. There was no front lamp and no pump.
	Dr. E.W. Moore, of Ramsbury, said that there were some abrasions on the face caused by a fall and a bruise on the knee. Death was due to heart muscle failure from exhaustion after such a long bicycle ride at an advanced age.
	Canon Ponsonby said that his brother very frequently took long cycle journeys.
	The jury returned a verdict that death was due to heart muscle failure caused by exhaustion after a long bicycle ride.'
	Thomas Aitchison-Denman, 2nd Baron Denman
	When the 2nd Baron Denman died in 1894, a number of newspapers published articles which described the eccentricities of the deceased peer. The following article, which appeared in the Christchurch, New Zealand Star of 29 September 1894, is typical:-
	The London papers contain many amusing anecdotes concerning the second Lord Denman, whose death, six or seven weeks ago, was announced here by cable. His Lordship was for years the champion "crank" and bore of the House of Lords. His head was full of the queerest fads and follies and conceits. When he rose to speak every noble Lord with one accord began to gossip to his neighbour. It proved, after many experiments, to be the only way to abate an intolerable nuisance. Lord Denman frequently told his brother peers they were no gentlemen. At one prorogation he threw over all traces of self-control, and, shaking his stick in the face of her Majesty's Ministers, offered at his advanced age - he was then eighty-six - to fight a duel to the death with anyone who would take up his challenge. One night after a painful scene in the House, which culminated in Lord Salisbury moving that "Lord Denman be not heard" the latter dined at the annual banquet of a Church of England corporation. The committee had not put him down to propose a toast, and the old gentleman was very angry. "I am stone deaf," he wheezed, "and nearly blind, and now they want to make me dumb, and I won’t have it". The committee, not knowing what he might or might not do, gave way at once and begged him to undertake [the toast to] "The Bishops and Clergy". Lord Denman began with a frightful blunder. He asked an audience composed entirely of very orthodox Anglicans to drink to "the clergy of all denominations". A storm of "Noes" and "Oh's" greeted the invitation, but the venerable peer (deaf as a post) paid no sort of attention to the protests, and went stolidly on. Fortunately the commotion subsided in time for the company to enjoy to the full his Lordship's definition of the clergy as "a fine body of men, and surprisingly prolific".
	The special remainder to the Barony of Deramore
	From the London Gazette of 17 November 1885 (issue 25530, page 5243):-
	The Queen has been pleased to direct Letters Patent to be passed under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, granting the dignity of a Baron of the said United Kingdom unto Sir Thomas Bateson, Bart., and the heirs amle of his body lawfully begotten, by the name, style, and title of Baron Deramore, of Belvoir, in the county of Down, with remainder, in default of such issue male, to George William Bateson-de-Yarburgh, Esq. (brother of the said Sir Thomas Bateson), and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten.
	Charlotte, Countess of Derby, wife of the 7th Earl of Derby (Dec 1599-21 March 1664)
	The Countess of Derby is famous in English history for her spirited defence of her home, Lathom House, during the English Civil War. The following account of her actions appeared in the Australian monthly magazine Parade in its issue for December 1968:-
	At dawn on April 26, 1644, Charlotte Stanley, Countess of Derby, mustered her little garrison of 300 men for their daily parade in the courtyard of her husband's ancestral home in Lancashire. Around them the ancient walls and towers of Lathom House were steadily crumbling into rubble under the cannon fire of the besieging Parliamentary Army. Deaths from wounds and sickness were remorselessly sapping the defenders' strength. Already stores of food and ammunition had fallen perilously low.
	One of the last royalist strongholds in the north of England, Lathom House was still defiantly holding out after two months of ceaseless battering. Clad in man's clothes, wearing a huge plumed hat and with a sword by her side, the Countess surveyed the little band that was proud to recognise her as its "captain general". This was a day of decision. Nearly half the garrison was to be launched in a desperate sortie against the main battery of the Parliamentary guns. If the assault failed Lathom House was doomed. If it succeeded the defenders might yet hang on until Prince Rupert's royalists fought their way to the scene. Inspired by the blazing courage of their mistress the attackers swept all before them. Within an hour they had blown up, spiked or captured every gun in the deadly battery. Lathom House was saved. And its 88-day siege under the amazonian Countess of Derby was to go down in history as one of the most dramatic incidents in the civil war between King and Parliament.
	Ironically, the romantic heroine of the cause of Charles I was not even an Englishwoman, but a foreigner who cared nothing for the intricacies of British politics. She was born Charlotte de la Tremoille in December 1599, daughter of the Duc de Thouars, one of the grandest of the French Huguenot nobility. From a high-spirited girl she grew into a beautiful and imperious woman - so imperious that she was reputed to frighten off every potential suitor. Charlotte was 26, almost an old maid by the conventions of the times, when she and her mother went to London, in the train of the French Princess Henriette, who was to wed King Charles I. At the court she met the youthful James Stanley, Lord Strange, and within a few months a marriage had been arranged between them.
	It seemed an ill-assorted match. Stanley was seven years younger than his bride. And he was a shy, stolid youth who cared for little but farming, fox hunting and book collecting. He was, however, also heir to the Earldom of Derby, and to vast estates in the north of England that made the Thouars' possessions insignificant by comparison.
	The wedding was celebrated at The Hague in February 1626, and Charlotte confounded the sceptics by settling down quietly with her "dull dog of a husband" for the next 16 years. Living in the magnificent Stanley houses of Knowsley and Lathom in Lancashire, she bore nine children and made few and fleeting appearances at the royal court in London. Then in 1642 came the war that was to transform Charlotte from the wife of a quiet country magnate into the national heroine of the Cavalier cause.
	As soon as the struggle between King Charles and Parliament became inevitable James Stanley, now Earl of Derby, set about raising a royalist army in the north of England. But - despite his efforts and the dashing generalship of the King's kinsman, Prince Rupert - most of Lancashire and the Midlands fell steadily into Parliamentary hands. By the end of 1643 one of the last royalist strongholds in Lancashire was the rambling, moated and strong-walled Stanley mansion of Lathom House. Derby himself was campaigning with Prince Rupert. Living at Lathom were the Countess, her young family and a motley assortment of 50 retainers.
	When the Parliamentary General Fairfax occupied the nearby town of Bolton in February 1644 he confidently supposed that Lathom would yield without a blow. Instead, the envoy sent to receive the submission of the Countess of Derby returned with astonishing news. In a passionate outburst of broken English the Countess had sworn that, if God willed it, she would "see the bright house of Lathom laid in ashes" before she handed it over to the King's enemies. Furthermore, the mansion was now defended by more than 300 well-armed royalist soldiers whom the Countess had persuaded to form the garrison. At least 40 small guns had been planted on the walls, including some deadly, chain-shot-firing "murderers" to rake the approaches to the house.
	Despite this array Fairfax was still convinced that the siege would be brief when on February 28, he sent three regiments of his army to surround Lathom House. Another surrender demand was peremptorily rejected by the Countess. Next day the besiegers began digging a series of trenches towards the moat and digging gun emplacements. Charlotte had six army captains in her little force, but she quickly made it clear that she was the commander and her word was law. Each morning at dawn she reviewed the garrison. Day and night, clad in masculine garb, she went round the walls in full view of the Parliamentary gunners and musketeers.
	A week after the siege began the defenders made their first sortie, 100 men dashing across the lowered drawbridge and falling on the enemy working in the trenches. They killed 30 in a fierce flurry of hand-to-hand conflict before retreating into Lathom House carrying a dozen of their own dead or wounded with them. Day after day the duel continued, the besiegers steadily bringing up guns and closing the ring of trenches while the garrison made desperate sallies to beat them off.
	By March 20 Parliamentary cannon were battering the walls with shot weighing 24lb. and even the solid medieval battlements of Lathom began to crumble. One ball crashed through the window of the Countess's bedroom and embedded itself in the wall, but she still indomitably refused to quit her usual apartments. With the opening of April the situation of the garrison was reaching a crisis though the Countess angrily refused even to consider the question of surrender. Furious sorties continued to spread death and panic among the besiegers. But every week saw more and heavier guns planted in the earthworks surrounding Lathom House. On April 9 one early morning assault reached the second line of the Parliamentary trenches and left more than 50 dead before the royalists were forced to retreat.
	But the garrison was weakening. Sickness added to the toll of battle losses and it was evident that hunger might break down the resistance that had defied the might of Fairfax's army. Throughout April a succession of messengers tried to slip through the besieging ring and carry appeals to Prince Rupert who was known to be moving towards Lancashire. Meanwhile, on April 26 the Countess ordered the greatest sortie and 140 men burst out of the postern gate, crossed the moat and stormed into the Parliamentary lines. For an hour the conflict raged bitterly and bloodily before the royalists fell back in triumph, dragging several of the heaviest guns and leaving the wreckage of the others behind.
	After that the siege languished. Fairfax departed, leaving operations to his subordinates, none of whom dared launch a direct assault on "the tigress of Lancashire". Famine and lack of ammunition were now the main threats to the garrison. Then, at last, on May 23, a messenger reached the house with the long-awaited news. Prince Rupert and the Earl of Derby had entered Lancashire, had swept the enemy out of their path and were advancing fast on Lathom House. Three days later the Parliamentary forces broke up their camp and retreated to Bolton. The epic 88-day siege was over and on May 30 Rupert hoisted the King's banner over the battered walls of Lathom.
	The Countess of Derby, however, still had another colourful part to play in the last stages of the drama of the civil war. Rupert's victories in Lancashire were soon followed by the crushing disaster on Marston Moor, where Cromwell's genius finally destroyed royalist hopes in the north. After the debacle Derby fled with his wife and family to the stronghold of Rushen Castle on the Isle of Man, from which the Stanleys had ruled the island as virtually independent princes for generations. Here, during King Charles's downfall and execution, Derby and his Countess continued. to shelter royalist refugees and defy every demand for surrender.
	The end came in 1651 when Derby rashly returned to Lancashire to join the young Charles II in his abortive attempt to invade England from Scotland. Charles fled back to Europe. Derby was captured and beheaded as a traitor. And once more his Countess was besieged, this time in Rushen Castle. For years the Manxmen had been restive under the dictatorship of the Stanleys and now their leader, "Brown­haired Willie" Christian [Illiam Dhône or Illiam Dhôan (14 April 1608-2 January 1663], saw his chance. When a Parliamentary army landed on the island and besieged Rushen in October 1651, Christian saw to it that scarcely a single Manxman lifted a hand to help the Countess.
	On November 2 the embittered Charlotte was forced to open her gates to the enemy - having achieved the distinction of being the last royalist commander to surrender in the civil war. Despite her inveterate hatred of Parliament she was treated generously and allowed to live as freely and luxuriously as ever at Knowsley in Lancashire throughout Cromwell's regime. She survived to rejoice in the return of Charles II to his throne, to hear that the treacherous "Brown-haired Willie" had been executed, and to become a living legend in Restoration England. When the stout-hearted Frenchwoman died at Knowsley on March 21, 1664, the Cavaliers mourned her as "a monument of feminine virtues and patriotism".
	Isabel, Countess of Derby (18 Oct 1920-Mar 1990), wife of the 18th Earl of Derby
	Isabel Milles-Lade, sister of the 4th Earl of Sondes, married the 18th Earl of Derby in 1948. The marriage was celebrated in Westminster Abbey, and was attended by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, and other members of the Royal Family.
	On 9 October 1952, at the family seat at Knowsley Hall, near Liverpool, a young footman in the employ of Lord and Lady Derby went berserk, fatally shooting the butler and the assistant butler and wounding Lady Derby and a valet. After he had fled the scene, the footman, 19-year-old Harold Winstanley, was arrested in a telephone box in Liverpool, still in possession of the gun.
	The following edited report of Winstanley's subsequent trial appeared in The Times on 17 December 1952:-
	A plea of insanity was successfully put forward by the defence at the trial at the Assizes at Manchester yesterday, of Harold Winstanley, aged 19, a footman in training at Knowsley Hall, near Liverpool, the seat of Lord and Lady Derby. He was found Guilty but insane of the murder of Lord Derby's butler, Walter Stallard, aged 40, at Knowsley Hall on October 9, and Mr. Justice Jones ordered him to be kept in custody as a Broadmoor patient until her Majesty's pleasure be known. The jury reached their verdict without retiring.
	When Winstanley was committed for trial by the Prescot magistrates on November 6, he was also charged with murdering Douglas Stuart, aged 29, under-butler, who was killed in the shooting at the hall in which Lady Derby was injured. That indictment was ordered to remain on the file of the court.
	Outlining the case for the Crown, Mr. Nelson said that one of the necessary ingredients of murder was that the person alleged to have committed the crime should be of sound mind and understanding. He had the authority of the defence to say that one of the issues the jury would have to consider was how far the accused man was, at the time the prosecution said he committed the acts, of sound understanding.
	Counsel thought he would establish beyond doubt that Winstanley shot Walter Stallard with an automatic weapon. If so he was entitled to say that in law every man was deemed to be sane and responsible for his actions until the contrary was proved. Therefore no attempt would be made by the prosecution to do other than to prove that he shot Walter Stallard. If there was any question as to his mental capacity or mental state at the time when the offence was committed - in other words, if he were guilty but insane - that was a matter which must be proved to their satisfaction by the defence.
	Counsel then placed before the jury a plan of Knowsley Hall, the residence of Lord and Lady Derby, so that they could follow some of the events which took place at the hall on the night of October 9. Winstanley had been a "trainee" footman at Knowsley Hall for 10 months. There was no evidence that there was any ill-feeling between any members of the staff, but rather they were all on exceedingly happy terms. The same could be said of the relations between the staff and Lord and Lady Derby. Therefore the prosecution had been unable to find and could not offer any motive in explanation for the events.
	Winstanley had no animus against any of the persons who were concerned. He had told a housemaid that he had a gun, and he showed it to her. He asked her not to tell anyone because he would get into trouble for having no licence. The staff had their supper about 7 p.m. and everybody was in the happiest of moods.
	The scene inside the smoke-room said counsel would be spoken of by Lady Derby herself. She was the only one who had first-hand knowledge of what took place.
	Lady Derby then went into the witness-box. She said she was dining alone in the smoke-room and watching the television when she heard the door click. She saw Winstanley with a cigarette in his mouth and that aroused her suspicions. He told her to get up and turn round, and seeing he had a gun in his hand she did so. Then he shot her and she fell and felt a lot of blood on her head. She lay still and could not see Winstanley, but realized somebody was still in the room. After an interval she heard a burst of fire and the fall, apparently of a body. After a further burst of firing she heard the fall of another body. The next thing she remembered was being attended by her maid. She had been shot in the back of the neck.
	[Following lengthy medical evidence given by the principal medical officer of Walton Gaol in Liverpool] witness formed the very definite opinion that he [Winstanley] suffered from grave and advancing disease of the mind in the nature of schizophrenia and also gross hysteria. At the material time of the shooting he was suffering from a defect of reason due to those diseases of the mind, and even if he did know what he was doing at the material time, he was prevented by that defect from knowing the nature and quality of his act.
	Summing up, the Judge said that the doctor's opinion, that at the time Winstanley committed this murder he was insane, was unchallenged.
	Henry William Fitzgerald-de Ros, 22nd Baron de Ros
	In February 1837, a sensational trial was held as a result of allegations that Lord de Ros had cheated at cards. He sued his accuser for libel, but with disastrous results for his reputation. The following report of the case appeared in Trewman's Exeter Flying Post or Plymouth and Cornish Advertiser on 23 February 1837:-
	It is with a feeling of sincere regret, that, in the exercise of our duty as public journalists, we feel ourselves this week compelled to notice the result of a trial in the King's Bench, brought by Lord de Ros, the Premier Baron of England, against a gentleman of fortune, named Cumming, one of the members of the committee of Graham's Club, charging him with having published, in the shape of a letter, a false and malicious libel, accusing him (Lord de Ros) with having been guilty of cheating at cards, both at Graham's Club and elsewhere.
	The newspapers have for some months past, from time to time, contained various paragraphs referring to this disagreeable occurrence; but we felt it incumbent upon us to refrain from taking the slightest notice of the affair until the circumstances should be fully and fairly investigated in a Court of Justice.
	On the occasion in question, the Court was crowded with members of the fashionable world, and a vast body of evidence was produced, the substance of which may be thus stated:-
	About the end of 1835, or the beginning of 1836, Lord de Ros, who had been some time suspected, played at whist in a public room at Brighton with Mr.&nbsbp;Higgins, Major Fancourt, and another, when it was affirmed that Mr. Higgins, who had some suspicion of the fact, observed that whenever the deal came to his Lordship's turn, and after the cut had been made, he (Lord de Ros) was seized with what Sir Wm. Ingilby termed "a King cough" which apparently compelled him to lower his hands beneath the table, when Mr. Higgins saw some shuffling of the cards take place, called the sauter la coupe, slipping the card, or reversing the cut, the result invariably being, that aces and kings which had been at the bottom of the pack previous to the cut, and ought by the cut to have been placed in the middle of the pack, were removed to their former position at the lower end, and turned up as trump cards. At the conclusion of the play, the cards were examined, when it was discovered that most of the aces and kings had been marked in the corner by the impression of the thumb-nail, which caused an indentation on one side, and a trifling but distinguishable ridge upon the other. His Lordship had won upon that occasion; and a Mr. Holles, who had bet with Major Fancourt, and won on his Lordship's play, on being informed of the discovery that had been made, refused to accept his winnings from the Major. As might be expected, the disagreeable affair formed the subject of conversation, and his Lordship's conduct was strictly watched. On the 13th, 15th and 16th of the following February, Lord de Ros played at Graham's Club, after which the cards were examined, and found to be marked in a precisely similar manner with those at Brighton. It was subsequently ascertained that cards with which his Lordship had played at the Traveller's Club were also similarly marked. The result was, an anonymous letter to his Lordship, who afterwards for some short period abstained from his usual practices. At length, however, these practices were resumed, when an explosion took place, the thing became notorious, the circumstance was loudly proclaimed while Lord de Ros was in the room, at Graham's early on the morning of July 2, by a Mr. Payne, a gentleman of Northamptonshire, who exclaimed. "This is too bad; the cards are marked". Lord de Ros then finally withdrew from the Club, the affair got into the newspapers, actions for libel were threatened - protestations of innocence uttered - and the conduct to the persons who had made the discovery, and who appear to have acted with much forbearance, was impeached - when Mr. Cumming, having previously written several times on the subject, wrote a letter, on the 2nd of last December, to his Lordship, in which he accused him of cheating, and offered to prove the charge. It was this letter which formed the subject of the present action.
	On behalf of the Noble Prosecutor [here follows a lengthy list of names] were examined. The object of their evidence was to prove that his Lordship was an excellent whist player; that they had not the slightest suspicion of unfair play; that his winnings were not to an extraordinary amount; and that he had an infirmity in his joints which might give to his manner of dealing an appearance of awkwardness.
	For the defence, and to substantiate the charges brought against his Lordship [another long list of names] were examined, several of whom deposed to the singular manner of dealing the cards adopted by Lord de Ros, (Sir William Ingilby positively swore that he had seen Lord de Ros perform the trick of slipping the card, or sauter la coupe, at least fifty times), and almost the whole of them deposed to the fact of the cards being marked on those occasions when his Lordship formed one of the party at the whist table. In addition to the above, the marked cards were produced and laid before the Court. One witness admitted that he was £35,000, and another £10,000, the better for card-playing.
	The evidence having been gone through, and the speeches of counsel concluded, Lord Denman summed up the case with his accustomed talent and impartiality - after which, the jury deliberated about a quarter of an hour, when they returned a verdict for the defendant - thus fixing on the Noble plaintiff the disgraceful charges from which it was the object of the present action to exonerate him. The glimpse of fashionable life afforded during the progress of this long and interesting trial presents a far from favourable specimen of the mode in which a part, at least of the beau monde avail themselves of that portion of time placed their disposal. Instead of devoting this, one of the most valuable gifts of the Almighty, to purposes of mental improvement or harmless recreation, we find their days and nights devoted to the unintellectual and soul-debasing vice of gambling, than which there cannot be a pursuit more directly calculated to steel the heart against those feelings of kindness and benevolence which form the finest traits in the human character - and which, if inordinately indulged, has a tendency to lead, as in the melancholy instance before us, to practices which have branded with indelible disgrace the possessor of one of the oldest titles of honour in the kingdom, and will serve to cast a shade even upon the noble order of which Lord de Ros was but recently considered the ornament and pride.
	In her Recollections the Countess of Cardigan, widow of the 7th Earl of Cardigan who had led the Charge of the Light Brigade, said that, on the death of Lord de Ros, the following epitaph was suggested for him:-
	Here lies Lord de Ros Waiting for The Last Trump
	Charles Radclyffe, titular 5th Earl of Derwentwater
	Radclyffe appeared to suffer from a disorder known as 'gamomania', which is defined as an obsessive desire to make bizarre marriage proposals. He set his sights on Charlotte Maria Livingston, Countess of Newburgh in her own right. She had previously, in 1713, married Thomas Clifford, heir to the barony of Clifford of Chudleigh, but he died in February 1719. Radclyffe is reputed to have made fifteen marriage proposals to Charlotte, who eventually became so angry at his constant harassment of her that she locked herself up in her house and gave orders to her servants that if Radclyffe was sighted on her property, he was to be thrown out at once. Nothing daunted, however, Radclyffe finally gained entrance to her house by scaling the walls onto the roof, from where he lowered himself down a chimney into her drawing-room. There, black with soot from head to toe, he made his sixteenth and last marriage proposal. This time his persistence was rewarded, and the two were married on 24 June 1724. For Radclyffe's later career, see the note below.
	Amelia Radcliffe, self-proclaimed Countess of Derwentwater
	The 3rd Earl of Derwentwater was a supporter of the Old Pretender in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715. He was made a prisoner after the defeat of the Jacobite army at Preston, and was sent to the Tower of London. Having been found guilty of high treason, he was beheaded on Tower Hill on 24 February 1716, and his peerages attainted and forfeited.
	Notwithstanding the forfeiture of the peerages, the title was assumed by his son, John Radclyffe, titular 4th Earl of Derwentwater. John inherited the vast family estates, which were not affected by the forfeiture of the peerages, since the estates were entailed. John died, aged 19, on 31 December 1731. His uncle, and heir male, then inherited the estates and assumed the title of the 5th Earl of Derwentwater. He also had taken part in the 1715 rebellion and had been taken prisoner and convicted of high treason. Before he could be executed, however, he escaped from Newgate Prison and fled to the Continent. When the 1745 rebellion broke out, he embarked for Scotland, but his ship being captured, he was returned to the Tower of London. He was there condemned to death on the basis of the sentence he had received 30 years before, and was executed by being beheaded (a fate usually reserved for peers, even though he was not legally a peer following the forfeiture of the titles in 1715) on 8 December 1746.
	The right to the title of the Earl of Derwentwater (save for the attainder) then passed to his son, James Bartholomew Radclyffe, who subsequently inherited the Earldom of Newburgh from his mother in 1755. The titular 6th Earl died 2 January 1786, He, in turn, was succeeded by his son, Anthony James Radclyffe, the titular 7th Earl of Derwentwater. When he died 29 November 1814, the male line of the 1st Earl came to an end, and the Earldom, titular or otherwise, became extinct.
	In a note in The Complete Peerage, it is stated that -
	In 1865 there appeared at Blaydon in the Tyne Valley a remarkable character stating herself to be Amelia Mary Tudor Radcliffe, suo jure Countess of Derwentwater, then aged 35. According to her story, John, the [titular] 4th Earl did not die a young man and unmarried in 1731 but fled to Germany and there married in 1740, at Frankfort-on-the-Main, the Countess of Waldstein. Of their eleven children all died young but two, viz., (V) James, the [titular] 5th Earl, who succeeded his father, but who d.s.p. [died without issue] and (VI) John James, the [titular] 6th Earl, who married, 4 June 1813, the Princess Sobieski. Of their six children, the eldest was the 7th and last [titular] Earl who died unmarried in 1854, leaving his property to his only surviving sister, Amelia, the (soi-disant) [i.e. self-proclaimed] suo jure Countess abovenamed. On 29 September 1868, this Lady effected a lodgement in Dilston Castle claiming it and some 4 other estates in the Barony as her own inheritance. From this she was ejected in two days but she continued encamped, close by, some 40 days longer. In 1870, on refusal of a tenant to pay his rent to her, she caused his stock to be distrained and sold, for which acts all who were concerned therein were found guilty while 'The Countess' was adjudicated a bankrupt, 24 March 1871. From 25 Nov 1872 till July 1873 she was in Newcastle Gaol for contempt of court. In 1874 she made a raid on the Whittonstall estates and was mulcted in heavy damages accordingly … In March 1870 and again in May 1871 her 'heirlooms' had been sold at Newcastle … The result of this last auction (one of two days) was £275, though the effects were valued by 'the Countess' herself at £200,000!
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	The following account of the claim is taken from an anonymously written book titled Celebrated Claimants Ancient and Modern published by Chatto and Windus, London, 1873.
	The unhappy fate of James, the last Earl of Derwentwater, has been so often recounted, both in prose and verse, that it is almost unneccessary to repeat the story; but lest any difficulty should be found in understanding the grounds on which the so-called countess now bases her pretensions, the following short summary may be found useful:--
	James Radcliffe, the third and last Earl of Derwentwater, suffered death on Tower Hill, in the prime of his youth, for his devotion to the cause of the pretender. He is described as having been brave, chivalrous, and generous; his name has been handed down from generation to generation as that of a martyr; and his memory even yet remains green among the descendants of those amongst whom he used to dwell, and to whom he was at once patron and friend.
	When he was twenty-three years of age he espoused Anna Maria, eldest daughter of Sir John Webb of Cauford, in the county of Dorset, and had by her an only son, the Hon. John Radcliffe, and a daughter, who afterwards married the eighth Lord Petre. By the articles at this time entered into, the baronet agreed to give his daughter £12,000 as her portion; while the earl, on his part, promised £1000 jointure rent charge to the lady, to which £100-a-year was added on the death of either of her parents, and an allowance of £300 a-year was also granted as pin-money. The earl's estates were to be charged with £12,000 for the portions of daughter or daughters, or with £20,000 in the event of there being no male issue; while by the same settlement his lordship took an estate for life in the family property, which was thereby entailed upon his first and other sons, with remainder, and after the determination of his or their estate to his brother, Charles Radcliffe, for life; on his first or other sons the estates were in like manner entailed.
	If the Earl of Derwentwater had been poor his Jacobite proclivities might have been overlooked, but he was very rich, and his head fell. Moreover, after his decapitation on Tower Hill the whole of his immense property was confiscated, and given by the crown to the Commissioners of Greenwich Hospital. The commissioners of to-day assert that the property became the property of the representatives of the hospital absolutely. On the other hand, it is contended that, by the Act of Attainder, the property of forfeiting persons was vested in the crown only, according to their estate, rights, and interest, and that the earl, having only an estate for life in his property, could forfeit no greater interest.
	His only son, although he lost his title of nobility by the attainder of his father, was, by solemn adjudication of law, admitted tenant in tail of all the settled estates, and the fortune of the earl's daughter was, moreover, raised and paid thereout. The earl's son was in possession of the estates during sixteen years; and, had he lived to attain twenty-one, he might have effectually dealt with them, so that they could not at any future time have been affected by the attainder of his father, or of his uncle Charles Radcliffe. At least so say the supporters of the self-styled countess.
	Upon the death of the martyr-earl's son, in 1791, and presumably without issue, the life estate of Charles Radcliffe commenced, but it vested in the crown by reason of the attainder. Not so, however, the estate in tail of the eldest son, James Bartholomew [Radcliffe]. This boy was born at Vincennes, on the 23rd of August, 1725; but by a statute passed in the reign of Queen Anne, he had all the rights of a subject born in the United Kingdom; and, among others, of course, had the right to succeed to any property to which he might be legally entitled. But the government perceived the fix in which they were placed, and immediately on the death of the son of the earl, and when James Bartholomew was an infant of the age of five years, they hurried an Act through Parliament which declared that nothing contained in the dictatory law of Queen Anne gave the privilege of a natural born subject to any child, born or to be born abroad, whose father at the time of his or her birth either stood attainted of high treason, or was in the actual service of a foreign state in enmity to the crown of Great Britain. This excluded the boy, and the government began to grant leases of the estates which would otherwise have fallen to him.
	And now we begin to plunge into mystery. It is asserted that the reported death of John Radcliffe, son of the last earl, was merely a scheme on the part of his friends to protect him against his Hanoverian enemies who sought his life. Some say that he died at the age of nineteen, at the house of his maternal grandfather, Sir John Webb, in Great Marlborough Street, on the 31st of December, 1731. Others maintain that he was thrown from his horse, and killed, during his residence in France. But the most recent statement is that his interment was a sham, and was part of a well-devised plan for facilitating his escape from France to Germany during the prevalence of rumoured attempts to restore the Stuarts, and that, after marrying the Countess of Waldsteine-Waters, he lived, bearing her name, to the age of eighty-six.
	By this reputed marriage it is said that he had a son, who was called John James Anthony Radcliffe, and who, in his turn, espoused a descendant of John Sobieski of Poland. To them a daughter was born, and was named Amelia. Her first appearance at the home of her supposed ancestors was very peculiar; and the report of her proceedings, which appeared in the Hexham Courant, of the 29th of September, 1868, was immediately transferred into the London daily papers, and was quoted from them by almost the entire provincial press. The following is the account of the local journal, which excited considerable amusement, but roused very little faith when it was first made public:--
	"This morning great excitement was occasioned in the neighbourhood of Dilston by the appearance of Amelia, Countess of Derwentwater, with a retinue of servants, at the old baronial castle of her ancestors - Dilston Old Castle - and at once taking possession of the old ruin. Her ladyship, who is a fine-looking elderly lady, was dressed in an Austrian military uniform, and wore a sword by her side in the most approved fashion. She was accompanied as we have said, by several retainers, who were not long in unloading the waggon-load of furniture which they had brought with them, and quickly deposited the various goods and chattels in the old castle, the rooms of which, as most of our readers are aware, are without roofs; but a plentiful supply of stout tarpaulings, which are provided for the purpose, will soon make the apartments habitable, if not quite so comfortable as those which the countess has just left. In the course of the morning her ladyship was visited by Mr. C.J. Grey, the receiver to the Greenwich Hospital estates, who informed her she was trespassing upon the property of the commissioners, and that he would be obliged to report the circumstance to their lordships. Her ladyship received Mr. Grey with great courtesy, and informed that gentleman she was acting under the advice of her legal advisers, and that she was quite prepared to defend the legality of her proceedings. The sides of the principal room have already been hung with the Derwentwater family pictures, to some of which the countess bears a marked resemblance, and the old baronial flag of the unfortunate family already floats proudly from the summit of the fine, though old and dilapidated tower."
	This is a bald newspaper account; but the lady herself is an experienced correspondent, and in one of her letters, which she has published in a gorgeously emblazoned volume, thus gives her version of the affair in her own vigorous way:--
	"DEVILSTONE CASTLE, 29th September, 1868.
	"Here I am, my dear friend, at my own house, my roofless home; and my first scrawl from here is to the vicarage. You will be sorry to hear that the Lords of Her Majesty's Council have defied all equitable terms in my eleven years' suffering case. My counsel and myself have only received impertinent replies from under officials. Had my lords met my case like gentlemen and statesmen, I should not have been driven to the course I intend to pursue.
	"I left the Terrace very early this morning, and at half-past seven o'clock I arrived at the carriage-road of Dilstone Castle. I stood, and before me lay stretched the ruins of my grandfather's baronial castle; my heart beat more quickly as I approached. I am attended by my two faithful retainers, Michael and Andrew. Mr. Samuel Aiston conveyed a few needful things; the gentle and docile pony trotted on until I reached the level top of the carriage-road, and then we stopped. I dismounted and opened the gate and my squires to follow, and, in front of the old flag tower, I cut with a spade three square feet of green sod into a barrier for my feet, in the once happy nursery - the mother's joyful upstairs parlour - the only room now standing, and quite roofless. I found not a voice to cheer me, nothing but naked plasterless walls; a hearth with no frame of iron; the little chapel which contains the sacred tombs of the silent dead, and the dishonoured ashes of my grandsires.
	"All here is in a death-like repose, no living thing save a few innocent pigeons, half-wild; but there has been a tremendous confusion, a wild and wilful uproar of rending, and a crash of headlong havoc, every angle is surrounded with desolation, and the whole is a monument of state vengeance and destruction. But here is the land - the home of my fathers - which I have been robbed of; this is a piece of the castle, and the room in which they lived, and talked and walked, and smiled, and were cradled and watched with tender affection. You never saw this old tower nearer than from the road; the walls of it are three feet or more in some parts thick, and of rough stone inside. The floor of this room where I am writing this scrawl is verdure, and damp with the moisture from heaven. It has not even beams left for a ceiling, and the stairs up to it are scarcely passable; but I am truly thankful that all the little articles I brought are now up in this room, and no accident to my men.
	"Radcliffe's flag is once more raised! and the portraits of my grandfather and great-grandfather are here, back again to Devilstone Castle (alias Dilstone) and hung on each side of this roofless room, where both their voices once sounded. Oh! As I gaze calmly on these mute warders on the walls, I cannot paint you my feelings of the sense of injustice and wrong, a refining, a resenting sorrow - my heart bleeds at the thought of the cruel axe, and I am punished for its laws that no longer exist. I pray not to be horror-stricken at the thoughts of the past ambition and power of princes who cast destruction over our house, and made us spectacles of barbarity. But, nevertheless, many great and Christian men the Lord hath raised out of the house of Radcliffe, who have passed away; and now, oh! Father of Heaven! How wonderfully hast Thou spared the remnant of my house, a defenceless orphan, to whom no way is open but to Thy Fatherly heart. Now Thou hast brought me here, what still awaits me? 'Leave Thou me not; let me never forget Thee. Thou hast girded me with strength into the battle. I will not therefore fear what man can do unto me.'
	"These are my thoughts and resolutions. But I am struggling with the associations of this lone, lone hearth - with no fire, no father, no mother, sister or brother left - the whole is heartrending. I quit you now, my kind friends; I am blind with tears, but this is womanly weakness.
	"Twelve o'clock the same day. My tears of excitement have yielded to counter-excitement. I have just had an intrusive visitor, who came to inquire if it is my intention to remain here. I replied in the affirmative, adding earnestly, 'I have come to my roofless home', and asked 'Who are you?' He answered 'I am Mr. Grey, the agent for her Majesty, and I shall have to communicate your intention'. I answered, 'Quite right, Mr. Grey. Then what title have you to show that her Majesty has a right here to my freehold estates?' He replied, 'I have no title'. I then took out a parchment with the titles and the barony and manors, and the names of my forty-two rich estates, and held it before him and said, 'I am the Countess of Derwentwater, and my title and claim are acknowledged and substantiated by the Crown of England, morally, legally, and officially; therefore my title is the title to these forty-two estates'. He has absented himself quietly, and I do hope my lords will not leave my case now to under officials. - Yours truly,
	AMELIA, COUNTESS OF DERWENTWATER."
	Their lordships left the case to very minor officials, indeed; namely to a person whom the countess describes as "a dusky little man" and his underlings, and they without hesitation ejected her from Dilstone Hall. The lady was very indignant, but was very far from being beaten, and she and her adherents immediately formed a roadside encampment, under a hedge, in gipsy fashion, and resolved to re-enter if possible. From her letters it appears that she was very cold and very miserable, and, moreover, very hungry at first. But the neighbouring peasantry were kind, and brought her so much food eventually, that she tells one of her friends that cases of tinned meats from Paris would be of no use to her. The worst of the encampment seems to have been that it interfered with her usual pastime of sketching, which could not be carried on in the evenings under a tarpaulin, by the light of a lantern.
	But her enemies had no idea that she should be permitted to remain under the hedge any more than in the hall itself. On the 21st of October, at the quarter sessions for the county of Northumberland, the chief constable was questioned by the magistrates about the strange state of affairs in the district, and reported that the encampment was a little way from the highway, and that, therefore, the lady could not be apprehended under the Vagrant Act! A summons, however, had been taken out by the local surveyor, and would be followed by a warrant. On that summons the so-called countess was convicted; but appealed to the Court of Queen's Bench.
	During the winter the encampment could not be maintained, and the weather, more powerful than the Greenwich commissioners, drove the countess from the roadside. But in the bright days of May [1869] she reappeared to resume the fight, and this time took possession of a cottage at Dilston, whence, says a newspaper report of the period, "it is expected she will be ejected; but she may do as she did before, and pitch her tent on the high-road". On the 30th of the same month, the conviction by the Northumberland magistrates "for erecting a hut on the roadside", was affirmed by the Court of Queen's Bench.
	On the 17th November, 1869, while Mr. Grey was collecting the Derwentwater rents, the countess marched into the apartment, at the head of her attendants, to forbid the proceedings. She was richly apparelled, but her semi-military guise did not save herself, or those who came with her, from being somewhat rudely ejected. Her sole consolation was that the mob cheered her lustily as she drove off in her carriage.
	On the 5th of January, in the following year, a great demonstration in her favour took place at Consett, in the county of Durham. A few days previously, a large quantity of live stock had been seized at the instance of the countess, for rent alleged to be due to her, and an interdict had been obtained against her, prohibiting her from disposing of it. However, she defied the law, and in the midst of something very like a riot, the cattle were sold, flags were waved, speeches were made, and the moment was perhaps the proudest which the heiress of the Derwentwaters is likely to see in this country.
	Such conduct could not be tolerated. The Lords of the Admiralty were roused, and formally announced that the claims of the so-called countess were frivolous. They also warned their tenants against paying their rents to her, and took out summonses against those who had assisted at the sale. On the 16th of January, the ringleaders in the disgraceful affair were committed for trial.
	Notwithstanding this untoward contretemps, the countess made a further attempt, in February [1870], to collect the rents of the forty-two freehold estates, which she said belonged to her. But the bailiffs were in force and resisted her successfully, being aided in their work by a severe snowstorm, which completely cowed her followers, although it did not cool her own courage. On the 11th of February, 1870, the Lords of the Admiralty applied for an injunction to prevent the so-called countess from entering on the Greenwich estates, and their application was immediately granted. Shortly afterwards the bailiff acting on behalf of the countess, and the ringleaders in the Consett affair, were sentenced to short terms of imprisonment. Thus those in possession of the property could boast a decided victory.
	But the law courts are free to all, and the countess determined to take the initiative. She had jewels, and pictures, and documents which would at once prove her identity and the justice of her claim. Unfortunately they were all in Germany, and the lady was penniless. By the generosity of certain confiding gentlemen, about £2000 was advanced, to bring them to this country. They came, but their appearance was not satisfactory even to the creditors, who became clamorous for their money. There was only one way left to satisfy them, and Amelia, of Derwentwater, took it. The jewels and pictures were brought to the hammer in an auction-room in Hexham - the countess disappeared from public ken, and the newspapers ceased to chronicle her extraordinary movements.
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	When the 'Countess' died on 27 February 1880, the Newcastle Courant printed the following obituary:-
	Information has just reached this place [Consett] of the death, at half-past two o'clock this morning, of the 'Countess of Derwentwater', the lady who laid claim to the vast estates which formerly belonged to the Derwentwater family, and whose eccentric conduct in the prosecution of her claim has kept her constantly before the public. It is now 20 years since this lady first notified to the world at large her claim, and her career since then has been full of interesting incidents. History records the death of John Radcliffe, the fourth Earl of Derwentwater, at the early age of nineteen, his death taking place at London in 1731. The Countess, however, asserted that the fourth Earl, instead of dying a minor in London, was smuggled over to Germany where he married in 1741, and left a large family, that to him succeeded a fifth, sixth, and seventh earl, and of this seventh earl she was a daughter, and only surviving heiress of the male descendants in a direct line. Twenty years ago, the soi-disant Countess left the foreign home of her ancestors to assume the grandeur they had so carefully shirked. On her arrival in this country, like the Tichborne claimant, she communicated her identity to those associates whom she also deemed worthy of her confidence, but, feeling perhaps, her case required some strengthening, and that sundry links in her chain of evidence were either wanting or decidedly rusty, she resolved to restrict immediate operations to the sending of a vague warning to the tenants on the various estates. In 1869, her Ladyship having made such preparations as seemed to her adequate for the purpose, once more emerged from obscurity, and having the sympathy of the masses, and being reinforced by an energetic aide-de-camp in the person of Harry Brown, then a bailiff of the Shotley Bridge Court, the campaign was opened with considerable pluck and activity. The local agents of the Admiralty were at Haydon Bridge on the occasion of one of the regular rent days appointed, and a large portion of the tenants were duly in attendance. Whilst the receiver was proceeding with the business in hand, a strange diversion was created by the entrance of the "Countess", accompanied by her henchman, and accoutred after a somewhat novel fashion of warlike equipment. Having duly announced her name, she warned the tenants present that the gentleman then receiving their rents was not authorised by her to do so, and called upon them to pay their respective amounts to herself. The tenants, of course, preferred to make their payments to the receiver, and, as the lady unceremoniously interrupted the proceedings, it was deemed advisable to induce her, if possible by argument, or, failing that, by severe measures, to quit the room. The quieter method having proved unavailing, and a threatened resort to qualified force having roused a slumbering lion, a somewhat lively scene ensued. Eventually the room was cleared, but not until a blow had been struck, for being armed with an antiquated sword, her ladyship drew the weapon, and a short struggle ensued, resulting in the snapping of the blade of the weapon. The immediate object of this first movement had failed, but great advantage was derived from the prominent place the extraordinary proceedings gained for her in the public interest.

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